Cheryl, image isn’t everything

THIS month I ripped open the cellophane of my Vogue and found posing back at me none other than Cheryl Cole. Yes, she of the Ashley and Girls Aloud fame.

The lovely Cheryl has so many column inches devoted to her that I thought they at Vogue would have bypassed her in favour of someone a little more up their own backside, like Daphne Guinness.

Who? I hear you cry, and well you might as she rarely makes an appearance from her own orifice to self publicise.

It’s not that I dislike Cheryl. Not at all, in fact she won me over with her handling of Ashley’s alleged affair and then her tears at the unsubtle sob stories on “X-Factor”.

My problem with her was all in the interview. For some reason she reduced a decent journalist to a wobbly mess, but it wasn’t that which annoyed me.

It was entirely for an “off the cuff” comment at the end of the piece which suggested that Cheryl would choose not to breastfeed any child she and Ashley may have as it would make her breasts unattractive.

Now you may or may not know that I am a trained breastfeeding counsellor. I saw so many immediate and distinct benefits in my son’s progress as a baby that I could not help but try and encourage this practice in all women.

Not only does it reduce the risk of infections, eczema and asthma in your child it can help prevent obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes in later life.

For the breastfeeding mum there is good evidence that breast cancer, ovarian cancer and Type 2 diabetes are less common as well as stimulating weight loss.

For my mind it is like asking a new mother, “Do you want to give your baby the best start or the second best?”

I cannot think of one mother who would openly admit to wanting to give their newborn the second best start in life.

There are many women who cannot breastfeed and to them formula is a godsend. They are not the issue.

What this cause really needs is a positive role model like Mrs Cole, a true feminist of the age. She earns her own money from her own successful career, if she were to celebrate breastfeeding rather than image, imagine how many babies lives would be enhanced.

Food for thought Chez?