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Oscars Reject Ad Showing Reality Of Postpartum Pain For Being 'Too Graphic'

Mary-Jane Wiltsher

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Oscars Reject Ad Showing Reality Of Postpartum Pain For Being 'Too Graphic'

Featured Image Credit: Frida Mom

An advert by postpartum product brand Frida Mom was rejected by the Oscars for being "too graphic".

The postpartum period - also known as the fourth trimester - is the the six to 12 weeks after a baby is born, and is an incredibly challenging and vulnerable time for new mums as they physically and mentally recuperate after giving birth.

The 60-second ad shows a new mum during the postpartum period, struggling to cope with the changes to her body.

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Waking up to her baby crying in the night, she wears the mesh underwear given to new mums in hospital.The scene presents us with the reality of postpartum pain.

The woman winces as she hobbles to the bathroom and changes the thick pad that she must wear to protect from continued bleeding.

We see her post-partum stomach, and her new-born cries in the background.According to Frida Mom, the Academy rejected the clip because it is "too graphic" and showed "partial nudity and product demonstration".

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Frida Mom, a company selling a range of post-partum products for women, posted the rejected ad to their Instagram feed.

In a statement that ran alongside the ad, Frida Mom said: "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.

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"Yet it was rejected. And we wonder why new moms feel unprepared. So spray it forward and share this video with every new mom. She deserves to be prepared."

Busy Philipps came out in support of Frida Mom to voice concern over the ad being rejected (Credit: PA Images)
Busy Philipps came out in support of Frida Mom to voice concern over the ad being rejected (Credit: PA Images)

A number of celebrities, including American actor and writer Busy Philipps, came out in support of Frida Mom, voicing concern that the ad had been rejected.

"I legit teared up when I just watched it,' Philipps wrote, reposting the video. "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 normalise a woman's bodily experience in the media, the better off our society and culture will be. AND YES THAT MEANS ADS TOO."

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Busy went on to compare the media's treatment of erectile disfunction with that of feminine hygiene.

"You probably don't even flinch when an Erectile Disfunction ad comes on but THIS AD IS REJECTED?!" wrote the actor. "I think this is an incredible piece of advertising that accurately represents something millions of women know intimately.


"And I'm so f***ing 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."

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Gone Baby Gone star Michelle Monoghan chimed in too, saying: "This is so important."

While actor-director Elizabeth Banks commented: "Bravo Busy."

The public debate raises the question of how in 2020 it's possible for important ads like this to be rejected.

Topics: Life News, Oscars, Health

Mary-Jane Wiltsher
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