A new ad from the brand Frida Mom portrays motherhood like you've never seen it before. There's mesh underwear and oversized pads for postpartum bleeding. A perineum bottle squirts water on swollen or stitched-up skin. The mom still looks pregnant.
The graphic depiction amounts to 60 seconds of intense real talk about new motherhood, but the millions of viewers watching the Oscars on ABC won't see it because the network declined to air the ad, according to Frida Mom, a brand that sells postpartum recovery products for moms.
The company received a rejection noting that the spot was "too graphic with partial nudity and product demonstration." It also cited ABC's rules against running ads about political candidates and positions, religious or faith-based messages and positions, guns, gun shows, ammunition, feminine hygiene products, adult diapers, condoms, or hemorrhoid remedies during the broadcast. Mashable reached out to ABC for comment and has yet to receive a response.
"It is just a raw and honest emotionally-driven short story showing women what to expect," says Frida CEO Chelsea Hirschhorn. "Knowledge is confidence...and there's a deep fear in not knowing what to expect."
While it might be hard to imagine the very human spot sandwiched between scenes of immaculately dressed celebrities congratulating themselves, Hirschhorn thought the company had a real chance of airing the ad during the Oscars. Instead, she was surprised to learn that it might be considered as objectionable as an ad marketing firearms and ammunition.
"It's really shocking to me given all the progress we’ve made culturally," Hirschhorn said, referencing the stigma that often surrounds women's bodies.
But Frida has a history of daring people to ban its ads. In 2018, it tried to post billboards for its perineum bottle product with the tagline, "Trust us, your vagina will thank you," which were rejected in 13 cities, including Los Angeles. Hirschhorn said the company won't give up trying to air its newest ad in an effort to change what's acceptable to discuss when it comes to the postpartum experience.
"We tiptoe and dance around these topics and we wonder why women don't feel prepared," she said.
