Top Talker:
Is The “Wake Me Up When I’m Skinny” T-shirt A Major Fail?
Luxury maternity retailer A Pea in the Pod has been forced to remove two T-shirts from its line that include the slogans “Wake Me Up When I’m Skinny” and “I Miss My Waist.” Several websites like this one and this one called the retailer out for fat-shaming pregnant women. People sent tweets saying that the T-shirts are “gross” and a “major fail.”
A Pea in the Pod, a part of Destination Maternity, issued a statement, saying in part:
At Destination Maternity, our customers are our top priority and we always value their feedback. We have taken immediate action to remove a T-shirt from our stores and website that was perceived as offensive.
We apologize to anyone we may have unintentionally disappointed. We strive to offer products that celebrate pregnancy and are committed to supporting the health and wellness of moms-to-be and their families.
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I’m trying really hard to figure out why these T-shirts are so controversial, and I can’t. I just don’t see the fat-shaming here, and I’m speaking as a person who gained 60 pounds with my first pregnancy. I don’t think they’re particularly funny, but I get that it’s supposed to be a pregnant woman poking fun at herself. This seems like a light-hearted way of her saying that she looks forward to getting her body back. What pregnant woman hasn’t thought or expressed that sentiment at least once during those nine months?
It’s too bad that A Pea in the Pod was pressured into discontinuing the T-shirt. There are people who might want to wear it. Seriously, if a slogan on a T-shirt makes a woman feel that she is being shamed, she shouldn’t buy it. It’s really just that simple. On a related note, do people read these type of slogans and internalize their messages? If so, a T-shirt is the least of their problems. Women who wear these T-shirts are saying something about themselves. You might not like the message, but they’re not directed to the reader. Don’t try to keep me from owning one if I want it.
I don’t want to see any woman getting fat-shamed, slut-shamed or shamed at all about her body. I just don’t see this as offensive. I want to echo the thoughts of a post on Babble: “There are so many other worthy things to be offended by. Take Target, who used a skinny pregnant model to show off some non-maternity plus-size clothes. Or Photoshopping a thigh gap into jeans for plus-size women like Old Navy did? Ick. This Pea in the Pod t-shirt? Not in the same league. Not even the same sport.”
This controversy with A Pea in the Pod is an example of outrage gone too far. If you really want to be offended by something, be offended by the price tag. A T-shirt for nearly $50? Now, THAT’S outrageous!
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What do you think of A Pea in the Pod’s T-shirts? Are you offended by them? Share your thoughts below.
