Hi everyone,

Great posts! I think that if the enquiry can hear women's voices and their experiences it would be very eye opening to them. Of course research that is presented usually stems directly from voices - but at times the power is lost. As so many of you have pointed out in your posts - I have been thinking about the idea of an advertisement campaign on breastfeeding. Incoporating many of your ideals - the campaign should express not only acceptance of breastfeeding in public but also express the beauty and empowerment of the female body. I know that sounds a little strong - but it could be something as simple as the Dove campaign on accepting women's bodies as they are (of course we can still critique those campaigns - but I think the message is at base a good one). If society starts to get the reverse message of the female faulty body and also a message about our bodies not being purely sexual objects - I think it might help. Also, images of 'types' of women - I hate to put us into boxes - but often the earth mother is the image that is given for the woman who breastfeeds for an extended period of time. Images of women at work breastfeeding in business suits etc could dispell some of this myth.
I am originally from the United States - and I do have to say that it is actually worse at home - exposing a breast in public in the North Eastern parts of the States certainly caused a few heart attacks (including my own brother). Australia does have its problems, as so many have highlighted, but I do think it is a little more open. For instance I was breastfeeding in public recently and a woman approached me to thank me for doing so in public - to make it more acceptable. She highlighted that by women hiding away it causes part of the problem.
Anyway just an idea!