Bette Midler Slammed For Tweeting ‘Try Breastfeeding!’ Amid Baby Formula Shortage
Bette Midler is not the wind beneath new parents’ wings right now.
The “Beaches” star received quite the Twitter lashing after she offered a dismissive take on the baby formula shortage Thursday night.
The shortage has left store shelves across the nation bare of baby formula thanks to COVID-19-related supply chain issues that worsened after Abbott Nutrition, a major formula manufacturer, recalledselect lots of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare products.
The lack of availability has caused stressful situations for families who rely on baby formula — for a multitude of reasons — to feed their infants.
“TRY BREASTFEEEDING!” Midler tweeted Thursday night. “It’s free and available on demand.”
TRY BREASTFEEEDING! It’s free and available on demand. https://t.co/15xetgg1ps
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) May 13, 2022
Her flippant solution to a complex problem was in response to a tweet from MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, who emphasized the severity of the situation by noting that the “baby formula shortage reveals an amazing secret oligopoly” of three companies owning “90%” of the market.
People on Twitter were quick to point out how truly ignorant Midler’s comment came off.
Oof. Powerfully bad take.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) May 13, 2022
Imagine having a large gay fanbase, many of whom are raising kids in two-dad households, and thinking this is a good suggestion.
— Tim Carvell (@timcarvell) May 13, 2022
I am exhausted by having to remind people that breastfeeding is not "free," or "easy." Not if you're disabled, or dealing with PPD, or unable to take the time off work, or, or, or--
I am exhausted by having to remind people nothing about childbirth/child care is easy or free— Elle Em (@ellle_em) May 14, 2022
Bette, respectfully, this is a very bad take. I had twins. I didn’t produce enough milk for both. Without formula, I would have had to have chosen which one got to eat. To say nothing of kids that get separated from the birth mothers very young.
— Ilyse Hogue (@ilyseh) May 13, 2022
I love you Bette, but this is not okay. I fought to breastfeed my son, he kept losing weight, despite my best efforts, including lactation experts. It was emotional and 💔 I felt like a failure and at 3 months switched to formula, because of the stress it put on me and my son.
— What Just Happened🤣 (@Mom2boy_pup_cat) May 13, 2022
We need to stop shaming women. For having sex. For liking sex. For getting raped. For having babies. For not having babies. For breastfeeding. For not breastfeeding. For using daycare. For not using daycare. Please, can we just let women live? Can we please just let them be?
— Shadow of Dot Calm (@DotCalmsshadow) May 13, 2022