‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse
This study critically examines the multimodal discourses of baby feeding practices in contemporary health promotion in the UK. Comparing two parallel texts from the ongoing Start4life campaign (one dedicated to breastfeeding, the other to bottle/formula feeding), our multimodal critical discourse an...
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| Format: | Article |
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Equinox Publishing
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44413/ |
| _version_ | 1848796911301033984 |
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| author | Brookes, Gavin Harvey, Kevin Mullany, Louise |
| author_facet | Brookes, Gavin Harvey, Kevin Mullany, Louise |
| author_sort | Brookes, Gavin |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This study critically examines the multimodal discourses of baby feeding practices in contemporary health promotion in the UK. Comparing two parallel texts from the ongoing Start4life campaign (one dedicated to breastfeeding, the other to bottle/formula feeding), our multimodal critical discourse analysis identifies a series of recurring, multi-semiotic strategies through which these texts aim to promote breastfeeding as the most desirable, natural and even morally responsible method of infant nutrition. These discursive strategies, we argue, are underpinned and driven by neoliberal assumptions about infant feeding, health and risk, which fail to take into account the structural constraints that affect the take up the ‘ideal’ of breastfeeding, all the while propagating unobtainable and often contradictory notions of total motherhood and familial relations – discursive moves that can have negative consequences for the health and wellbeing of new mothers. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:55:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-44413 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:55:30Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Equinox Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-444132020-05-04T18:24:57Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44413/ ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse Brookes, Gavin Harvey, Kevin Mullany, Louise This study critically examines the multimodal discourses of baby feeding practices in contemporary health promotion in the UK. Comparing two parallel texts from the ongoing Start4life campaign (one dedicated to breastfeeding, the other to bottle/formula feeding), our multimodal critical discourse analysis identifies a series of recurring, multi-semiotic strategies through which these texts aim to promote breastfeeding as the most desirable, natural and even morally responsible method of infant nutrition. These discursive strategies, we argue, are underpinned and driven by neoliberal assumptions about infant feeding, health and risk, which fail to take into account the structural constraints that affect the take up the ‘ideal’ of breastfeeding, all the while propagating unobtainable and often contradictory notions of total motherhood and familial relations – discursive moves that can have negative consequences for the health and wellbeing of new mothers. Equinox Publishing 2016-12-20 Article PeerReviewed Brookes, Gavin, Harvey, Kevin and Mullany, Louise (2016) ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse. Gender and Language, 10 (3). pp. 340-363. ISSN 1747-633X Infant nutrition Breastfeeding Motherhood Neoliberalism health promotion Multimodal critical discourse analysis https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/GL/article/view/32035 doi:10.1558/genl.v10i3.32035 doi:10.1558/genl.v10i3.32035 |
| spellingShingle | Infant nutrition Breastfeeding Motherhood Neoliberalism health promotion Multimodal critical discourse analysis Brookes, Gavin Harvey, Kevin Mullany, Louise ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title | ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title_full | ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title_fullStr | ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title_short | ‘Off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| title_sort | ‘off to the best start’? a multimodal critique of breast and formula feeding health promotional discourse |
| topic | Infant nutrition Breastfeeding Motherhood Neoliberalism health promotion Multimodal critical discourse analysis |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44413/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44413/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44413/ |