Breastfeeding activists boycott Old Navy

Via Strollerderby, we find that some lactivists aren’t happy about a new onesie on Old Navy shelves that reads, “Formula Powered.” In response, folks like Cate Nelson at Eco Child’s Play are telling moms they should boycott the store (and their accompanying Gap, Banana Republic, etc.) until they take the onesie down, which they say is empowering the formula industry. Nelson says:

We all know breastfeeding is best for baby…and mama. Formula simply isn’t the healthy option. So, why doesn’t Old Navy know it?

I’m no mama, but I am a breastfeeding advocate, believe in a mother’s right to breastfeed in public and at work, and am aware of how much the formula industry and larger culture today can stigmatize breastfeeding. But how effective will boycotting Old Navy for a onesie that’s — quite simply, in jest — be? After all, this onesie is bought by moms who may need to make light of a not-so-ideal decision they had to make. Paula Bernstein at Strollerderby addresses this while talking about her own feelings of guilt when she told her lactivist friends that she breastfed and used formula. She says,

“Breast may be best, but it’s not helpful to stand in judgment of those moms who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed.”

Would love to hear from some moms on this. Thoughts?