Where did the 'barefoot' part of 'barefoot and pregnant' imagery come from? Are bare feet a really inherent part of being pregnant and in the kitchen? Do these women have no slippers? Not even a flip flop?
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I assume shoes/ footwear represented going outside of the house and the barefoot part reinforces the idea that the woman would surely be staying home.
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Maybe it's a metaphor for 'helpless'? I'm reminded of Ronnie Spector: "Phil had subjected her to years of psychological torment...He surrounded the house with barbed wire and guard dogs and confiscated her shoes to keep her from leaving."
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I think “barefoot” is supposed to convey “not wearing the kinds of shoes you’d wear to go out”, and also goes with the general image of not wearing shoes inside the house to avoid bringing in dirt from outside.
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My wife's feet grow everytime she's pregnant. She's on number three and going through the same thing again right now.
This is very likely part of it.
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Not my opinion/position so take it for what it's worth. Barefoot and pregnant" is a figure of speech most commonly associated with the idea that women should not work outside the home and should have many children during their reproductive years.
