Breastfeeding Hong Kong mothers, inspired by Rachel McAdams, ask for acceptance
- A group of mothers gathered in Central business district for a glamorous photo shoot, inspired by the actress who pumped milk during a fashion shoot
- They want to normalise breastfeeding and pumping breast milk in Hong Kong, where a stigma still surrounds these activities
The lights are bright and the smell of hairspray hangs in the air of a Hong Kong bar, where a photo shoot with a difference is taking place.
The photographer’s flash illuminates the jewellery of the perfectly coiffed women who stare down his lens. One blond model arranges herself on the chair, checking her lipstick before attaching a pair of tubes to her nipples, which are exposed underneath her crimson jacket.
The women are being photographed while breastfeeding or expressing milk using a pump. Their goal is to normalise these actions.
In December 2018, actress Rachel McAdams caused a stir when a magazine photo of her pumping milk for her newborn went viral on social media. For mothers, the image was a cause for celebration.
“It spoke to nursing mums because she is championing and bringing attention to what we do,” says Heather Lin, organiser of the Hong Kong photo shoot, called #PumpItUp. “It showed Rachel McAdams is one of us and does menial things like pumping and, instead of being asked to hide away, she is photographed while wearing Versace. It’s accepted, looked up to, and admired – as it should be.”
Twelve mothers assembled at the bar Whiskey and Words in Central district to take part in the shoot with photographer Brian Smeets. The objective, Lin explains, was to dispel the stigma around breastfeeding in public, particularly in Hong Kong, where a mother feeding her child out in the open without a cover is a rare sight, misconceptions around the practice are rife, and milk formula is still the go-to for many parents.