Little boys and girls nursed their dolls. An Australian aboriginal child was shown wearing a strap with clay breasts to breastfeed her doll. For many mothers, breastfeeding information comes from formula manufacturers. Breastfeeding mothers pictured in the pamphlets are usually plain with dark hair and appear to be depressed. Bottle-feeding mothers are blond, prettier, happier and the photographs are brighter.
Many mothers are fearful of nursing in public.
A breastfeeding pamphlet picturing both breasts exposed gives a subliminal message that breastfeeding mothers must be immodest, making bottle- feeding mothers appear somehow more virtuous. Professional, medical and pharmaceutical companies use baby bottles in advertising to represent babies. Many mothers fear that they will not be able to breastfeed because there is something wrong with their nipples or breasts. They believe their nipples must be as clean and tough as bottle nipples. A mother may offer her baby a squeezed breast to try to make it look more like a bottle.