Salma Hayek's generous breast

Salma Hayek's "left breast has now done more for humanity in a few minutes than I've done in roughly my whole life," said Margaret Lyons in Entertainment Weekly. On a trip to fight tetanus in Sierra Leone, the actress and UNICEF ambassador breastfed a malnourished infant in a Nightline video, highlighting the importance of breastfeeding to reduce mortality. (Click here for the Nightline video) It's an eye-brow raiser, but "how cool is Salma Hayek?"

That depends on whom you ask, said Julie Deardorff in the Chicago Tribune. Motherwear's breasteeding blog was "blown away" that this was shown on network TV, while Buzzfeed.com suggests Hayek is just trying to one-up Angelina Jolie. Whatever her motives, Hayek should be commended for using her breasts "as nature intended: She fed a hungry baby."

Yes, but don't try this at home, said Angele Sionna in Examiner.com. "Sharing breast milk is not a new concept"—wet nurses did it for centuries—but many advocates discourage sharing over safety concerns. Still, if Hayek has inspired you, there are safe ways to share breast milk, such as donating to milk banks that screen before distribution.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up