A microbrewery in the northern Québec burg of Lévis — just across the Saint Lawrence River from Québec City — is garnering unwanted attention from branding a few of its beers with names and imagery that is less than flattering to women.
This summer, Le Corsaire produced a beer called La Tite Pute, which translates to “the little whore/slut,” and was advertised as “easy and fruity.” Another beer, Le Perruche, means “the parrot” in French but features a label of a naked woman in a birdcage. Yet another beer is named the Hooker.
Julie Miville-Dechêne, president of Québec’s Council on the Status of Women, told the CBC why this was not OK.
“The name La Tite Pute disgusts me,” Miville-Dechêne said.
“[Prostitution] exploits women. There isn’t a lot of choice involved, there is a lot of exploitation, a lot of violence. It’s not something we should be laughing about,”she said.
In the meantime the brewery’s owner, Martin Vaillancourt, has explained to various media sources that he intended no harm, and chalks up the names to bad taste. Rather than a slur, for instance, the term “La Tite Pute” is more reflective of the easy-brewing and easy-drinking nature of the blond ale, he explained.
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