Brooke Shields what r u thinking?

October 7, 2008 | By: Elizabeth

Okay, I am huge fan of Brooke Shields.  Never mind the fact that she’s gorgeous or that I knew her as a tween in NYC, never mind the fact that she’s one of the few celebrities that was honest about her infertility.  I am a huge fan of a hugely talented, beautiful, working mother of two children conceived after a very long battle with infertility.  But this new advertising campaign she has going for VW is pissing me off. 

Having babies just to get German engineering?  Having Babies so you can buy a Minivan.  PULEASE.

Now let me clarify that today I pointed to my own minivan and proudly declared it my badge of motherhood.  I drive a minivan because I worked damn hard to become a mother.  And if I have my way, all of those 8 seats in my minivan will be filled with children or paraphanalia related to children.  My Minivan is My Status Symbol that I am a MOM.  So don’t mess with me when it comes to minivans.  I think they are way cool (and it does have 260 hp, put that up against most cars and see who’s got the ova?). 

Which brings me back to Brooke Shields person promoting VW’s new minivan. How insensitive can she be to her own people?  Really, like I am going to go out and have another baby to buy a VW minivan (which looks amazingly like my Honda Odyssey)?  Like I can JUST GO OUT AND GET PREGNANT FOR ANY OL’ REASON?  LIKE I HAVE A CHOICE OF WHEN AND HOW I MIGHT PROCREATE?

And more to the point, like I am going to be able to afford a new car anytime soon if I do undergo tens of thousands of dollars of assisted reproductive technologies or adoption expenses to have another child?  I guess Brooke never had to consider how expensive her IVF cost?  Maybe I should change the title of my book that even millionaires think this stuff is expensive.  Apparently the Shields family is rolling in it and doesn’t realize that in this economy, most of us are worried about our mortgage payments and the next IVF bill and not so much concerned about driving a fancy new minivan. I know I’ll be driving that Honda for a very long time  . . . and I’ll bet Brooke that my Honda outlasts her VW. 

But more to the point, I am tired, so tired of the hypocricy in Hollywood.  For once, I had a celebrity that I adored from childhood, that I had a personal connection to on so many different levels.  And I hate, loathe and despise the fact that she put her name on an ad that is so hurtful to millions of Americans trying to conceive or adopt everyday.  She sold out.  on us.  on me. 

And shame on VW.  I hope that the the millions of Americans struggling to have a baby boycott a company that equates baby-making with going on a little shopping spree.  My god, the analogy is appalling.

Buy a VW (and I used to own one) . . . never, ever again.  Watch Lipstick Jungle.  Not really sure about that, then again, I live in a cave and don’t get a lot of t.v. time anyway. 

and yeah, I’m back and I’m blogging!  Thanks for your patience.

Filed under: Thinking Out Loud