Breasts aren't just for babies

Have you ever been in a room with someone who casually removed their breast from their shirt and began to openly breastfeed their child? It is almost impossible to avert your eyes. Like a bad car accident, you can’t look away. This is what a 2004 Australian Breast Cancer Research Appeal ad does. In an effort to encourage people around Mother’s Day to “Please give generously” the ad features the profile of a baby’s face as they nurse from a breast that seems almost suspended in air. It’s hard not to look at. Maybe it’s the internal question of whose breast and baby it is or just the fascination with part of the traditionally “kept under wraps” human anatomy so openly exposed.

Whatever the case may be, this ad has shown up on blogs and Web sites this week in anticipation of Mother’s Day. Many women have placed it on their blogs touting how lovely, heartwarming and beautiful the ad is. The ad is trying to get the idea across that breasts are a life-giving source of mother’s milk and should be protected. If the demographic for the ad was aimed at women, especially young mothers who have or are currently breastfeeding, then I’m sure it did its job. In fact, with all the reposts, it is probably still doing its job. But in order to reach the male population the Breast Cancer Research Appeal organization would have to take a different approach.

Men don’t care if breasts are for food. They care about the aesthetic appeal and what they can do for them and seeing a breast giving mother’s milk to an infant is not always appealing to them. Granted, there are some men who think it’s great, mainly the ones with wives at home doing the same thing. Let’s not go into the other kind. Anyway, in order to really appeal for donations for breast cancer the first step is to not associate it with Mother’s Day. There is an eww factor involved here when it relates to breasts and a man’s mom. Men like wet t-shirt contests, so they could start there, but would it really prompt them to give money to the cause?

My suggestion — sell a calendar with beautiful women in bikinis. Once the man pays for the calendar he can take the bikini top off each month’s model and appreciate what God gave her. This way men feel as though they are getting something forbidden (pornography) but without the stigma because they are doing it for charity.

Women in bikinis participate in a walk to raise funds for breast cancer research.

It doesn’t really matter if you are man or woman, or even if it’s Mother’s Day, you can still donate to breast cancer research and double bonus if you remember to send your mom a card too.

By 1.bp.blogspot.com