Academy Awards And ABC Ban Postpartum Pain Ad From Oscars Telecast, Sparking Backlash

Bruce Haring
·3 min read

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A company that caters to mothers of newborns and their postpartum struggles claims its ad was banned from tonight’s Oscars broadcast.

The company, Frida Mom, said it was told by the Motion Picture Academy that the ad was “too graphic” in its content. The ad depicts a mother dealing with using a toilet and having difficulty with a hygiene product. Watch the ad here:

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“It’s not ‘violent, political’ or sexual in nature. Our ad is not ‘religious or lewd’ and does not portray ‘guns or ammunition,’” the company wrote on its Instagram page. “‘Feminine hygiene & hemorrhoid relief’ are also banned subjects. It’s just a new mom, home with her baby and her new body for the first time. And we wonder why new moms feel unprepared.”

Frida Mom claimed the Academy said the ad did not meet its rules on graphic content. The ad was said to be “too graphic with partial nudity and product demonstration.”

Actress and talk show host Busy Philipps was one of those commenting on the unfairness of rejecting the ad.

“Partially because this is clearly an ad made by women who have been there and get it and partially because I DO believe so strongly that the more we can NORMALIZE A WOMAN’S BODILY EXPERIENCE IN MEDIA, the better off our culture and society will be,” Philipps wrote on Instagram.

Philipps also accused American society of denying the humanity of women.

“And I’m so f*cking sick of living in a society where the act of simply BEING A WOMAN is rejected by the gatekeepers of media. Well. Shame on them and NOT on us for simply being human women.”

View this post on Instagram

This is an ad for new post partum products for women-this ad was rejected from ABC(see the repost below from the brand) I legit teared up when I just watched it. Partially because this is clearly an ad made by women who have been there and get it and partially because I DO believe so strongly that the more we can NORMALIZE A WOMAN'S BODILY EXPERIENCE IN MEDIA, the better off our culture and society will be. AND YES THAT MEANS ADS TOO. You probably don't even flinch when an Erectile Disfunction ad comes on but THIS AD IS REJECTED?! I think this is an incredible piece of advertising that accurately represents something millions of women know intimately. And I'm so fucking sick of living in a society where the act of simply BEING A WOMAN is rejected by the gatekeepers of media. Well. Shame on them and NOT on us for simply being human women. Cc: #seeher @seeher2020 #Repost ・・・ This is important. “The ad you’re about to watch was rejected by ABC & the Oscars from airing during this year’s award show. It's not “violent, political” or sexual in nature. Our ad is not “religious or lewd” and does not portray “guns or ammunition”. “Feminine hygiene & hemorrhoid relief” are also banned subjects. It’s just a new mom, home with her baby and her new body for the first time. And we wonder why new moms feel so unprepared.” —ad and words via @fridamom @abcnetwork

A post shared by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on Feb 7, 2020 at 9:01am PST

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