Is milk racist? | The viewer

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I was tired when I went to see Milk at the Wellcome Collection, after being up most of the night feeding my baby. In European and Christian imagery, said one sign, a nursing woman often represents fertility, charity and abundance, but I did not feel satisfied with the milk of human kindness. I was also in no mood to lecture myself on the harms of feeding children milk.

Turns out it wasn’t really a show about milky motherhood. Cows and women produce milk, but it is not fashionable to dwell too much on this detail. The exhibition presents some sculptures of women; most of the time they are headless. A huge black udder greets visitors as they arrive, but the show focuses on milk as a highly politicized liquid. It’s quickly becoming a topic of conversation about the naughty step of why we need to wean ourselves off the pacifier of capitalism.

This is quickly becoming a topic of conversation about the naughty stage of why we need to wean ourselves off the pacifier of capitalism

Milk is pure, white and fortifying, therefore, as the exhibit exposes on every possible occasion: milk is pure white power. There’s a video of a group of thick, white, Trump-supporting neo-Nazis swallowing milk jugs to help drive that point. Moreover, motherhood being a symbol of innocence and kindness is, we are told, a European concept, and a racist one at that. Never mind that women of all races and cultures produce milk and feed their young with it.

For a supposedly science-based milk show, there’s surprisingly little explanation as to why milk (both human and dairy) could have been so crucial to human development. Which is clearly the case, or why would bodybuilders still be obsessed with getting the good stuff? More information on this shortly.

Instead, the show points out that two-thirds of the world’s population have difficulty digesting milk, and that Western power rests on the ability of white Europeans and Americans to do so. All we are told is that lactase, the enzyme that breaks down sugar in milk, declines after infancy. But why can’t milk be digested by certain groups of people? And does that change? I would have liked to know more. China is now the world’s second largest consumer of dairy products, although many Chinese are lactose intolerant. How did it happen?

Milk is a fascinating subject, but the shows’ myopic focus on racial politics and Western imperialism means these questions remain unanswered. When connections are made, they often seem inconclusive. The Drinka Pinta Milka Day campaign ran in 1958, aiming to increase milk consumption in poorer British households. The fact that it was launched in the same year as the Notting Hill race riots is notable but not conclusive evidence that milk advertising led to racial unrest, as the literature on the shows seems to suggest.

There are plenty of bad guys. Middle-class white families who feed their children with milk, for example. America. The British Milk Marketing Board. Refrigeration and pasteurization, the servants of the empire, which made it possible to transport milk ever further and further in complete safety. Nestl, of course. Milk is now cheap, readily available and nutritious. The Conservatives seem to think this is a terrible thing. Even oat milk, so popular with millennials, has it in the neck: vegan capitalism is not a solution, explains a zine. Wean yourself off by making your own oat milk.

Milk The Backbone of Young Britain, circa 1942, by James Fitton, commissioned by the Ministry of Food. IWM

Between the sanctimonious pamphlets and the retro posters offering what still seem like sound parenting advice (Be clean in everything about your baby; Unclean milk kills babies), there are some really interesting articles. I hadn’t met the Milk Tea Alliance, which started in 2020. It’s an online human rights movement organized by people from Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The three shades of brown on the flag represent the different milk teas drunk in those regions. The movement stands against China, where the majority of tea is drunk black. I also hadn’t heard of the government cheese that was provided to welfare recipients in America. The phrase has become a pop cultural trope, referenced in the lyrics of Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z. The dairy industry can be mean, of course, to both animals and farmers. A leather weaning muzzle covered in rusty metal spikes is an ominous reminder of how calves are snatched from their mothers almost immediately so humans can instead consume their milk.

Towards the end, real bondage equipment appears, to teach us about breast milk fetishism

The show becomes special towards the end when real bondage equipment appears, to teach us about breast milk fetishism. It’s a more salacious topic than boring motherhood, which is treated as a side note on a milk show. The final room is decked out in cheeky shades of pink and filled with breastmilk cocktail menus (Mother Knows Breast), tasting notes (sexy, warming, dignified, chewy, tangy) and even a pink gym bag marked MILF, overflowing with baby bottles. The sound of heavily breathing male bodybuilders plays in the background, while a poster suggests Craigslist, eBay or Facebook Marketplace as reliable places to find liquid gold. Get it fresh or frozen, vaccinated or not, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. Isn’t consumer choice wonderful?

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I watched mothers with young babies and children rushing by, having clearly thought this exposure would be as healthy as a glass of fat. Instead, it’s just a bummer. A much better guide to the history and politics of milk is given in Joanna Wolfarth’s recent book, Milk: An Intimate History of Breastfeeding. The gift shop sells copies. Also on sale, I noticed, are Wellcomes own Breastmilk Scented Candles for £35. Be nourished by the nostalgic scent, the label says. Talk about milking it.

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