Starbucks Rant

[mom2snugbugs]

I am sorry if I am being nitpicky. I know there was a big to do about Starbucks not letting a nursing mother nurse while in there, and they have since changed. My issue today is with their "old" trademark.

This is what it originally was

http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/up...starbucks1.JPG

Now it looks like this

http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/04/09...wn-siren-logo/

Anyone notice the difference?

Again, we cannot show nipples. That is sexually deviant and it might entice some crazed person to commit unspeakable acts. WTH?

Sorry If I am ranting- but come on!!

On a brighter note-

I was looking for patterns to knit and I came across this image-

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/...eemie+Hats.htm

I guess I view images differently now. I get extremely frustrated. Am I crazy?



ETA- When I got my cup with the "sanitized" logo, I did a mini rant to the lady at the drive-thru window. She totally agreed with me!! Total lactavist! LOL

[KnitLady]

That was the first thing I noticed when I first saw the revived logo. Those evil nipples! Think of the children!

[ramama]

I didn't even notice the difference myself, but my 4yo DD sure did! At first I had no idea what she was talking about. It just goes to show how logo-wise children in our commercial world are!

[mom2snugbugs]

Originally Posted by KnitLady

Those evil nipples! Think of the children!

LOL


EXACTLY!!!

[TattoMomK]

LOL I didn't even notice. I'm missing something. Or I turn off my brain to ads. One of the two. If that were just the logo and it came up on Jeopardy I wouldn't know it. I thought it was just some lady with hair -- didn't notice the fish tail.

I have my own starbucks rants, like the employees back in the day (like ten years ago) trying to force me to order my coffee per their cup names -- "venti," etc. No just give me a large. No say Venti. SHUT UP!

The one that got me though was a day when I was 9 months pregnant with my 2nd child, and I got a day out by myself to bookshop and coffee it. I ordered a big old frozen mocha, totally planning on enjoying it and the starbucks girl says "DECAF RIGHT?" I say "No, regular leaded is fine." To which she proceeds to inform me (and all the customers) of the evils of caffeine consumption while pregnant. So I just said "will you hurry up and make it so I can go smoke while I drink it?" Uproarious laughter from my fellow customers, as obviously I wasn't going to go literally smoke, but yeah, they were surprised I was getting a lecture on pregnancy from Starbucks.

[Parker'smommy]

I don't see this as a lactivist issue as the logo was NOT depicting a nursing mother. THe original logo showed some nipple, now it doesn't. It might have to do with customers complaining, but I don't think breastfeeding had anything to do with it. It was more probably a modesty issue ( and I have no issue with the first logo at all to be clear). If the original logo had a nursling at her breast or in her arms, THEN it would be a lactivist issue. This is NOT a lactivist issue imho.

[mom2snugbugs]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy

I don't see this as a lactivist issue as the logo was NOT depicting a nursing mother. THe original logo showed some nipple, now it doesn't. It might have to do with customers complaining, but I don't think breastfeeding had anything to do with it. It was more probably a modesty issue ( and I have no issue with the first logo at all to be clear). If the original logo had a nursling at her breast or in her arms, THEN it would be a lactivist issue. This is NOT a lactivist issue imho.

With respect, I vigorously disagree.

I feel like the sexualization of the female breast is at the heart of lactivism. This is the reason why we can't nurse in public (its indecent, we must be discreet, etc.) and why this society has such problems with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has run up against the "modesty issue' time and time again. It is ok to nurse your child, as long as it is done behind closed doors, with a blanket, etc.

This old logo "change" perpetuates the attitude that breasts must be covered, nipples are obscene, and the only thing the breast is used for is selling cars, beer and energy drinks.

What if they had a 30th anniversary poster of Farrah Fawcett and decided to photoshop her nipples out? There would be a public uproar.

Oh, I feel like this is definitely a lactivist issue.

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy

I don't see this as a lactivist issue as the logo was NOT depicting a nursing mother. THe original logo showed some nipple, now it doesn't. It might have to do with customers complaining, but I don't think breastfeeding had anything to do with it. It was more probably a modesty issue ( and I have no issue with the first logo at all to be clear). If the original logo had a nursling at her breast or in her arms, THEN it would be a lactivist issue. This is NOT a lactivist issue imho.

I gotta agree with this. If the woman was initially breastfeeding and they changed that then maybe it would be a lactivist issue. As it is, they are a coffee shop that decided to update their logo - not a reason to get all worked up.

[frontierpsych]

Originally Posted by mom2snugbugs

What if they had a 30th anniversary poster of Farrah Fawcett and decided to photoshop her nipples out? There would be a public uproar.

Damn right there would be! I DEMAND Farrah's nipples!

[ulla]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

I gotta agree with this. If the woman was initially breastfeeding and they changed that then maybe it would be a lactivist issue. As it is, they are a coffee shop that decided to update their logo - not a reason to get all worked up.

: Not everything that has to do with breasts is a lactivist issue.

[mom2snugbugs]

Originally Posted by ulla

: Not everything that has to do with breasts is a lactivist issue.

I guess that we will agree to disagree then

I think the sexualization of the breast is definitely a lactivist issue.

Note to mods- move or shut down if you'd like

[Parker'smommy]

Originally Posted by mom2snugbugs

With respect, I vigorously disagree.

I feel like the sexualization of the female breast is at the heart of lactivism. This is the reason why we can't nurse in public (its indecent, we must be discreet, etc.) and why this society has such problems with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has run up against the "modesty issue' time and time again. It is ok to nurse your child, as long as it is done behind closed doors, with a blanket, etc.

