Disneyland has staked a reputation for being the most magical place on earth. It’s where dreamers of all ages can come together and bask in a world that caters to whimsy and child-like innocence. Unless you happen to be a breastfeeding mother , that is.
Earlier this July at Disneyland Paris, a mother was told off by park officials for publicly breastfeeding her child. A viral photo of the event has begun circulating the internet and garsh — are people ever upset.
It all began when Twitter user @marieastier posted a photo of a young mother sitting on a Disneyland Paris park bench.
My French is passée at best, but roughly translated the Tweet says “Yesterday your security agents prevented a mother from breastfeeding her 2 month old[sic] baby on the grounds that it shocked foreign customers! In France, in July 2021! Breastfeeding obstruction offense, where are we?”
The young woman, whose name is Laura, confirmed to the AFP (Agence France-Presse) that she was verbally accosted by three park officials.
“I had my daughter to my breast with three people around me berating me to stop something I consider a completely natural and normal part of life,” Laura explained.
Laura also said, “I felt completely vulnerable, totally intimidated , and quite afraid.” Supposedly, the guards were very firm with the young mother of two and insisted that she stop breastfeeding her child and move to a dedicated mother/child zone.
The guards were also quite adamant that Laura should cover her chest, so as not to be seen by any of the other park guests who happened to be walking by.
Laura was confused as to why she was being told to conceal her body when all she was doing was feeding her child.
“I asked what was the reason for this kind of request and they basically said it was for the other guests of the park who are here from other cultures and religions,” Laura told AFP.
In no time at all, Disneyland Paris began receiving an onslaught of backlash on social media. And their first attempts to quell the fires of outrage couldn’t have gone over worse.
First, Disneyland Paris actually attempted to defend their decision
The tweet translates to “Hello, Disneyland Paris provides mothers with the BABY CARE CENTER with suitable and comfortable equipment such as special breastfeeding seats.” Many people were unsatisfied with Disneyland’s response, including the French Politician Fiona Lazaar.
After catching wind of the incident via social media, Fiona sat down to pen a letter to the President of Disneyland Paris about her concerns regarding Laura’s treatment, and how Disneyland might want to revise their stance on the issue.
“If this situation is confirmed, it is serious,” Lazaar tweeted out to her followers.
“Every woman should be able to feed her child as and where she wants. This is the meaning of the bill I tabled.” Fiona also saw fit to include an image of the letter she wrote to Disneyland Paris as well as the Bill she tabled which addresses a mother’s right to breastfeed.
France’s junior interior minister, Marlene Schiappa also said while it was indeed a good thing that Disney had designated breastfeeding stations, that nobody ever knows exactly where and when a baby will need to eat.
With their back against the wall, Disneyland Paris rescinded their original position and quickly apologized.
The statement reads “We deeply regret this situation and once again offer our sincere apologies to the mother concerned. The request made of it is not in line with our internal regulations and our values. There is no restriction on breastfeeding at Disneyland Paris.”
In a follow up tweet, Disneyland Paris made sure to point out that they pride themselves on being an accommodating family destination and that they remain dedicated to providing an inclusive environment for all guests.
However, some people felt that Disneyland’s apology was disingenuous.
“A mother can breastfeed her baby whenever and wherever she wants,” Twitter user @ECarusoCunha decried. “What an absurd episode!”
There isn’t a culture, creed, or religion on earth wherein a newborn baby does not have to eat. For Disneyland Paris to try and shame a mother for publicly breastfeeding, under the guise of protecting the delicate sensibilities of their other park guests — seems shoddy at best.
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