A photograph showing a woman breastfeeding her young child posted by retail giant Gap has been widely applauded.
The US clothing empire published two photos from a new ad campaign on its Instagram account – and has been flooded with positive comments about the tender image.
The ad promotes sleep shirts for the brand and shows a mother nursing her toddler in a bedroom.
Clothing giant Gap has been widely praised for posting images from its latest advertising campaign featuring a young child being breastfed
The Nigerian US-based model featured in the post, Adaora Akubilo, is seen breastfeeding her 20-month-old son, Arinze.
Both mother and son were booked for the sleepwear shoot but the breastfeeding moment was a serendipitous one, says Akubilo.
She told the Chicago Tribune that the shoot temporarily stopped after Arinze needed to feed – but the photographer asked if they could capture the moment, which has since become key to the campaign.
Akubilo said: I was so happy. I felt it was affirming.’
The model has since written on her own Instagram account: ‘I am the world’s proudest mama holding my little star.’
She has also revealed that she’s been asked: ‘Why are you still nursing him?’
She responded: ‘I felt like I was doing something wrong. Our society, in particular, is not very supportive of women who nurse after a certain age.’
Nearly 35,000 people have now liked the serene-looking image, with many commenting on the post.
Joellemdelaney said: ‘GAP JUST EARNED A LIFETIME CUSTOMER BECAUSE OF THIS. THANK YOU. #normalizebreastfeeding’
Ashley_dall gushed: ‘I absolutely love this! Thank you @gap for supporting inclusivity and equal representation!’
Nigerian-US model Adaora Akubilo is seen breastfeeding her 20-month-old son, Arinze
Akubilo has since written on her own Instagram account about the experience, saying: ‘I am the world’s proudest mama holding my little star.’
Others loved the fact the infant used in the images isn’t a young child, saying the photos helped support those who do extended breastfeeding.
Genajaffe wrote: ‘YES YES YES YES YES. Not just breastfeeding but showcasing extended breastfeeding. LOVE YOU, EVEN MORE, Gap! #extendedbreastfeeding
After the images sparked a mountain of response on social media, Gap released a statement on the images.
The brand said: ‘We aim for the marketing around Love By GapBody to encourage and empower all women to be the woman they want to be as a friend, partner, wife, mother, and voice in today’s society.’
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