Intimate Brand Mayana Takes Bold Action to ‘Bust the Stigma’ of Public Breastfeeding

Mayana, a BIPOC-owned women’s intimates brand, teams up with creative agency Anomaly to take aim at the sexualisation and judgment mothers face for their choice to breastfeed in public.

Taking bold action to ‘Bust The Stigma’ around breastfeeding in public, Mayana crashed this weekend’s Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Dodgers game with a 42-person breastfeeding flash mob.

Representing the 42% of Canadian moms that have experienced criticism, shaming and prejudice for nursing in public, the 42 moms were kitted out in a sea of ‘Bust The Stigma’ jerseys. They also carried signage with powerful statements like, “take ‘em out at the ball game”. A website for the initiative provides additional information on the right to breastfeed in public, and useful advocacy and education tools for breastfeeding and chest feeding parents.

As part of the campaign, Mayana has also released 42 limited edition bras, with a portion of proceeds going toward The New Mom Project, a Toronto-based charity that supports marginalised parents with essential infant supplies.

Mayana, known for creating socially conscious intimates for the ever evolving journey of women and their bodies, is on a mission to de-stigmatise the shame around women’s health and wellbeing. They are Anomaly’s latest Equal Advantage client, a diversity, equity and inclusion program that provides pro bono agency services to BIPOC-owned businesses.

“Mayana is our second client as part of Equal Advantage, and we could not be prouder to support the brand in sparking this movement and initiating a very important conversation,” says Candace Borland, partner and CEO of Anomaly Toronto. “We not only want to see ourselves represented in the work that we do, we also take pride in being agents of change, both of which are incredibly present with the Bust the Stigma campaign.” 

“Breasts are still highly sexualised and mothers are being vilified for simply feeding their babies. Even in 2024, we're still battling this censorship, which is why we knew we had to take bold action to support the right to breastfeed everywhere,” says Iva Prkacin, creative director at Anomaly. “It was so powerful to stand alongside 42 breastfeeding moms with a unified goal of taking a stand to normalise one of the most natural things on earth. This isn’t an individual struggle; it's a larger societal issue, and we’re so grateful to partner with Mayana to rally our community to help reshape the narrative surrounding breastfeeding, especially in public, workplaces, and within our social circles.”