Recently a stunning Sports Illustrated swimsuit model strutted down the catwalk while breastfeeding her baby daughter. The video went viral, with thousands of people thanking the model for normalizing the act. Breastfeeding is totally natural, but mothers often get shamed for doing it in public.
Usually haters give breastfeeding moms dirty looks or make scathing comments. But Carly Clark from Spartanburg, South Carolina, went even further. Carly, a manager at the pet store Petsense, posted a vicious Facebook rant where she threatened to punch breastfeeding mothers, and their babies.
"'I'm not sorry. The next female that tries to whip her boob out to breastfeed in front of my kids will get a black eye, move that baby bc I'll punch it too."
Surprisingly, Carly's threat to punch mothers and babies in the face didn't get a positive reaction. Furious parents expressed their outrage on social media, as screenshots of the post went viral. Some breastfeeding mothers even planned to stage a 'nurse-in' at the Petsense store in Gaffney, where Carly works.
In response, Carly posted a sincere apology, admitting she was wrong. Just kidding. She made another stupid comment, trying to justify her disgust at public breastfeeding. Also, she called the mothers planning the nurse-in "immature." Because threatening to punch babies in the face on Facebook is a true sign of maturity.
"If you read my comments I plainly said it was about one person in general. Do what you want, but I find it very immature that you as a mother would go out of your way to come to a place that you know I work at and breastfeed. Idc (I don't care) who breastfeeds when my kids aren't around. Pulling your boob out in front of my kids on purpose just to prove a point is simply represented by who you are as a person."
The Petsense Facebook page became flooded with angry messages. In less than 24 hours, they issued a statement announcing they fired Carly. Also, they explained that they disagree with her individual views on punching breastfeeding mothers and their babies in the face.
Credit: Facebook
"At Petsense we demand the highest standards in ethical and personal behavior from our employees. We absolutely would never condone violence or threats of violence such as was recently posted by a former Petsense employee.
This matter was quickly brought to our attention and immediately investigated. We disagree with her individual views and want every breastfeeding mother/family to feel completely safe & welcome to shop with us. This individual is no longer employed by Petsense and on behalf of the entire Petsense family we sincerely apologize to those who have been affected by this matter."
Well, that was fast! Chalk up another victory for breastfeeding moms. And good luck on the job search, Carly. Maybe there's a pet store somewhere out there that shares your views.