This old logo "change" perpetuates the attitude that breasts must be covered, nipples are obscene, and the only thing the breast is used for is selling cars, beer and energy drinks.

What if they had a 30th anniversary poster of Farrah Fawcett and decided to photoshop her nipples out? There would be a public uproar.

Oh, I feel like this is definitely a lactivist issue.

Lactivism is about breastfeeding.

I wouldn't go as far to say that breasts are obscene, but they do need to be covered in this culture/society, EXCEPT when a child is suckling at them. I can't walk around without a shirt and bra on. I just can't. It's illegal. But if I'm nursing a child at my breasts, I can. There's a difference. Baby=okay....no baby= not okay.

I respectively disagree and actually feel that when we get in an uproar over things like this and call them a "lactivist issue" it waters down and takes away from real lactivist issues like woman being allowed to breastfeed anywhere, everywhere, any child, any age, in public. I also am a lactivist and have been a nursing mother for over 6 years.

I think taking out the nipples on the Starbucks cups is prudish, but not anti-breastfeeding. The two have nothing to do with the other in this situation.

[Parker'smommy]

Originally Posted by mom2snugbugs

I guess that we will agree to disagree then

I think the sexualization of the breast is definitely a lactivist issue.

Note to mods- move or shut down if you'd like

And I just wanted to add that breasts are sexual...very much so. They are also functional in that my children have ( and still do ) nurse from them. But to deny that breasts are sexual is not looking at the complete picture. Breast have a multiple functions on the human body just as I am both a mother AND a wife. The two don't negate the other, and neither function is more important than the other either.

Lactivism is about breasts yes, but in how they relate to breastfeeding. T

[YummyYarnAddict]

Originally Posted by TattoMomK

-The one that got me though was a day when I was 9 months pregnant with my 2nd child, and I got a day out by myself to bookshop and coffee it. I ordered a big old frozen mocha, totally planning on enjoying it and the starbucks girl says "DECAF RIGHT?" I say "No, regular leaded is fine." To which she proceeds to inform me (and all the customers) of the evils of caffeine consumption while pregnant. So I just said "will you hurry up and make it so I can go smoke while I drink it?" Uproarious laughter from my fellow customers, as obviously I wasn't going to go literally smoke, but yeah, they were surprised I was getting a lecture on pregnancy from Starbucks.

Similar scenarios played out often enough at the Starbucks across the street from my OB/GYN's office that the head of the practice (who happened to be my primary OB) went over there to give the manager and the staff a mini-lecture on NOT lecturing her patients about the "evils of caffeine" and other things beyond the scope of a barrista's practice. I never got very big while pregnant even at the end (only gained 11lbs w/dd and 16 w/ds) so while I didn't get the caffeine lecture, I was lectured about requesting that my latte be made with half-and-half instead of skim milk or low fat milk (hey, I needed the fat and it was delish!).

[St. Margaret]

I just take issue with it as part of the "in this society breasts must be covered" thing. I think the original image evokes a powerful female with several aspects, including the nipples. I think it's too bad we can't even stand an iconic (not photorealistic) image of nipples in our society! I think we should rather celebrate an image like that as a symbol of great female power and life and all that jazz... but society ain't what it should be with a lot of things. And it IS just a commercial logo. Lactivism or not, it bugs me. But I can see how it's not

[mom2snugbugs]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy

I can't walk around without a shirt and bra on. I just can't. It's illegal.

FWIW, You can in Portland Or. Being topless here is *not* illegal. However, if many people complain then it can be chalked up to a "public disturbance" and the cops will ask you to cover. Not when breastfeeding though. (SIL and BIL are Portland PO and I asked them about this when I DD was little and I was nip)

[WeasleyMum]

Originally Posted by Parker'smommy

Lactivism is about breastfeeding.

I wouldn't go as far to say that breasts are obscene, but they do need to be covered in this culture/society, EXCEPT when a child is suckling at them. I can't walk around without a shirt and bra on. I just can't. It's illegal. But if I'm nursing a child at my breasts, I can. There's a difference. Baby=okay....no baby= not okay.

I respectively disagree and actually feel that when we get in an uproar over things like this and call them a "lactivist issue" it waters down and takes away from real lactivist issues like woman being allowed to breastfeed anywhere, everywhere, any child, any age, in public. I also am a lactivist and have been a nursing mother for over 6 years.

I think taking out the nipples on the Starbucks cups is prudish, but not anti-breastfeeding. The two have nothing to do with the other in this situation.

I agree. There are so many real lactivist issues; a doctored logo that (30 years ago!) showed some nipples and now doesn't, isn't one. Now if the logo used to show the siren breastfeeding, then changed it to a bottle-- that would be an issue. But as a few PP have pointed out, nipples just hanging out for the heck of it have never been acceptable in American culture. There is breastfeeding, there is blatant sex appeal a la Farrah's poster, but the siren logo didn't fall into either camp. We are not a laid-back, Western European nation, where topless beaches are the norm and breastage is no biggie (could also explain their much-better breastfeeding rates IMHO); I for one would hardly expect a company to ignore that fact.

Also, are we forgetting the in-between image that has defined Starbucks for the intervening decades-- that green-inked, stylized siren with apparently NO breasts? Link here for comparison. Personally, I like the new/old one better...

[mom2snugbugs]

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

We are not a laid-back, Western European nation, where topless beaches are the norm and breastage is no biggie (could also explain their much-better breastfeeding rates IMHO);

Bolding mine.

This is exactly my point. Societies that have a more "laid back" view of the breast have better BF rates (sorry, no stats) We must cover all of our breasts.