In the most successful ad campaign in history, formula companies convinced mothers to trade in their breasts for bottles, and the baby bottle swiftly became the most recognizable symbol of infancy. The phenomenon of the nursing mother has all but disappeared from our cultural landscape as the sexual breast supplanted the mothering breast. The simple act of nursing a baby engenders a plethora of reactions from society, especially when done in public.
Conflicting advice abounds leaving new moms bewildered and wondering if they are doing it “right,” or they simply opt out entirely. Countering nearly a century of medical procedures that separated babies from their mothers and medical advice that informed women that their milk was not good enough, Bottled UP! captures how mothers can access their inner knowledge and trust their own body’s wisdom and why they should. Women’s stories, leading lactation professionals, archival footage, religious iconography, and formula advertisements, tell the story of how mothers relinquished authority to medical professionals, and succumbed to cultural pressure to forfeit their nourishing breasts in favor of a highly sexualized model.
This film shows how women can reclaim their birthright and restore the nursing mother archetype. More than a breastfeeding promotion film, this is a film by, for, and about women. It is about the knowledge that inherently resides in every woman, how to access that knowledge and how to trust what we already know. It is a film that will inspire women to say, “I can do that!” “I want to do that!
Bottled UP! is a documentary exposé about Breastfeeding in America. Our mission is to restore the Phenomenon of the Nursing Mother to the cultural landscape of America.
The mantra is everywhere – “Breast is Best.” In the US 75% of all mothers attempt to breastfeed, but a startling few succeed. Despite overwhelming evidence that it is the healthiest way to feed a baby, a meager 15% of American women successfully breastfeed.
Our film asks, “Why?”
Why do so many women start out breastfeeding but find themselves up against overwhelming obstacles?
We will take you on a journey that will outrage and incite, enlighten and inspire, as we expose the social programming that derails breastfeeding, and explore:
- Why this is happening?
- Who benefits?
- What is at stake?
Join us on our mission to elevate the nursing mother to a place in society where she receives all the necessary support to successfully nurse a child, where scientific evidence overrides marketing influences, and a woman does not fear breastfeeding in public.
SEE KINDRED’S BREASTFEEDING RESOURCES