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Just because you *can* do something, doesn’t mean you should.
By Amanda Chatel — Written on Feb 09, 2021
In today’s “What is wrong with the world” news, we’re looking at a chain of resorts in Mexico that's pushing “Buddy” Babymoon experiences for pregnant women and their friends. That’s right: A Buddy-Babymoon during a pandemic in Mexico.
According to the tone-deaf press release from Velas Resorts in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, “Family and friends can join parents-to-be in celebrating their little one(s) on the way through a lineup of customized experiences and baby-themed activities.”
Such activities include gender reveal parties (which I think we all concluded were a bad idea because gender is a social construct), mocktails, customized t-shirts, and the greatest selling point of all? Belly painting!
Before I go into a lengthy rant that's well deserved, let’s unpack some facts here. First of all, we're still in the middle of a global pandemic — Covid is not over, even though we'd all like it to be.
Secondly, there’s a reason Americans are banned from almost every country in the world, except Mexico, and that’s because our Covid-19 rates are off the charts.
Thirdly, 167,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Mexico, with 1.94 million cases having already swept through the country. If you want to be selfish — and you’d have to be on so many levels — to travel to Mexico right now because 167,000 deaths isn’t "that bad" compared to the 1.94 cases, it should be noted that the majority of hospitals in Mexico are at capacity and, if you didn’t get the memo, Covid-19 disproportionately affects Brown and Black people more than white people.
More than 50,000 million Americans arrived in Mexico City in November 2020. While some stayed in the capital, others flew off to the Yucatán Peninsula to take advantage of the sun and beaches of Cancun and Tulum — the latter which has been hit hard thanks to events with little to no restrictions and careless Americans being, well, Americans.
Tulum is the largest community in Quintana Roo, Mexico, with just over 18,000 people. Quintana Roo has had 19,297 cases and almost 2300 deaths, most of which have been the locals and indigenous people waiting hand and foot on privileged white people who, to quote my former friends who have traveled to Tulum recently (I don’t like to be friends with selfish jerks; I have enough of that in myself and don’t need more of it), “It’s like totally fine and I feel really safe here.”
Well, that’s great! I’m so happy for you that you feel safe, but did you take into consideration the people who are serving your morning coffee, your cocktails and dinner at night, and all the rest of it? Did you think about the workers?
Which brings us back to the Buddy Babymoon packages they’re offering, again, during a pandemic. I mean, I get it. I spend almost eight months of the year traveling and the other four months home in New York City. But since the pandemic really hit full swing, I’ve been at my parents’ house. For a year. Not just because I can’t travel, but because I figured they needed help, so why not move up to northern New England and endure the brutal winters and humid summers.
Am I happy here? No. Do I want to leave and continue the life I had before? Hell yeah. But at what cost? The expense of someone else’s health or, even worse, their life? No. No, no, no!
Frankly, I feel like Velas Resorts is preying upon these pregnant women and their families. No matter how far along you are in your pregnancy, at this point in the pandemic, you shouldn’t be getting on a plane and heading to an international country — and that's not just my opinion. (But I’m not going to lie; my concern is for the people of Mexico and not the privileged folks who are going to come across this “deal” and think it’s great.)
There’s no doubt that once you have a baby, your life is forever changed. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together and realize that. But does it have to be México? Can a few nights in a staycation suite do the trick?
Yes, we live in unprecedented times. We’re living in a world that none of us could have even fathomed back in 2019. And, yes, it sucks. It really sucks. But the best way to contain the virus, before we all get our vaccinations, is to be considerate.
I understand that for some Americans, this is a difficult concept, because they don’t even know the definition of the word considerate. This international babymoon package feeds right into American entitlement and ignorance; it takes advantage of the fact that most Americans firmly believe they’re somehow superior and want to profit off this, no matter who might be hurt or even die in the process.
As for this weekend, Governor Cuomo of New York will be reopening restaurants because god forbid, Valentine’s Day be spent at home. Cuomo makes this decision as the UK variant of the virus has already made its way to the States and South Africa just paused AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine because studies have found that it’s not protecting from the Covid-19 variant that have been identified in their country.
My point? Take a second to think beyond yourself. Realize that to overcome this pandemic is a group project and no one likes the members of the group who don’t pull their weight.
We may still be getting unclear information as to how to go about living our lives safely, from state to state, and until there’s a national mandate on certain things, that will continue to be the problem. (I mean, look at Cuomo — not exactly being responsible with that choice, but you enjoy that filet mignon you could have made at home.)
The point is, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Especially when it involves other people and putting their health at risk — and for a damn mocktail and belly painting of all things.
Amanda Chatel is a regular contributor to Bustle and Glamour, with bylines at Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Livingly, Mic, The Bolde, Huffington Post and others. Find her on Twitter or on Facebook for more.