Mumsnet Talk

lets face it, they are pushing out babies FFs. We all know where babies come from. So why is it necessary to blur out the pubic region? is it too offensive or something?

apart from every women filmed lying on her sodding back of course but that's a whole other thread

Perhaps the women specifically requested it rather than have themselves completely exposed to the nation..

I'd want my fanjo blurring out, knowing how people would judge my lack of waxing

i've always wondered why we're allowed to see penises on tv but not vulvas (vulvae?)

and yes, good point about women maybe requesting it

oh.maybe. didn't think about that.

Are we allowed to see penises on tv? I've never seen one.

OK. I will vent my fury in another diretin.

WHY ARE THEY ALL LYING ON THEIR SODDING BACKS?

yeah male full frontal nudity is allowed, but not female IIRC

I've never seen a willy on tv either. I feel deprived!

There's quite a few levels of consent for these kind of things... so I think consent is a large part (or is blurring a large part).

I'm guessing there would be very few volunteers if they didn't do that!

Akiss.. This Morning regularly has flaccid ones on display.. it really isnt a pretty sight though!

I also think that if it is anything supposedly set before the 1930's, they seem to get away with it, as there always appears to be a fair bit of nudity if it has the genre of "historical drama"...

Cos that's how it's portrayed on the tv. Why the midwives don't try get woman in better position to let gravity help, fuck knows.

load of shite though.

by blurring it out are we supposed to not notice the baby emerging from the vagina?

They can't all have requested it. I don't understand how a programme about birth can blur out genitals. Ridiculous.

I thought on women they could show the general area but not close up of vulva and on men they can show floppy not hard.

male full frontal is allowed so long as the penis is not erect.. and female full frontal is allowed after the watershed too but I am fairly sure there are still lots of rules about pubic hair, positions, touching, etc..

It must be up to the women because there was some programme on the other day about teenagers and their sexual concerns and it showed a teenage girl IN HER ENTIRETY. I was completely taken aback. I can't begin to imagine wanting all your friends at school to see!

I bet they have all requested it. Nowadays these things hang around forever, it'll be up on youtube, people will be able to zoom in etc. Even if I were brave enough for the nation to see my labour, I'm not sure how I'd feel about my fanjo being around online forevermore.

I think it's entirely plausible that the women on the programme would request blurring. As you say, we all know what's happening and from where so why do we need to see every follicle?

I would imagine they all requested it too. They probably want their family to see it, but with a slight bit of modesty protected. If it were me I would certainly want it blurring out.. and the censor would be on a permanent "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" too!

I think its a watershed thing, you can show an errect penis after either 9 or 10 pm, and a naked woman standing, so just her pubic hair but not with her legs apart. Not sure if it is allowed after a certain time or not at all!

Its part of the consent procedure for the production company making it. I guess a lot of women who are happy to be on the show probably wouldn't have thought about it until asked, and when asked have thought 'actually, could you blur that bit out?'

Apart from porn, I have never ever seen another woman's bits. Probably because they're internal, unlikely to be spotted in the PE showers. Whereas men, because their bits are external and have been seen by many other blokes many times are a little more relaxed (unless hard then we revert back to porn) - tis a shame. I don't even really know what my OWN bits look like, unless I remember the 'many mirrors' contortions of my youth.

I wouldn't want the whole world seeing my clopper. <shudder>

Mind you I watched an un edited video of a birth at ante natal class and the area was so stretched when the head came out you couldn't really see anything other than a 'frame' of hair.

Well we all know what lurks in yours bupcakes

YY to wonder why they nearly all give birth on their backs. The only exception was one last week where she gave birth kneeling up in a birthing pool. Irritates me. I really can't understand why all the books I read while I was pregnant recommend kneeling, but this just doesn't seem to actually be encouraged in hospital.

I've read that for a lot of women, all they know of childbirth is what they've seen on tv. So lots of screaming and a woman lying on a bed. A lot of people know no better. I'm amazed the midwives aren't more encouraging of different positions. I was also at the ease with which a midwife suggested, and the girl accepted, an induction. Of course it could all be editing, but there was no discussion at all as to why it was being done or what the other options were. It's a shame, OBEM would be the perfect platform to normalise active births.

