'Outdated attitudes': Facebook bans ad for showing mothers breastfeeding

Tommee Tippee’s new ad campaign featuring realistic depictions of breastfeeding was banned by Facebook for 'adult content.' Video / Tommee Tippee

A campaign offering a no-filter insight into infant feeding has gone live online after being controversially banned by Facebook and labelled as "adult content".

Infant feeding brand Tommee Tippee's hero film The Boob Life reveals an uncensored depiction of women breastfeeding, but the team behind the campaign said the uncut ad was rejected in its original form by the social media giant.

Read More

• Breastfeeding isn't free: Here's how much it really costs - NZ Herald
• My mother-in-law, 70, is demanding to breastfeed my baby - NZ Herald
• My three-and-a-half year old is making me breastfeed her again - NZ Herald
• 'Brexting': Should mums be using their phones while breastfeeding? - NZ Herald

Australia's ad review platform ClearAds slapped the ad with a MA15+ rating for nudity but later downgraded it to M.

But Facebook still refused to air the shortened and edited no-nipple version (as seen in the video above), according to the brand.

The idea for the campaign stemmed from research by Tommee Tippee that found 93 per cent of mothers said the emotional, mental and physical challenges of infant feeding were under-acknowledged by society.

The ad features a diverse cast of real mothers in a wide variety of situations, including a mum tandem-feeding newborns and another with a prosthetic arm.

The company said it wanted to trigger conversation around when, how and where women fed their babies.

Tommee Tippee marketing manager Vanessa Gonzalez said reactions like Facebook's to the ad were a worrying indicator of "how we as a nation are treating mums".

Even a censored no-nipple version was barred from the social media giant. Photo / Supplied

"Censoring it only reinforces outdated attitudes towards feeding that create damaging situations for mums," she said.

"It sends a message that something is wrong or shameful about what they are doing when in actual fact they should feel proud and confident with how their body is changing as they enter motherhood."

The brand has still forged ahead with its campaign launch, choosing to release the original uncut version on its website.

Only a 15-second product-focused ad has been approved for use on social media.

One of Australia's most famous midwives, Cath Curtin (known as Midwife Cath), said the ad showed "a realistic view of women".

"One of the universal truths of becoming a mother is that breastfeeding is different for every mum, and breasts come in all different shapes and sizes," she said.

"I love this ad. Boobs, breasts, nipples are all part of being a woman ... it's uplifting and shows a realistic view of women and their experiences with feeding their babies."

Olympian Sally Pearson has thrown her support behind the brand, saying she wishes the ad existed when she had just become a new mum.

"The more information a mother to be or a new mother can gather greatly reduces apprehension, and so it's great to see a brand like Tommee Tippee recognising that no one mum's journey is the same," she said.

ClearAds and Facebook have been contacted for comment.

A spokeswoman for the brand said Facebook argued: "Ads must not include sexual or sexually suggestive words or images. Avoid nudity, people in explicit positions or sexually provocative activities.

"While they understand that it may be referencing breastfeeding, they do not allow nudity in any form."

Period underwear brand Modibodi faced a similar issue last year when the company produced an ad that showed real menstrual blood rather than blue dye.