Evidently, some of the sales clerks at Victoria’s Secret stores in Wisconsin and Boston think their customers are!

Just about a week ago, two mothers in two different incidents were directed to bathrooms outside of Victoria’s Secret stores to nurse their babies.

Here’s how the Wisconsin incident went down…

On June 21, 2006, Rebecca Cook entered a Victoria’s Secret store with a friend to browse through the sales racks. While in the store, Mrs. 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. Mrs. 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. from “A Tale of Two Nursing Moms” an excellent press release off of the mothering.com lactivist discussion board.

The sight of her breasts might offend a customer. ???
You’ve got to be kidding.

Pretty Bras and Breastfeeding Belong Together!

Mothering Magazine’s online site, mothering.com, has posted a call-out for a July 1 nurse-in at all Victoria’s Secret stores. I know July 1 is Canada Day in Canada, but for all you nursing mamas in the States, spread the word!

Rally this Saturday, with lactavists nationwide! Gather at 1:00 p.m. in your time zone, at your nearest Victoria’s Secret store, for a nurse-in. Help this company, whose fortunes are largely breast-related, understand that in being “for and about women” their stores must accommodate breastfeeding. The nurse-in activism is also intended to draw attention to the fact that we need for a federal law protecting a nursing mother’s right to feed her baby anywhere that she and her baby would otherwise be allowed to be. Read the full story at mothering.com

By the way, the “for and about women” quote came from a statement issued by Anthony Hebron, VS spokesman for the chain’s parent, Limited Brands after the “nursing incidents” made national news…”Victoria’s Secret has a “long-standing policy to allow nursing in our stores. We are still for and about women.”

Right, I’ll believe that the day VS designs a line of decadent, gorgeous, and comfortable lingerie for pregnant women. Hello…pregnant women have sex too. And isn’t it really all about the sexxxy?
(Oooh, I can see the ‘sister’ line that would come next…”Victoria’s Secret Push-Up Nursing Bras”) Hey, I think we’re on to something here.

Don’t be mean to nursing mamas, Xena will kick your a%$!

from a Lucy Lawless poster for World Breastfeeding Awareness Week