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They may make affordable furniture, but it looks as though IKEA may need to learn a thing or two about customer service, not to mention a woman's right to breastfeed her child in public. Consumerist is reporting that a woman shopping at the IKEA in Red Hook, Brooklyn, was sent to the bathroom to breastfeed by an employee.
The anonymous customer posted her humiliating experience on a message board:
"On Wednesday I was in IKEA Red Hook in the middle of breastfeeding, fully covered, when I was told I had to stop doing "that" and go to the nearby family bathroom. The IKEA employee and security guards were extremely rude to us. I was hustled off to the bathroom and then had to wait because someone else was using it. I was humiliated, my daughter was upset from being interrupted in the middle of her feed. When eventually I gave up and headed for the car to finish feeding, the security guards who had seen the entire event insisted on checking my receipts. I'm putting together a formal complaint to IKEA. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else?"
No one from IKEA has responded to these allegations, which are no doubt being investigated or at the very least will be soon when word spreads and the complaints start hailing down on the Swedish chain.
In case you are unaware, August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Sadly this story is not unusual, as breastfeeding in public is largely looked down upon because it makes others feel uncomfortable. The discomfort has even reached the internet, where breastfeeding moms on Facebook have protested having photos removed showing them nursing. Here in Washington state, the following laws apply to breastfeeding in public:
- Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.88.010 (2001) states that the act of breastfeeding or expressing breast milk is not indecent exposure. (HB 1590)
- Wash. Rev. Code § 43.70.640 (2001) allows any employer, governmental and private, to use the designation of "infant-friendly" on its promotional materials if the employer follows certain requirements. (2001 Wash. Laws, Chap. 88)
- 2009 Wash. Laws, Chap. 164 (HB 1596) provides that it is the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in any place of public resort, accommodations, assemblage, or amusement.
Comments
This was a sad episode in American culture. But like you said stories like this are not unusual because many Americans see female breasts as sex objects. And since many Americans are uneasy with the topic of sex they are uneasy with a conspicuous presence of female breasts...even if they're used to feed a baby!
Shame on you IKEA. Get with the program!
Couple things. IKEA is probably the best place to shop if you have kids. Seems they've thought of everything. Sounds like an individual employee, maybe even new to IKEA, made a mistake. You forgive, you move on. IKEA retrains their employee, apologizes for the individuals mistake. How much would you bet that this anonymous customer is trying to sue?
No offense. I support the right to breastfeed in public. I do not think the best place to breastfeed is IKEA, because they do have a lot of kids who are curious...lmao
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