Don’t grin and bear it

posted May 12, 2006

The problem with Vermont Teddy Bear Company’s new “Bear-foot and Pregnant” bear is that, for many people, it’s not a problem.

The new cuddly, released just in time for Mother’s Day, features a cute, round, shoeless bear dressed in perky maternity top and blue jeans, and carrying an ice cream cone crowned with a pickle. Benign enough. But the creature’s moniker is not.

For many women, the phrase “barefoot and pregnant” remains a potent reminder of a very recent societal expectation that they stay in their place — the home — and quietly reproduce. The company’s response that it is “reclaiming” the phrase is nothing but an excuse to justify its socially irresponsible marketing decision.

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