Does the type of pain relief affect how you deliver? I know an epidural does but what about pethadine etc?

I was completely flexible on how I laboured and gave birth, but when the time came I couldn't bare to be on the bed never mind lie down, all my instincts were to stand and bounce, I pushed stood by the bed as well and made a leap onto the bed just in time to push DD out on my knees. I really think I would have been very panicky if I had had to lie down, I would have been fighting my body's instinct to stand.

I think it must be something requested by the women as I've seen other births on tv that have shown the whole thing. Don't embarrassing bodies show female genitalia? And I'm sure there was a programme on not so long ago about designer vaginas that showed them. I'm think I watch too many programmes with fanjos in!

It's on after the watershed and it's in context with the programme so I can't see there being a legal reason not to show them eg ofcom rule.

I was thinking about this last night - I was watching a programme about art, and after the presenter doodled about in front of Michaelangelo's David for ages, showing the statue from every angle, it cut to Gustave Courbet's The Origin of the World. The presenter had to stand with his head blocking the vagine (as I believe we are calling it these days ) because it was deemed too much for television.

In the context of OBEM, though, I can quite see why the women involved want it blurred out.

I'm pretty certain that the women on OBEM can opt for varying levels of privacy. Some seem to be very clear, others blurred while quite a number never go down to the business end at all.
I think the producers are more interested in getting a variety of stories (given all the couples are shown being interviewed at home pre-labour) and will do what it takes to get a woman's (and probably her partner too) consent to participate.

I'm deeply disappointed in the lost opportunity that OBEM has in educating women on the advantages/disadvantages of various interventions. What it seems to be doing instead is reinforcing/ normalsing being strapped to a monitor on your back. It makes me so sad.

YABU mabey the women requested it! Yes we know where babies come from, but mabey the mums did not want their fanjo flashed on national tv!

Yes Ive seen 'educational' tv programes with willies on them

One was called the Joy of Teen Sex I think, and a tv programme about willies a couple years ago.

With all honesty, when I had my Dcs, I was on my back, because that's where I was comfortable, and once I was in transition, there was NO WAY ON GODS EARTH, anyone was getting me to go anywhere else! With dd, the midwife and DP managed to manhandle me onto my side slightly, but I had absolutely no input, or inclination to be in any other position!!

oh sweet jesus!

a) whats to be benefited by seeing it for the viewers, anything? no
b) its TV, and genetalia generally not shown, call me old fashioned
c) the women likely asked

such a NON ISSUE to get hmmmmy about, really

Anyone who's ever watched "embarrasing bodies" will know that there does not appear to be a limit on what can be shown. Vagina's, penises, or arse holes...all on display for the world to see. May depend on the subject matter though I guess.

Does anyone remember naked yoga? (late night channel 4 I think).

Lots of vagines there.

When I had dc2 11 years ago I suggested to the midwife when in the early stages of labour that I might try and squat down to deliver she said women over here (meaning in Britain) can't squat for very long as their leg muscles can't cope with it that, squatting tends to be the norm in other parts of the world, and so not wanting to cause a fuss I didn't question it and delivered on my back,

I'm not sure why but I was a bit that they gave the young woman's full date of birth, it didn't seem needed other than to show she was young.

The lying on the back thing is deeply irritating - I was forced into that position in my one and only hospital birth. (Berating/ manhandled back into bed, on back, every time I got out.) Bastards.

I had a great aunt who was a MW in the 30s/40s/50s. She justified it, as well as enemas and shaving, by saying that is was "just so much nicer for the MW, dear."

'clopper'

Sorry - Still PMSL!

I'm pretty sure that 'The Rose and the White' or whatever it was called had both male and female full frontal nudity - I remember thinking that there had been a lot of naked women, then there was a gratuitous penis shot (just to balance it out I think, there was no reason for it at all)

I found it pretty disturbing I must say, as it was the irish bloke from the IT crowd...

