Naptime Blog

The news headlines recently covered that two main networks refused to air a Lane Bryant commercial during prime time.  The commercial depicted a “fuller” figured woman in receiving a text from her boyfriend while in sexy undergarments.  The woman throws on her raincoat (with nothing other than the undergarments) and heads out the door.  As a mom of four young children, I am always trying to distract my kids if a “risqué”- themed commercial comes on the screen; however, there is so much of it that it becomes nearly impossible.  As a matter of fact, living in NYC, sometimes walking or driving through Times Square with the billboard ads can be a bit challenging with young children.  I recently remember seeing a photo of a jeans ad on the cover of our local paper with a threesome.  I believe the ad was rejected by Times Square BUT the paper chose to feature it on its cover… for my eight year old to see!  I guess, after a while, a parent just learns how to address it with their children, because these are the times we live in.

I saw an online article comparing the Lane Bryant ad with a Victoria’s Secret ad, the latter being aired on the same networks during prime time that the former was rejected on.  The Victoria Secret ad was just as risqué, and also depicted similar sentiments as the woman who leaves to have sex with nothing but her bra and panties.  So why did the networks ban one and not the other?  The buzz is that the Lane Bryant ad was rejected because Lane Bryant was advertising a full figured woman.  And this is what truly upsets me.

First of all, the model is beautiful.  She is bustier than most of today’s models, but her dress size cannot be more than an 8 or a 10.  But major networks and the whole pop-culture society has created this female body image “perfection” standard to be more of a size 0-2.  Yes, obesity is an issue.  It is a very serious issue.  But society has created these “perfection” goals for young girls which is pushing more and more teens (and younger!) into eating disorders and habits which is just as unhealthy as an obese teen’s eating disorders and habits. 

I am not a skinny woman.  I have always fought with my weight, and having four kids pushed me over the top.  A twin pregnancy followed by another baby only fourteen months later proved to be detrimental to my body size, and I am struggling to get back into a healthier and sexier pair of jeans.  I come from a family of women who have also struggled with their weight.  I try my best to be on top of my eight year old daughter, so that she does not grow up with the same struggles.  I do not want her to be overweight.  I want her to be healthy.  I also want her to be happy and confident in her body.  But when society makes the perfect body image so ridiculously unreal and unfair, this becomes more and more difficult.  Lane Bryant’s blog stated:

It appears that ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks.

Unfortunately, their definition of beauty may not be the definition of beauty that I want to teach my children.  While health is one of my main concerns, happiness, self-confidence, contentment, inner strength, respect for self and others, determination, and so many other positive qualities is what I wish to instill in my children (both my daughter AND my three sons) as what a BEAUTIFUL person truly is, not the fact that she wears a size 2 pair of jeans.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (8), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (7 months)
www.nevaland.com