The world is changing dynamically: what was once self-evident in our mothers’ time now requires a different kind of struggle due to economic and technological transformations. It is no coincidence that more and more initiatives are emerging to preserve and bring back the old, real values into our daily lives. Here are some notable examples.
Protecting Breastfeeding
The naturalness of breastfeeding must be emphasized again and again, as there are still those who frown upon mothers nursing in public spaces. Yet, this is one of the oldest and most fundamental human actions. In recent years, several awareness campaigns have been launched to normalize this situation.
Equonix Fitness caused a stir last year with a poster showing a mother breastfeeding two children simultaneously in a restaurant—photographed by Steven Klein. Celebrities like Alyssa Milano also regularly share breastfeeding photos on their social media, supporting the acceptance of public breastfeeding. In Hungary, notable examples include Eszter Cseke and András S. Takács: at the request of UNICEF, they organized the outdoor exhibition “Breastfeeding Around the World.”
Celebrating the Diversity of the Female Body
For decades, a narrow beauty ideal dominated the media, but now, numerous campaigns are working to show that fuller figures are just as beautiful. Plus-size models are gaining more visibility in advertising, with sports brands and cosmetics companies featuring them. They even appear on the covers of men’s magazines. While it’s wonderful that a more natural body image is now seen as more acceptable, it’s still sad that special campaigns were necessary to achieve this.
Reevaluating Local Food Consumption
The planet can hardly sustain the food needs of billions of people, forcing industrial agriculture into greenhouse production and mass animal farming. While this makes food more affordable, it also has serious downsides. More and more people are emphasizing the importance of conscious choices: buying from local producers is not only healthier but also reduces waste. For instance, the Save the Food campaign calls attention to the fact that food should be conserved just like drinking water.
Accepting Unique Beauty
For a long time, only flawless-looking models were represented in the fashion industry, but this is changing. More and more campaigns showcase freckled faces, irregular teeth, and even protruding ears as beauty. Additionally, fashion shows now feature models with albinism, Down syndrome, and other rare genetic traits—all representing the diversity of beauty.
Living in the Present in a Digital World
At first, it may seem strange to emphasize this, but it is no longer rare for people to live a significant part of their lives online. Therefore, numerous self-development programs and campaigns try to draw attention to the fact that, while constantly using our phones, we are missing out on real-life moments.
A young designer, Slavomir, used his special images to showcase the dark side of social media: his posts’ messages resemble the warnings on cigarette boxes. He believes that consuming online content can be just as addictive as smoking—and if we’re not careful, we too can get lost in it.
