Sorry for this folks but I’m really pissed off. This isn’t going to be the unicorns and hugs I normally write about as I need to vent about two things close to my heart, birth photography and feminism.

Yesterday on Today Show, Lisa Wilkinson and Deborah Knight took it upon themselves to attack and malign one of my beautiful clients about her choices as part of her birth on national television and it just breaks my heart. Their main issue as they stood upon their soapbox… that a first time Mum dared to get a blow wave and do some makeup to feel her best at a time when she is insecure and scared, and then to have the temerity to share an image of her pride, of her accomplishment afterwards publicly. Lisa’s comments about supporting women such as “I just know that you live a much richer life embracing other women and encouraging each other than the alternative.” (news.com.au – 2014) as shown to be just hot air to try to flesh out what is apparently an empty, hypocritic husk of a woman. Such a shame she feels so empty inside that she needs cut down others. And to call herself a feminist while doing it, for shame!

What really gets my goat is the further implication that birth should be private. Birthing is inherently private, but of course we all share some images. Every single parent (usually Dad) shares an image on social media now of mum and bub all healthy and happy after the ordeal is over. Somehow Lisa and Deborah Knight have decided that there is some invisible line in the sand as to what is appropriate and not appropriate as if they are the judge and jury of propriety. The majority of my birth clients keep their images locked away in a beautiful photo album, much like a wedding. The difference being that many tell me they pull those photos out and look at them when they are feeling low, as nothing is more empowering than knowing you created life, and went through what we go through during childbirth. To belittle that drives me crazy, not for me and my business mind you (we are booked out months in advance anyway and this publicity has given us the gift of many more enquiries on top of those) but for those women who were curious, for those women who are nervous or scared and now thing there is something perhaps wrong with wanting to document the most important day in someone’s life.

It just makes me mad, so much so that I had to go back and look at the strength and determination on the faces of some of my wonderful past clients in their birth photos to get me through. With their permission, I’m going to share some of my favourites with you now. Lisa and Deborah, have a long hard look at real strength and then take a long hard look at yourselves.