A Pea in the Pod Pulls Wake Me Up When I'm Skinny Maternity Shirt

A Pea in the Pod's Wake Me Up When I'm Skinny tee
A Pea in the Pod's Wake Me Up When I'm Skinny tee

A Pea in the Pod has pulled a controversial T-shirt from its stores and website after people complained that it was offensive to pregnant women.

The $48 T-shirt reads, “Wake me up when I’m skinny,” and many tweeted that it was “gross” and a “major fail.”

A representative from the store's parent company sent the following statement to Yahoo Shine:

"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."
 

On the one hand (aside from being horribly overpriced), the shirt's message carries a two-pronged offense: It suggests that pregnancy weight is the result of being fat — not pregnant — and that pregnancy is a shameful condition after which women must erase every trace of evidence that their bodies gave birth. On the flip side, for the expectant moms enjoying their pregnancies and the changes they bring forth, the shirt could be a lighthearted way to celebrate their evolving bodies.   

Although the shirt is controversial, it’s decidedly less offensive than another one the store sells which bears the phrase, “I miss my waist.” Still, A Pea in the Pod was wise to quickly react to public opinion much like other companies have done recently. In January, Urban Outfitters pulled a cropped T-shirt emblazoned with the word "Depression" after some complained that the shirt glamorized mental illness. Before that, the store had removed a T-shirt from its website (but not its stores) that read, "Eat Less" when customers organized a boycott in protest. And in May, lingerie retailer La Perla got rid of a too-skinny mannequin with protruding ribs that had been displayed in a New York City store after a shopper's photo went viral on Twitter.

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