Ex Apprentice star Luisa Zissman sparks outrage after comparing breastfeeding mothers to 'grass munching cows' in TikTok rant as she admits 'I really don't like it'
Reality TV star Luisa Zissman has come under fire after comparing breastfeeding mothers to 'grass-munching cows' - while advocating for women who opt to bottle feed their babies - in a social media rant.
The former Apprentice star, Luisa, 37, from Hertfordshire, took to TikTok yesterday to talk about her 'hate' for breastfeeding in a video that has over 150,000 views at the time of writing as well as several critical comments.
The minute-long clip posted on Wednesday was titled 'Another day, another rant' as Luisa, who has also appeared on The Big Brother, defended her stance despite receiving backlash for it in the past.
'I know this is a controversial subject and I have had backlash on my opinions on breastfeeding before,' the mother-of-three began.
'Let's talk about my hate for breastfeeding. I really don't like breastfeeding. I didn't do it and I don't like it.'
'I understand it's marginally beneficial. When you look into the actual benefits of breastfeeding over bottle, it's literally smidgens of a per cent.
'Your kid isn't going to die if they're bottle-fed.' she continued.
Addressing women who 'can't, don't, or won't' breastfeed, Luisa affirmed their decision to bottle-feed and explained it did not reflect on their capabilities as a mother.
'So if you're sitting at home with your baby and you're feeling like s*** because Sarah, the grass munching cow with her tandem twinnies on her boobies is making you feel like s***, don't let that affect you,' she said.
'You're doing a great job, mama. You don't need to breastfeed to have a healthy baby.'
The video divided opinion, as several viewers were quick to call Luisa out for 'demonising' mothers who opt to breastfeed - with pro-feeders saying it needs to be 'normalised'.
According to the National Heath Service (NHS), formula milk does not provide the same protection from illness as breastfeeding, while giving your baby breast milk has long-term benefits.
It can reduce the baby's risk of infections as well sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), alongwith the rise of developing conditions like cardiovascular disease and obseity.
Reacting to Luisa's claim that breastfeeding is only 'marginally beneficial' as compared to bottle feeding, one person wrote: 'Breastfeeding reduces a baby's chance of SIDS by 50 per cent. I don't think that is marginal.'
Urging a more balanced approach, another suggested: 'If you don't do it and use formula instead you CAN just be neutral; you don't have to take such a strong stance, to the point you're calling breastfeeding mums derogatory names such as 'grass munching cows'.
'Wild way to put it. You do what works for you,' a third said. 'You don't need to hate breastfeeding - just as breastfeeding mums don't need to hate bottle-feeding mums.'
A fourth comment read: 'Not me sitting here breastfeeding whilst watching this. Only take slight offence to being typecast as being a hippy tandem feeding mum just because I breastfeed my (one) baby. Everyone just do you!'
Luisa has previously opened up about her decision not to breastfeed her second and third children, claiming that the choice to do so with her first baby left her battling a particularly nasty bout of post-natal depression.
The mother-of-three, who appeared on the ninth season of The Apprentice in 2013, has previously faced backlash for her divisive opinions on the subject.
In 2018, she sparked controversy after posting a photograph of her friend, The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) star Sam Faiers, pretending to breastfeed her child when she was actually being bottle fed.
Captioning the picture, which was intended to be a joke, she wrote: 'Do you think I can stick Clemmie on there @samanthafaiers she's a bit dissatisfied with her bottle #TheGreatDebate #supermum.'
Again, the post proved divisive online with several mothers commenting their opposing views.
Responding to the negative commentary, she wrote a follow-up post saying: 'To clarify...... I don't hate people that breastfeed, I hate it. I have friends that breastfeed, I don't hate them.'
She has frequently touted the tagline 'my body my boobies', as a way of expressing her views on the choice to breast feed.
Although she acknowledged a 'controversial subject', several viewers were quick to call her out for 'demonising' those who opt to breastfeed, with pro-feeders saying it more 'normalised' in society
She explained: 'Just because something might be marginally nutritionally better, does not mean it's all round better.
'If you like me, and so many others I know didn't want to, struggled or couldn't breastfeed.
'Don't feel bad. Don't ever let anyone make you feel bad for that.
'Your mental, emotional and physical health is the number one thing that will make you the best mumma bear for your children, not whether they have a bottle or a boob.
'We need to focus more on making mums feel good because; happy mum = happy baby.
'Sick of mum's suffering because of the pressure of society. I'm lucky I have never felt any kind of social or peer pressure cause I'm such an ignorant, selfish shit.
'But many women who are better people than me do and it's not fair!! It's ok to do what is best for you!!'
'I also don't believe the bo**ocks we are fed about it being so much better than formula.
'No doubt there is extensive research to say it's a bit better but it's really not a life or death situation!'
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