My Own Notes from the Underbelly
I have made some notes of my own about the new show, Notes from the Underbelly, which premieres tonight, April 12th, at 10pm, on ABC.
The description from the ABC website explains that this new sitcom is a “comic take on life’s greatest adventure – parenthood. This ensemble comedy proves that surviving the politics of pregnancy and maintaining your relationships with family and friends can be just as demanding as raising a child.”
This show has the potential to be funny. After all, what about parenting isn’t funny?
This show also has the potential to help positively promote breastfeeding. I even got my hopes up when watching the previews because I saw the men going out to buy a breast pump and the women talking about the “Pump and Dump” rules.
Although this sitcom is supposed to be funny, in my opinion there is nothing funny about it at all.
As I continued to watch the previews, they made me very frustrated. In particular, Episode #4 “I Wrecked my Boobs”. Which, by the way, is the actual title for this particular episode.
In the preview of “I Wrecked my Boobs” Lauren and Andrew are at a baby shower doting over a sweet 8 month old baby. ”So, how is it? Really?” Lauren asks the baby’s parents. Smiling and happy they tell Lauren and Andrew how incredible it is to be parents and how they can’t imagine life without their baby girl.
In the back ground you see a zombie looking couple that have distaste on the faces, are shaking their heads and look like they were raised from the dead. “Hey!” they call. “Come with us.” They proceed to back Andrew and Lauren into a corner as they give their version of being parents, “Soul crushing, worst thing we ever did . . . etc.
Here comes the breastfeeding bashing: The the woman says, “Breastfeeding destroyed my boobs.” “Devastated them really.” adds her husband. The zombie looking mother threatens, “Wanna see them?” Lauren says “No!” while Andrew simultaneously says “Yes!” When Lauren looks at him strange he says, “How bad could boobs look?” The wretched lady lifts up her shirt and then he says “Oh Dear God!”
Yeah, if that is not bad media coverage of breastfeeding I don’t know what is!
With recent studies on the direct effect media has on breastfeeding rates, this could be another step backward. According to the International Breastfeeding Journal, a study called, Infant feeding and the media: the relationship between Parents’ Magazine content and breastfeeding, 1972–2000 done by the University of Minnesota, found that “Mass media content likely influences the decision of women to breastfeed their newborn children.”
This new show could have been a huge positive influence for pregnant and future pregnant mommies, but instead it undermines the importance of breastfeeding. I have sent ABC a letter about my disappointment on their choice of programming. If you want to contact ABC you can use their “Contact Us” Form or comments can also be submitted via regular mail to: ABC, Inc. 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4551 or by phone (818) 460-7477.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Wow- thanks for this post and I’ll try to get the energy tonight to link to it in my own post. I’ve had a lot of things on my mind lately that could totally tie into this… ahhhh!
Steph
April 12th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Thanks for the alert, Colleen!
April 12th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
My cousin said she was going to adopt because she wanted to keep her body the way it is. When I told her some people breastfeed adopted babies she nearly passed out. Some people are so ignorant.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Did you catch the little graphics that introduced the segments? I saw a baby bottle somewhere in there.
Yes, it was funny and at other times touching. However, my biggest beef was that it portrayed parenthood as so difficult and complicated. Really, only a few things are necessary. A place for the baby to sleep, something for him to wear. That’s about it. Doesn’t take a whole room or two strollers or even a minivan.
It was neat to see a wrap on the show. Few moms realize that you can strap the baby to you with a piece of cloth and be hands-free. Too bad it was portrayed as so complicated to use. Later on, I think that one of the dads was practicing carying the “Indian” baby doll in a sling.
April 13th, 2007 at 6:54 am
When will the message get out that it’s NOT breastfeeding that changes mothers’ breasts but the very fact that a woman has been pregnant at all!! It is a well documented medical fact.
April 13th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Oh, I’m sorry I missed this show. I had seen a preview on it but didn’t pay too much attention. I will have to remember to catch it next week. Sounds like it might turn into a disaster, eh?
April 13th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Uhh, finally someone that understands my feelings on the show. I was mildly amused and really disgusted by some of the portrayals. Breastfeeding “destroying” her boobs was one beef. The “fact” that parenting means no sex, no sleep, fighting all the time, or affairs, and divorce. They said it was the worse decision they ever made. I just felt sad for it. And then teh partying friend that kept making the lame remarks about the lady now that she was pregnant.
I don’t want to steal your glory, so that’s all I’m going to say, but I totally agree with you. I’m going to try to watch next week to see if it’s better or not, but I don’t think I’ll be supporting this show that I thought would be really funny.
April 16th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
I totally agree! I thought that the way it portrayed parenthood was misinformed at best. Glad I wasn’t the only one.
May 4th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
People, people!!
It’s a comedy. Don’t take eveyrthing so seriously. Go to http://abc.go.com/primetime/notesfromtheunderbelly/ and read the blogs at the bottom of the page.(Behind the scenes) Everyone connected with the show is or was recently pregnant and they are making fun of the experience!
October 27th, 2007 at 1:45 am
Checking in to see if everybody.
I really enjoyed your post.