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Public breastfeeders respond to Victoria's Secret policies
This Saturday, two moms are organizing a nationwide nurse-in at the popular lingerie store, Victoria's Secret. Prompted by run-ins with Victoria's Secret employees, Rebecca Cook, of Burlington, and Jessie Chandler, of Quincy, Mass., have decided to do something about state and federal laws that do not protect nursing mothers.
"A Tale of Two Nursing Moms" seeks a federal law that protects a nursing mother's right to feed her baby anywhere that she and her baby would otherwise be allowed to be. They are urging moms to go to their local Victoria's Secret on July 1 at 1 p.m. to nurse their babies and be a part of this movement.
On June 21, Rebecca Cook entered a Victoria's Secret store with a friend to browse through the sales racks. While in the store, Cook's daughter wanted to nurse, so she went to the dressing room and asked for one. When a dressing room wasn't available, she said that she'd sit out of the way and nurse her daughter, and was told that she wasn't allowed to by a store employee, that she would have to use a restroom. After she refused to use a restroom to nurse her daughter, a dressing room opened up, and while she was in it, the two store employees were heard loudly discussing, right outside her dressing room, to make sure if there's an occupied sign that the dressing room is truly occupied and to get customers in and out of the dressing rooms as soon as possible.
Cook left the dressing room because of their rudeness, nursing her daughter on her way out of the store. When she called to complain to the store manager, she was told that the employee probably asked her to nurse in the restroom because the sight of her breasts might offend a customer. Taking the complaint of the treatment by the store manager to the corporate customer service wasn't any further help, because she was told that women are not allowed to try on clothing in the middle of the store, therefore they are not allowed to nurse in the middle of the sales floor.
In a similar incident, Jessie Chandler entered a Victoria's Secret store on June 22, to browse the sales racks as well, after feeding her daughter. A saleswoman approached her to welcome her to Victoria's Secret, and Chandler asked to use a changing room. When asked by the sales associate if she was going to change her daughter's diaper, Chandler said that she was going to nurse her, to which the sales associate replied with giving directions to the bathroom outside the store.
Chandler refused to use the bathroom, and the attendant said that it was unsanitary for her to nurse in the dressing room because people change in them. When Chandler called the store manager, she received an apology. Chandler called Victoria's Secret's corporate office after hearing of Cook's experience with corporate's customer service, and was told that Chandler's experience was an isolated experience and that she would have a letter of apology sent out to her.
Talkbacks
0102 | May 27, 2007 at 8:19 p.m. (report)
As a registered nurse and a former nursing mother (my kids are now 20 and 17) I understand the frustration surrounding breastfeeding in public. I don't however agree that a retailer should be expected to surrender a dressing room for this purpose. I don't shop at Victoria's Secret anymore but I recall waiting for a dressing room on more than one occasion when I did (only had two rooms). I never thought of asking to use a dressing room for anything other than trying on clothes. I was very savy about breastfeeding to the point that I could latch the baby on, cover up with a blanket and continue to shop without anyone noticing (it appeared that I was simply carrying a sleeping infant).
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OMCreader | Aug. 31, 2006 at 10:37 p.m. (report)
WI V.S. associate said: I understand what these mothers have gone through, however I don't believe the measures that they took were correct. Why sit outside Victoria's Secret and ruin business for them when they obviously will be shopping there again. It is the the right way to go about getting things handled and is not setting a right example for their children which they are so concerned about. Some people are comfortable seeing that, and some aren't. We do have 12 year old boys come into our store with their mother and that could possibly make them uncomfortable, along with many others. So it was wrong of the associate, but also wrong of the mothers. Why embarrass that associate, when you could have spoken with the manager and if that did not help-go up the chain of command. I believe sitting outside of the store was a very immature act committed by these women.
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OMCreader | Aug. 31, 2006 at 10:29 p.m. (report)
Milwaukee VS employee said: I believe that if someone is offended by our merchandise then they have the right to exercise NOT to enter our store. However everything that we sell is tasteful and we try accomodate to everyone's needs.
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OMCreader | July 5, 2006 at 10:08 a.m. (report)
Mom said: For all of those people who say to nurse in a restroom....are there toilets in your kitchen? would YOU eat in the restroom? I would like to see you stand in a restroom and while holding a 14lb wiggly child to your chest and take in the wonderful atmosphere and aromas!!!! I most certainly will NOT feed my child in a dirty, nasty, Bathroom!!!!! No way No how!!!!!!!!!! Get a grip! Go to europe or scandinavia or places where those women actually expose their entire breast when nursing, NO ONE complains there, yet at least in the US women Do there BEST to be "discreet" and yet we are still looked at as if we are somehow imposing on you or are being "dirty"...get your minds out of the gutter, and go educate yourself!
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OMCreader | July 5, 2006 at 9:58 a.m. (report)
FL mom said: First off when I nurse not an inch of my breast or skin is shown, that's why nursing shirts were invented. secondly...the statement by the manager that her "breasts" would offend someone....it's a LINGERIE STORE for goodness sakes...would you be in there if you were that uncomfortable with breasts???? come on!!!!....In FL law states tha nursing should in no way be considered sexual....why can't people get over their sexual perversions! Nursing is a natural fact of life and I am sorry there is a time&place for formula but there is NOTHING natural about it!!!
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