Walking slowly while wearing supportive mesh-underwear. Shuffling your feet quietly in the middle of the night as to not wake your sleeping baby. Flinching in discomfort while straining on the toilet. It’s a scene that millions of mothers across America can relate to, and yet it was banned from being aired during the Oscars.
Fridababy, the company best known for it’s ingenious NoseFrida, recently launched a line of postpartum care products for new moms called Frida Mom, which includes upside-down peri bottles, disposable postpartum underwear, sitz bath tablets and more.
On February 9th, 2020, Frida Mom was set to air a commercial that shows the raw, honest reality of what new motherhood looks like. The commercial, however, never made it on air due to the broadcasters of ABC and the Oscars deeming it “too graphic with partial nudity.”
It’s incredible how just one week prior, this country was cheering on Jennifer Lopez and Shakira as they shook things up at the Superbowl by boldly expressing their fierce sexuality. And although their performance did stir up some controversy, the difference is that they still made it on the air despite being debatably graphic with partial nudity. Coincidence? I think not.
The media has made it pretty clear for quite some time that women’s bodies are only meant to be seen and consumed in a manner that is pleasing and palatable to others. It’s okay if we bare our cleavage and shake our booties (and yes, it is okay) but the second our bodies become a representation of something more functional than fantasy, it’s suddenly considered lewd and inappropriate.
For being one of the biggest broadcasters on national television, ABC really showed how incredibly short-sighted and tone-deaf they are through this decision. With this ad, they had the perfect opportunity to hold space for mothers to feel seen and heard. To connect with the massive number of women who were watching the Oscars. And to also make some men uncomfortable in the process- because guess what? Childbirth and the postpartum period IS uncomfortable, and it isn’t our responsibility to sugarcoat that reality for anyone’s convenience.
Despite not having made it on-screen during the Acadamy Awards, Frida Mom still managed to get over 3 million views on YouTube and has caused quite the stir online. Thousands of women and an incredibly encouraging number of men have shown up in the comment section to speak out against the censorship of women’s bodies in relation to motherhood. So thank you, Frida Mom, for opening the door to this very important dialogue. Despite ABC’s ban, we’re ready for the reality of postpartum life to stop being swept under the rug.
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