Baby on board

In the annals of weird observations on the streets of London, today while heading to work I noticed a woman wearing a pin that read;

Apparently this is Transport for London’s (like the mbta) way of bringing back chivalry. The ingenious plan is to encourage Tube passengers to give up their seats to mothers-to-be without having been asked to do so. As if a woman with a protruding child inside her body isn’t enough to encourage someone to willingly relinquish their coveted seat on a long subway ride…these silly pins have been put in place.

I can’t even necessarily get on board with the signs that women put in their rear windshields, let alone when they plaster them to their chests. I guess the British culture lends itself to fear of offense, and men would rather be spoon-fed the confirmation that yes, indeed this woman is pregnant and should be offered a seat.

“Mind the Bump” research justifies that the pins are designed for women in hopes of giving the impregnated the power of voice that will encourage them to ask for that seat – and I guess also to serve as a congratulatory prize so that all know they are in fact with child (and not just packing on some holiday weight). It’s the suffrage of the subway.  Moral of the story…British selfishness front and center here, and their “solution” to help curb it.

What would my feminist American friends say about this one…

English word of the day: Flapjack = no translation!! My coworker was on the phone and told an American he just rang her while she has a mouthful of flapjack. When asked she couldn’t describe it. I looked at it trying to assess the situation and offer up a word…I mean it’s kind of like a granola bar but chewier and syrupier (yep that’s a word). I will work on finding the American equivalent and report back.