Letters to the Editor
-
I expect every Liberal and Feminist, two terms I use to describe myself,
to write to this company and express personal outrage over whoring children to make sophomoric jokes that degrade everyone in the process.
I swear the first person who chalks this one up to free speech is going to get my foot up their ass. The right to say, or sell, doesn't mean it ought to happen, let alone be celebrated.
My free speech is to write these losers and let them know how I feel. I urge you to do the same.
I have a sense of humor. This isn't funny.
-
Actually, it kind of is funny
I'm probably more than a feminist, and I think this is pretty hilarious. I wish more babies were more entertaining. Right now, on the crosstown bus, there is absolutely no benefit to having a baby on the bus. They scream, they're loud, they run and around and throw things. But if they had funny t-shirts, i would tolerate them more.
Yeah, it's risque, but don't be a prude, mom.
-
Very poor taste.
I'd never notice this as I generally don't pay any attention to infants and small children, but it does seem very tacky to me. There is no way these garments can stay in the marketplace unless women buy them. So, women -- don't buy them. Problem solved. [And try not to blame the patriarchy if you can't resist buying them.]
-
What does "MILF" stand for?
Oddly, the article doesn't say and I don't know what it means.
I'll reserve my outrage until I understand ;-)
-
MILF means
Mother I'd Like to Fuck. (Reminds me of a little baby onesie I saw in Amsterdam that said -in Dutch- "They say I look like the milkman.")
There, now that that's out of the way...
-
The Britney-fication of motherhood
Wow, this is really idiotic. Kinda reminds me of that time when Britney Spears was wearing the "MILF in Training" t-shirt and everyone got all squirmy. What a baby should wear is usually the province of said baby's mother (occaisionally the father, but let's be honest here -- most guys don't take much interest in baby clothes, even for their own kids). Some moms may think that a t-shirt with this slogan is really funny. And if they want to use their kid as a way to advertise their MILF-dom, that is their right.
The real problem here is the celebrityfication of child-rearing. Time was when celebrities had kids, they kept them out of the public eye and tried like hell to give them as normal a life as possible, knowing that their hapless offspring were probably doomed enough when faced with the proposition of a famous mum and dad without the added pressure of having every birthday party turn into a paparazzi-fest. Now, you see every celeb under the sun sporting their pregnant bellies like badges of honor, and then toting the little tykes around post-partum like they are the latest "it" Marc Jacobs handbag. Now parenting (like everything in the celeb-world) is about tastemaking -- having the right stroller, the right diaper bag, the best post-partum body, the most outrageously creative and un-playground-proof name. None of this, of course, has anything to do with good parenting. And indeed, when we see how celeb parents really treat their offspring (Britney's seeming inability to grasp the necessity of a carseat, Courtney Cox proudly announcing her kid watches lots of TV, etc) we gulp it all up as part of the gossipwhorl and cluck sympathetically and move on to the latest on Richie Sambora and Denise Richards.
The reason that most celebs need stylists on the red carpet is that they have no taste themselves, by and large. So the celeb-inspired, TV invention of a MILF (I beleive the term was coined on that uberhip teen show, "The OC") should not come as a surprise. THat some companies would try to capitalize on our obssession with celebrities is also no surprise. That some women will actually purchase these little onesies and proudly put them on their child is no surprise.
Some of us, however, will be smarter than that, hopefully. And will raise our children to be smarter than that.
-
blame the SHALLOW mom who buys the shirt, not the company
No kid is ever going to wear that shirt unless a very shallow egotistical mother buys it and puts it on her kid. So DON'T blame the company, they've just found an easy sucker. Blame the tacky shallow self-appointed MILF who buys it and puts it on her kids!!!
Persoanl accountability, folks. Those self-appointed MILFS are responsible for their actions. I AM a feminist and liberal and self control, accountability and responsibility ARE part of my world view. How can we ask for any credibility if we go around blaming companies for consumer purchase decisions?
Blame the self-obsessed MILF who obviously needs attention.
-
"Pimpfants"
Tasteless? Yes. Obnoxious? Most definitely. But honestly, I am laughing too hard at the name "Pimpfants" to be able to focus on the deeper social implications.
I don't know - on one hand, I see why this would be offensive to some people. But on the other, I enjoy a little irreverence. This culture treats babies like religion - we're not supposed to joke about them, we're not supposed to admit it if we don't like having them around, we're always supposed to accommodate them in every possible way including editing our behavior when we're around them, and above all, we're supposed to produce them. Which is great, if you're a parent and they are your kids, but for the rest of us, having a good chuckle at something like this is cathartic.
-
Blame current culture for everything
First of all, yeah, Pimpfants is RFF (really fucking funny).
Secondly, MILF made its first on-screen appearance way back when in time immemorial, 1999 in "American Pie." But quite possibly, MILF was around for years before that movie.
Third, can we stop blaming popular culture for everything? In every generation, "the sky is falling" according to many. Morals are being ever more corrupted, women are wearing less and less clothing (the Bloomers were very controversial), sex is being used to sell even more (it's been used to sell things since there were things to sell), celebrity worship is at an all-time high, parenting is at an all-time low, etc. etc.
I really don't think things are THAT different. What's the difference between using your kid to advertise your MILF-dom and using him/her as a billboard for Petit Bateau, DKNY, FUBU, Osh Kosh B'Gosh? The kid doesn't know any different, and maybe if mommy can actually assert that she is still a sexual being, not a cuddly non-threatening, soft, asexual mommy, then it's better for her. Otherwise, by having brandname little kids clothes, she's advertising and her baby, and consequently, she, is still fashionable. What's worse, what's more superficial? I don't think that the MILF tee shirt sounds so bad in comparison.
Why do we have to surrender our sexuality, sense of humor, "hipness," all other attributes and interests when we have children?! It's so sad.