“The battle over public breast-feeding has moved to a new front line: Victoria’s Secret stores, where lacy bras are in, but nursing mothers are out, angry moms charge.
A Quincy mother says she was humiliated when an employee of the lingerie franchise’s Faneuil Hall store flatly refused to allow her to breast-feed her daughter, directing her to a public restroom outside. “
This is the Boston Herald article from today. I would hope it goes without saying how ridiculous it is that VS of all places tried to prohibit a mother from breastfeeding becuase it was ‘unsanitary’. The interesting thing in this case is that VS corporate policy is that breastfeeding is permitted inside their stores. It would seem that this is an easily-fixed case of a misunderstanding gone awry. However, this is at least the third time in a year that a woman has been asked to quit nursing in a VS store. Last week, a woman was told that her breast ‘might offend’ someone.
A breast. In Victoria’s Secret. Might OFFEND someone. Say what?
It is a miscommunication that runs deeper than just sales associates on the floor though, as even employees at corporate headquarters have incorrectly said that breastfeeding is not permitted. There is a call to action now to have company policy clearly outlined to all VS employees so that no more mothers have to deal with the embarrasment caused by an uneducated employee enforcing a ficticious policy.
Country-wide nurse-ins are scheduled for July 1st at 1 p.m. (local time) at local VS stores, and there is a 3 Minute Activist Letter at ProMoM.org.