Breastfeeding My Boyfriend doc criticised for ‘contributing to stigma’

Viewers accused the show of 'sexualising' breastfeeding and 'adding fuel to the stigma fire'

The Channel 4 documentary Breastfeeding My Boyfriend has come under fire from some viewers for increasing the stigmatism around breastfeeding. The bizarre documentary aired on Monday night (October 25) and looked at a couple who use breastfeeding as part of their sex lives. One woman on the programme revealed that she was able to make £30,00 a month by selling videos to people online of her lactating. The documentary claims it intends to unpack the "taboo surrounding adult breastfeeding" by "exploring a growing underground scene that ranges from women producing milk for their partners to the lucrative lactation porn industry." However some viewers were unhappy with the programme, due to the fact that it focused on the sexualisation of breastfeeding. One woman expressed her anger at the documentary on Twitter saying that breastfeeding was something "that is so natural, and has so many health benefits for our babies, that mothers already get abuse for doing in public," accusing Channel 4 of "sexualising it further and adding fuel to the stigma fire." https://twitter.com/ChristieSimkins/status/1452765191263997959 Another said they were "disturbed just by the hashtag alone" and that breastfeeding is "something that should never be sexualised." https://twitter.com/CreoleMangler/status/1452759105551093761 A third said that programmes such as Channel 4's documentary are the "reason so many new mums have to feed their babies in toilets." https://twitter.com/countrylifeform/status/1452754030707499009 Women's rights groups have long campaigned for the normalisation of mothers breastfeeding in public. Some campaigners claim it is the sexualisation of female breasts that has led to a stigma around it. Related links:

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