"It’s
purity, associated with the innocence of the child, is a token of
strength, of a strength which is not revulsive, not congestive, but
calm, white, lucid, the equal of reality" (Barthes, 1973, p.60)
As Roland Barthes states in Mythologies above,
milk has always obtained a status of innocence. Being the primary source of
nourishment for infants and children, it is immensely symbolic of purity and
maternity. However, milk’s eminence can be challenged by the
evident connections it has to hostile acts, from the exploitation and
mistreatment of animals, to damage to human health and damage to the
environment. As well as the adverse effects the production and consumption of
milk has on humans, animals and the environment, the lucid liquid has
correlations to sexual activity and fetishism. This transition from a pure
essence into an adulterated substance can be manifested in various ways: its erotic
physicality; subsequent representation and association with sexualised women in
advertisements; and its inevitable corruption as the embodiment of innocence.
The symbolic performance of consuming milk stands as a disconnection
and yearning for the notion of innocence, a desperate grasp at reclaiming one's
childhood. This attempt to recover the innocence of childhood is an attributing
factor to the subversion of milk’s purity.
