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Yummy Mummies' Rachel Watts: "I saw the promo and my jaw absolutely dropped to the floor."

 

This upcoming Sunday night, July 9, Yummy Mummies will premiere on the Seven Network.

It’s already been likened to The Real Housewives of Sydney, as four mums-to-be attend extravagant baby showers, receive bouquets made purely out of money and purchase beautiful Burberry baby clothes.

The trailer, which first aired mid last month, attracted enormous criticism with viewers claiming it perpetuates, “unrealistic expectations” and that it “sets us all back”.

LISTEN: Laura Brodnik talks to Rachel Watts about what it was really like to film Yummy Mummies on Mamamia’s TV podcast, The Binge. 

“You’ve found a more vulnerable target now, emotional hormonal pregnant women who are likely already feeling pretty fragile about their appearance,” one commenter wrote. “Not surprised though!”

But it was one remark in particular that prompted an online petition calling for the reality show to be banned.

In the promo, 31-year-old Adelaide woman Maria DiGeronimo notices a mother breastfeeding in a cafe and says, “Breastfeeding in public is illegal. You just don’t do it.”

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In response, the Australian Breastfeeding Project (ABP) argued that the show breached the “Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice” and caused distress to viewers.

Of course, under Australian Federal Law breastfeeding is a right, and it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of breastfeeding.

The Binge hosts Laura Brodnik and Brittany Stewart spoke to Yummy Mummies star Rachel Watts about that now infamous promo.

“A lot of people have just seen the 90 second clip and want to boycott the show,” Watts told Mamamia. “This is ridiculous.”

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“To be honest with you guys, I can see their point of view,” the 36-year-old sales manager said.

“That 90 second clip that Channel Seven originally released, my jaw absolutely dropped to the floor.

“Number one, breast feeding is not illegal and that goes against my complete values and opinions on breastfeeding and motherhood in general. And number two, I was actually quite saddened and disappointed that I was being portrayed as something that I wasn’t just because I was in that 90 second clip as well.”

LISTEN: For the biggest TV and entertainment news of the week, listen to The Binge. 

The four expectant mums, Lorinska Merrington, Jane Scandizzo, Maria Di­Geronimo and Rachel Watts, have far more to offer than “high heels and glamour,” Watts said.

“These girls are talking about normal issues that pregnant ladies have, and we’ve opened our lives and opened the doors to these cameras and the Australian public, so come on give us a chance, watch the show, and then you guys can judge us,” she concluded.

Yummy Mummies premieres this Sunday night at 9pm on the Seven Network.