A breast pump company has raised eyebrows with music video-inspired advert that playfully likens nursing mothers to cows being milked.
Elvie unveiled the advert for what it has billed the first ‘wireless and silent’ breast pump, costing £229, which has no cumbersome tubes and can be placed discreetly inside a nursing bra as it works.
The ad, published on the company’s Facebook page, has caused quite a stir, as it features a group of real mothers dancing in a hay-filled barn of cows.
Having already racked up 75,000 views and almost a thousand comments and shares, the ad has had a mixed reaction from viewers.
Some branded the use of cows in the advert ‘distasteful’, and said it made light of the ‘horrors’ of the dairy industry.
But many women declared it ‘genius’ – with one writing online to say ‘[breast milk] pumping made me feel exactly like a cow’.
Elvie, a company aimed at innovating women’s technology, has released an advert for the first ‘wireless and silent’ breast pump, costing £229, which can be placed inside a nursing bra unnoticed as it works
The music video-style advert, filmed by director and new mother Fiona Jane Burgess, kicks off with mothers Ibs, Nuna, Hannah and Stephanie dancing to a track called Pumping Unplugged.
The advert then claims ‘100 per cent(ish)’ of women who breast pump ‘feel like cows’, as the women continue their routine, before one is pictured holding a mass of tubes from cow milking machine.
The lyrics flash up, reading: ‘Yes I milk myself but you don’t see no tail, so why should I be stuck using big old wires and tubes.
‘These are not udders they’re boobs’, before it continues on to the chorus of ‘pump it out pump it out, feed them babies!’.
And the trailer, released to their Facebook page, has caused quite a stir as it features a group of real mothers dancing in a hay-filled barn of cows- comparing them to the creatures
The video got a mixed reaction from followers- some of whom claimed making light of the dairy industry, but others praising the pump (a cow seen being milked)
The advert ends as the women reveal they have been dancing with the pumps in their nursing bras.
And the video quickly garnered hundreds of comments and shares with many women praising the innovative product, which retails at £229 for a single pump, or £429 for a double.
However others were less sure about the advert, branding it ‘out of touch’ to make light of the dairy industry.
‘Very poor decision using cows to advertise this product. Like us they need to get pregnant and give birth in order to produce milk, except their babies are stolen from them within days of giving birth,’ one wrote.
The advert, filmed by director and new mother Fiona Jane Burgess, kicks off with mothers Ibs, Nuna, Hannah and Stephanie dancing to a track called ‘Pumping. Unplugged’
The advert then claims ‘100 per cent(ish)’ of women who breast pump ‘feel like cows’, as the women continue their routine before one is pictured holding a mass of tubes from cow milking machine
The lyrics flash up, reading: ‘Yes I milk myself but you don’t see no tail, so why should I be stuck using big old wires and tubes as a woman dances between cows
Another added: ‘Strange and distasteful advertisement considering the horrors of the dairy industry and what beautiful cows have to endure for human consumption of their milk, not to mention the killing of the male calves.’
Responding, Evie wrote: ‘We filmed this video on a family run farm where the animals are very well looked after. We can assure you their needs were put first throughout.
‘The family ensure their welfare is always put first. The family who run the farm were definitely setting an example for how farm animals should be treated!’
Others expressed their excitement at the pump- which will be released in the UK in October and America in November, with one writing: ‘I think this is a genus idea. I would’ve had one if I was still breastfeeding. Pumping made me feel exactly like a cow. The advert is a little mad but I took it for what it was. This is a genius product.’
A woman poses next to an inquisitive cow, as the lyrics play: ‘These are not udders they’re boobs’, before it continues on to the chorus of ‘pump it out pump it out, feed them babies!’.
A pint of milk is held up as the mothers compare breast pumping to milking cows
It is being billed as the world’s first wearable breast pump which is silent and has no wires
Another added: ‘Looks like a product that actually listened to REAL moms n our actual struggles, thank you! I will def be checking them out to buy ‘.
Last week the pump even featured on the runway, with a model and new mum appearing on the catwalk at London Fashion Week while using the breast pumps.
Valeria Garcia, who gave birth to youngest son Anton in June, sported what is being billed as the world’s first wearable breast pump beneath a black bra and trouser suit at the Marta Jakubowski fashion show.
A woman is seen holding up the milk that was pumped as she was dancing
The advert ends as the women reveal they have been dancing with the pumps in their nursing bras
‘It’s time we cut the cords’, the lyrics read as a new mother dances along to the music video style advert
The mother-of-two wore a hi-tech Elvie Pump which connects to a smartphone app.
Elvie founder and chief executive Tania Boler said: ‘Being a new mother can be incredibly stressful.
‘We spoke to a lot of women about the struggles they experience post-pregnancy and it became obvious that outdated pumping technology was a real obstacle for women wanting to provide breast milk for their baby.
‘We designed Elvie Pump to make breast pumping as easy, streamlined and flexible as possible for mums.’
The company also recently hit headlines with its debut product- a pelvic trainer designed to help women with incontinence.
Having already racked up 75,000 views and almost a thousand comments and shares, the video got a mixed reaction from followers- some of whom claimed making light of the dairy industry, but others praising the pump
Responding to some of the criticism, Elvie wrote: ‘We filmed this video on a family run farm where the animals are very well looked after. We can assure you their needs were put first throughout. However many others praised the product
Last week the pump even featured on the runway, with a model and new mum appearing on the catwalk at London Fashion Week while using the breast pumps