Chris O'Dowd?? He's yummy!! Might have to look that up

If you watch Embarrassing Bodies on Channel 4 there are plenty of penises

I think women should be encouraged to let gravity help, ie: stand up while giving birth, baby is having to 'go uphill' as it were thus making it harder to push. My sister was a midwife (left profession after being left in charge of a ward when she was 25!!!!) .

I wouldn't want a film crew there while I was giving birth anyway, its a private thing.

I assume because people do not want every single detail of their vagina on show to the world. however , someone has had to sit there and blur it out bit by bit, probably spending quite a bit of time staring at their vagina in close up.

Oh yes there was a programme last week on naturist that featured lots of willies

susiedaisy that's exactly what I was told. I gave birth to my 3 children like that, no problem at all. I do remember having my legs held up to help my pelvis to open as much as possible.

Must be quite a few people here never seen Embarrassing bodies. All shapes and sizes of willies and flaps on there.

There have been some shots there where you do see the baby being born though hasn't there. I can't remember which birth, but there was one where you actually saw the baby's head coming out. Amazing. So there have been some shots hasn't there?

I assumed it was down to mums consent.

thank god it is, dont want to see a fandango in a rage..

I'm ok with the blurring. I was glad that my head was up the other end and far away when my vagina was burping up my babies. I could feel what was happening, I didn't need to see it <crosses legs at the memory, winces>

i wanted to lie down with my 3rd to stop him flying out too fast...somehow i found myself on my knees all the way through just like the previous 2, coming so fast there was no mw in sight

there was one last week wasn't there, you could see the head coming out but strangely blurred around the edges!

Would be a lot more informative if the showed the tears and stitching.....

Highlander - it would certainly be educational to show third stage and then the length of time stitching and patching can take. I think a lot of people think that the birth is over once the baby arrives - but you can be laying there with your fanjo in the air for another hour (while random people ferret about and compare embroidery techniques).

I would normally agree but gadget-mad DH bought us a 50" HD telly. So their vulva would be BIG AND WIDE AND IN GREAT CLARITY if they didn't blur it.

<feels faint>

I don't want to see mine or anyone's lady parts being stretched out of all recognition. It's like a man watching another man being kicked in the balls. It makes me feel most peculiar. I'd blur the bastard out of existence if I were able.

I saw somewhere that the penis on tv isn't allowed to be any more erect than the angle of Italy.

I saw a film and it had 3 couples getting married, one couple were nudist (starred Robert Webb and Olivia Coleman and from what I remember of it, they were both naked throughout the whole film and you did see alot of frontal shots.

As for OBEM - I wouldn't want my foofoo on show either. So maybe it is the mothers choice.

But why would you want to see more? [squeamish].

Rhubarb - the shot where they showed the baby's head emerging made me gasp. It was amazing to see how incredible it all is. I have never been a birth partner and obviously didn't see either of my two DSs being born from that angle. But amazing footage and breathtaking just to see the wonder of birth. I always love the bit at the end where they actually show the birth itself and then start weeping with how amazing it all is.

maybe so they can sell the program to the us for example? they would have to add so much more beeping though.

I am glad they blur it- I don't think showing it would add anything to the programme.

Pmsl Pinot

And Bupcakes, I've seen your thread. It's vagine, not clopper

My MW took photos during labour including close ups of my stretching Fanjo (I didnt know at the time as out of it). Fuck me, that was a surprise flicking through the pics days later <shudder>

I would think it is to do with getting people to agree to it, I mean I wouldnt agree to it anyway but im sure i would be marginally more likely to if i was blurred rather than in glorious detail.
As for the being on a bed everytime I have had a baby they pretty much strapped to the bed on the monitors the whole time anyway no one has ever even mentioned standing, kneeling, birth balls etc etc.

My midwife helped haul me up onto the bed for stitches AFTER I'd given birth. We had bean bags, handheld heart monitors, the lot! I didn't realise that was so unusual. I can't even imagine how you would push a baby out lying down.