by Kris Lee

Created on: November 16, 2008   Last Updated: December 05, 2008

To put the question in perspective, it is first necessary to understand the larger context and intention for featuring women breastfeeding on magazine covers.

If the magazine targets the female market, is a medical journal, or focuses on parenting, caring for babies and bringing up children, it is perfectly appropriate to have such a cover photo. After all, there is nothing obscene about breastfeeding one's child - It is the most natural thing for mothers to do, with great health benefits for both child and mother. Such a photo also conveys a very strong message of motherly love and bonding between mother and child.

Even if the focus of the magazine is not on females or parenting specifically, a cover photo of women breastfeeding is still relevant and appropriate if there is a special feature or editorial being done by the magazine on this or a related subject. An example is a current affairs magazine doing a special story on new medical discoveries relating to the benefits of breast milk.

Another appropriate use is that for a cover story highlighting the possibility of transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through the breast milk of a HIV+ mother to her baby.

As for an insightful study of famine and hunger in countries of the African continent, for example, what can be more powerful an image than a cover photo of a mother trying to breastfeed her new-born baby, but failing to do so because her body is too weak and malnourished to produce the life-nourishing milk?

Even for magazines specialising in non-related topics such as finance and economics, there can be occasions when the usage of a cover photo of women breastfeeding is entirely relevant. A topic that comes to mind is the economic impacts of the increasingly-prevalent trend globally of breast-feeding on the dairy industry and companies that produces milk products, and how the share prices of these companies (if listed on the stock exchange) have been affected.

If it has been decided that the usage of a cover photo of women breastfeeding is relevant and appropriate, editorial discretion should still be exercised to ensure that the image conveyed by the photo is a beautiful one, rather than one which is meant to titillate.

Not all mothers breastfeed their child by totally baring and exposing their breasts. Most of them wear specially-designed and -tailored blouses that allow their babies to suckle on the exposed nipple, without them having to disrobe or unbutton half of their blouses.

If mothers were not wearing blouses that facilitate breastfeeding, most of them carry an extra piece of cloth or towel that they drape over their shoulders when breastfeeding, especially in public, so that their modesty is protected and no one can accuse them of obscenity or indecency. In any case, the breast being suckled upon is usually covered by the baby's head in the first place.

In terms of the photographic angle, there are many ways to convey the image of breastfeeding in a natural and beautiful way. As long as the photographer captures the right mood and image, and the magazine's editor is satisfied with the appropriateness and relevance of the cover photo, there is absolutely nothing wrong with featuring women breastfeeding on magazine covers!

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