I am just now hearing of the story of Austin Texas mom, Ashley Clawson, and her ban from Victoria's Secret to breastfeed her infant son. Upon first hearing of the story, I had to wonder if it was a hoax. Of course Google showed me it wasn't.
This story has stayed with me for the last few days because I still cannot wrap my head around anyone telling a breastfeeding mother that they cannot use a dressing room to take care of one of the most natural things a mother can do for her child. It's not bad enough that she was told by this Victoria's employee, whom Mrs. Clawson was not even interacting with, that she couldn't use an empty dressing room, but was told she could use "the alley outside the store" to feed her child and that "the alley was so long that if she walked to the end no one would see her"
I'm sorry, WHAT?!!
Does this employee realize where she is working? What the company that signs her pay check sells? Perhaps she needs to walk out of her store and look at the store windows, maybe catch one of their televised fashion shows, pick up one of the catalogs. Something to reacquaint herself with the brand.
I'm willing to bet on an average shift at any Victoria's Secret most of the employees are women. I have to wonder how a breastfeeding woman was so offensive to this one employee. It wasn't as if Clawson was stripping down and feeding her child in the middle of the store. She was asking for privacy...to feed her hungry child.
You can read about Clawson's experience here and see what the suits at Victoria's Secret handled their response. Here's a clue...it was canned. I tell you who should have been canned. The employee who told her to feed her child in an alley. Okay, so maybe not canned, but how about a good reprimand, a look at their "policy" (and if what the suits said isn't really policy, it should be), and some sensitivity training.
No woman should have to resort to feeding their child in a bathroom. There are tons of malls around the country that have family rest rooms and some even include a feeding area. One Mall I was in had a nice area for not only breastfeeding moms, but an area that allowed moms to heat up bottles, wash them out, recycle baby food jars, etc. This should be mandatory. It doesn't take too much to make room for it.
