The Oscars Rejected An Ad For Postpartum Products, & This Is Why Moms Feel So Unprepared

As with any red carpet, star-studded event, securing a coveted commercial spot during the 2020 Academy Awards is a pretty big deal, and some are salty that the Oscars rejected an ad geared at postpartum mothers.

Frida Baby, the brand behind the popular snot-sucker, recently launched Frida Mom, a relatively new line catering to postpartum needs. Frida Mom's products include disposable postpartum underwear, instant ice maxi-pads, perineal healing foam, and perineal cooling pad liners.

The brand intended to run an ad for the line during the Feb. 9th Oscars programming, but announced that the advertisement had been banned by the Academy in an Instagram post just a few days prior. "The ad you’re about to watch was rejected by ABC & the Oscars from airing during this year’s award show," read the Frida Mom post from Feb. 7. "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."

Plenty of Instagram users loved Frida Mom's ad — and were equally disappointed that it didn't make the cut for the Oscars. One Instagram user wrote, "Shame on ABC!!!! This is real life and should be represented for all mommas."

Another person commented, "Such a beautiful ad. I completely teared up. It brought me right back to having my babies and that our bodies are so badass. Thank you for creating this. It is beautiful. If anything you have impacted me today."

Yet another Instagram user chimed in with, "So beautiful!! Even for women who haven’t had babies, it’s our fight too. We need to stay united in normalising every aspect of a woman’s journey and allowing us to be prepared either for own sake or to support the women that are going through it."

As someone who has lived through the postpartum experience four times, I'm disappointed Frida Mom's ad was deemed "too graphic" to air during the Oscars. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I gave birth to my first child. But the scene of a screaming baby in the background as an exhausted mom fumbles with a giant diaper/pad, a peri bottle, and seemingly 50 other products? That's reality. And moms-to-be deserve a heads-up.