A revealing announcement about breastfeeding – an edited version that airs during Sunday’s Golden Globes – generated reactions of heat and cold for presenting the emotional reality of many mothers.
Frida Mom’s ad titled “Stream of Lactation” was published on YouTube this week to promote a new line of breastfeeding accessories. It follows exhausted women trying to breastfeed their babies crying at night. “Is it too early to contact a lactation consultant?” asks a mother, frustrated with a small amount of pumped breast milk. “Am I a bad mother to stop now?” asks another. “Good mothers should know how to do this.” A mother tries to unblock a milk duct in the shower using an electric toothbrush (a tactic recommended by some doctors); another takes cabbage leaves out of her bra, a home remedy that can relieve breast engorgement while women wean their babies.
“Whether it starts or stops, breastfeeding is an emotional and physical journey full of ups and downs that many new mothers are not prepared for,” says the YouTube caption. “We are lifting the veil over the challenges that new mothers (and their breasts) face in making their own way in the midst of lactation problems …”
The unexpected part? The ad does not censor women’s breasts – no way. “It is the first ad to show lactating breasts on television and the largest number of breasts ever shown in prime time,” an Alison Brod Marketing + Communications spokesman told Yahoo Life.
Social media, as usual, has not moved away from debate. “The good / bad / ugly truth about breastfeeding,” wrote one person on Twitter. “It is good to see someone show the reality of these things that are often hidden”, tweeted another. While on Reddit, comments ranged from “It made me cry. Too cathartic” to “I feel like they had a secret camera with me to film that commercial” and “Currently watching all four pumping to (hopefully) remove a duct . “
The reception was mostly enthusiastic, but some did not like the message. “I appreciate the representation, but as a [first-time mom] due in a few weeks, the hellish way in which lactation and breastfeeding are consistently portrayed scares me to the point of making me not want to try, “someone wrote on Reddit.” … It’s good that people don’t sweeten the challenges, but we can get some positive message about breastfeeding and stories from someone who has had a positive or at least neutral experience? “
Someone added, “Just like the toxic positivity version of portraying motherhood, this message of martyrdom and struggle is equally useless for new mothers, who are more likely to feel overwhelmed and discouraged by this message than understood and supported.” And a doctor on Twitter pointed out that breastfeeding is hampered by a lack of support – the United States is the only country out of 41 that does not require paid family leave – and unrealistic expectations about breastfeeding. Another called the ad “predatory“adding,” Families need support to breastfeed, not devices “.
According to Jennifer Meyers, a certified midwife nurse and spokesperson for the Mayo Clinic, the announcement was realistic. “Many mothers feel very alone in their postpartum experience, as they struggle with pain, fatigue, sadness and anxiety,” she told Yahoo Life. “Breastfeeding adds another layer to this because it is not always easy.”
She adds: “We also need more ads that show the female body uncensored to normalize breastfeeding. Unfortunately, our society feels comfortable seeing breasts barely covered in a bikini top, but a woman feeding her child in a restaurant is considered disgusting. “Meyers was pointing out several examples of women being expelled from stores and cafes to breastfeed, despite the legalization of public breastfeeding.
In a statement sent to Yahoo Life, Frida CEO Chelsea Hirschhorn said: “The reality is that women are surprised by the physicality of breastfeeding – raw nipples, uterine contractions, painful obstructions – no one tells you it can be as painful as yours. vagina recovery. It is all part of the postpartum physical experience, but it never airs because the end is supposed to justify the means. The two need not be mutually exclusive. “
Rachel Morrison, ad director, Marvel’s director of photography Black Panther and the first Oscar nominated woman in cinematography (for her work on Netflix’s Stuck in the mud), said to Yahoo Life in a statement: “As a mother, I have never experienced a roller coaster with ups and downs as extreme as in the first few months after giving birth. My goal with the job is to highlight the incessant ripple of the feverish dream that is a universal truth for postpartum care. ”
Frida also took a chance last year with an ad for postpartum recovery products, showing a woman using the bathroom while wearing mesh and absorbent underwear (which can help with postpartum bleeding). Although the ad was banned from airing during ABC’s 92nd Oscar show for being “too explicit”, Frida posted it on YouTube. “It’s just a new mother, at home with her baby,” read the warning.
“More specifically, the guidelines of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences say that ‘propaganda of the following is not allowed: political candidates / positions, religious or faith-based message / position, weapons, weapon displays, ammunition, feminine hygiene products , adult diapers, condoms or hemorrhoid drugs ‘during transmission’, ”Hirschhorn told Yahoo Life at the time.
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