A new Tommee Tippee video championing breastfeeding has been banned by Facebook
“Let’s break this down – they're saying a woman breastfeeding her baby, is too controversial, too racy, too ‘excessive’ for its platforms”
“Let’s break this down – they're saying a woman breastfeeding her baby, is too controversial, too racy, too ‘excessive’ for its platforms”
Update: a representative from YouTube has reached out to Marie Claire and said: "We have strict policies against nudity, but make exceptions for educational, scientific, documentary and artistic content including breastfeeding education. Breastfeeding education videos will remain available on the site without age restriction."
According to the YouTube team, the reported video was not age-restricted, and given its high EDSA value, does not warrant an age restriction.
They said: "We have identified a duplicate upload on this channel that had been incorrectly age-restricted, which we have since removed. We have added protections to the channel to avoid further copy uploads."
This week, baby brand Tommee Tippee launched their new global brand campaign, 'The Boob Life'.
It's a candid look at real mothers breastfeeding with a simple aim - to fight the taboos, stigmas and shame that often shroud it.
Celebrities including Frankie Bridge and Rosie Ramsey shared the video on Instagram yesterday, with TV presenter Laura Whitmore saying: “Love seeing videos like this. Keeping it real and actually helpful."
Yet, sadly, social media giants at Facebook, YouTube and Broadcasters have banned the video ads. They're saying the videos show “excessive visible skin”.
It raises some serious questions about how, societally, we treat the many struggles new mothers face. Breastfeeding needs to be normalised - feeding a child should never be deemed as inappropriate.
Reps at Tommee Tippee are now - understandably - accusing all three platforms of sexism. The video is raw, unfiltered and unapologetic, and offers a fresh perspective on what breastfeeding actually looks like.
Think chapped, leaky nipples, and sagging or swollen breasts - all challenges that any new mother might face when breastfeeding a newborn.
Basically, the video shows a diverse mix of real mothers, and the real struggles they may face day-to-day. Yes, bare breasts can be seen in the video, but that's what breastfeeding, at its core, involves.
The move from mainstream media platforms to silencing the video is questionable, to say the least. It's 2021, and while we're on the way to normalising and de-stigmatising breastfeeding, more must be done.
“Let’s break this down – Facebook, Youtube and Broadcasters are saying a woman breastfeeding her baby, is too controversial, too racy, too ‘excessive’ for its platforms” says Nicola Wallace of Tommee Tippee UK.
“It’s outrageous and hugely offensive to women - we should be normalising breastfeeding in society and what real women’s bodies look like, not pandering to outdated societal views on what’s appropriate. We are only just seeing real depictions of periods on TV for the first time, it’s not good enough, and Tommee Tippee are taking a stand. This is not just about Mums, it’s about unobjectifying women’s bodies.”
Hear, hear. What do you think? Was the move from the social media execs the right one?
