Dozens of nursing mothers converged on the Anthropologie store in Beverly Hills on Wednesday to protest the alleged treatment of a customer who was breast feeding inside the shop.
Ingrid Wiese-Hesson thought she was being discrete by breast-feeding at the back of the store.
But the new mother said a woman who identified herself as the store manager appeared and escorted her to the ladies room where she had to finishing nursing while sitting on a toilet.
“The bathroom is just disgusting because you baby is eating… I personally wouldn’t want to eat lunch in a bathroom,” Dr. Cat Begovich, a breastfeeding supporter, said.
The woman who said she was a manager claimed she wasn’t personally uncomfortable with the breast feeding, but felt there may be other cultures present that would, according to Wiese-Hesson.
The dozens of supporters met in front of the Anthropologie store after word of the incident quickly spread through social media.
“I think I would have told her to call the police, I’m not going anywhere, I’m going to feed my child and I’m not going to get up until my child is done feeding because it’s the law,” supporter Jovanna Juarez said. “This is natures bottle right here. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal.”
Anthropologie issued a statement Wednesday in response to the incident: “We are disappointed to hear of the unfortunate experience that occurred in our Beverly Hills store. As a company comprised of hundreds of mothers, which seeks to put the customer first, we celebrate women in all of their life stages,” part of the statement read.
The entire statement was posted on the company’s Facebook page.
