Motrin moms. I know this is not going to earn me any fans, but I have to say it.
Every time I hear about something “controversial” among the mom crowd on the net, I have to be honest, I just shake my head. We put so much time and focus into things, especially as Americans, that we are “offended” about, that that is the only time I see the community come together to chat this much about an issue. I sometimes feel like the only person in the world that hates political correctness because I think it creates pansies. Yeah, I said it.
First off, I believe Americans are offended way too easily. Scratch that. Moms are offended to easily. Because moms are in constant fights with EACHOTHER over issues like ‘stay at home moms vs working moms,’ and ‘breastfeeding or not’ (or how long), or ‘preschool or not’, or pacis or lovies, or……..get the point? We put eachother SO much on the defensive, that we are quick to judge ourselves. And so when someone else, outside the “mom” realm mentions it, its like breaking some kind of code.
Recently Motrin put out an ad on Babywearing. They are doing a series of “if mom spoke what was on her mind, this is what she would say” ads. They are calling them “Mom-alogues” and they premise starts: As a mom you know what its like to have a unique kind of pain that’s often underappreciated. From walking for hours in high heels to staying up all night carrying a feverish child. The MOtrin brand wants you to know we feel your pain.
Here is the text of the ad that people are talking about:
Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion. I mean in theory, its a great idea. There’s the front baby carries, the side baby carries, the sling, the shwing, the wrap, the pouch and who knows what else they have come up with. Wear the baby on your side, the front, go hands free! Supposedly its a real bonding experience. They say babies carried close to the bod tend to cry less then others. But what about me? Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those that dont? I sure do. These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders…did I mention your back? I mean, ill put up with the pain, because its a good kind of pain. Its for my kid..plus it totally makes me look like an official mom. And so, if i look tired and crazy, people will understand why. Motrin: We feel your pain.
Quite frankly, I don’t look at Motrin point any differently then I would look at another mom that mentioned to me. Its THEIR opinion and they are entitled to it. I don’t get offended because they only are reaching a percentage of the population, an ad just will or will not, pertain to me. If you carry your child on your body, or carry your child at ALL, you could potentially have pains from it.
For the record, Charlotte was carried in a baby bjorn. But she weighed 25 pounds when she was 12 months old. She was abnormally HUGE. I weighed 105 and was 5’2″. I have to admit, I got my fair share of ‘aches and pains’. Now she is 42 pounds at 4 years old and I am still 105. I still carry her around if I need to or up the stairs and its like benching at the gym. Think of her percentage of weight against my body weight. Its astronomical.
If you have been following my blog at all, you know that she is having some issues with her legs and we don’t know what is going on. I have a crying child all day during her awake time, for several days in a row. You better believe I am alternating the Tylenol and Motrin. When it comes down to it, am I going to let my child suffer when there is a safe, dr recommended product she can take that can relieve her pain over an AD a company put out? Next time your child comes down with a fever and you cant give Tylenol, you ask yourself that. “Sorry Charlotte, Motrin offended moms over babywearing, so you need to suck it up”. It just doesn’t make sense to me. And all the drug companies are related, so picking generic wont exactly hurt the companies that spread the patents as it is.
“Baby-wearing” wasn’t even a term when she was born that I had ever even heard of. I have to say, it has become more social and popular among moms, a movement in a way. I could care less if someone wants to carry their child around on their body or what product they use to do so. I certainly don’t view it as controversial.
Maybe I’m missing it all, but I just don’t see why this is a big deal. Maybe because I don’t see people twittering, myspacing, and facebooking:
The plight of Women in Afghanistan
Physical and Mental Abuse of 25% of women IN Armenia
I actually saw someone on a blog say that its set BACK babywearing? Wha-wha-what? Is this the Civil Rights movement? I say, lets utilize social networking to help each other, to bring to light real issues in the world, and if you truly don’t like something, don’t advertise for them. Motrin is laughing all the way to the bank.
Its kinda ironic, isnt it?
~Trisha
When I read about this controversy, I thought maybe I was too far removed from carrying my child around (she’s 21 now)to get what all the buzz was about. But reading your great post here shows that I am not, in fact, the only mom in the world who was not offended by the ad. I just happen to be among the sane few who find other things much more offensive.
Thanks.
I really don’t care about the Motrin ad. I wasn’t really offended, but I could see why some might be. The tone was a bit odd in my opinion. I think they could have taken the same concept & did it differently.
However on the leg thing. I got those bad pains growing up as well. The doctors always said I was having growing pains. I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming in agony. I still get pains mainly in my right leg. I think it is some kind of nerve pain coming from my hip area. Doctors still can’t tell me what is wrong though. Good luck to you, I really feel for your daughter!!!
Trish you are right when everyone has a right to their own opinion. And mine on the Motrin thing is they are wrong. The add made baby wearing a fashion and how it looks to wear a baby, not the benefits of it. I agree that wearing, carring, rocking and holding our children can at times be painful and meds will help. But it is not a sacrifice made because of fashion or it’s the in thing. It is something we do as mothers for the love of our children. This is where the Motrin as went wrong. If the text had been about that fact it would have been fine. Instead they made being a mom seem like a bad experience and makes one mental. We all have those days when we want to run away for a few hours, but to put it in this type of marketing campaign was just bad press. Personally I will not let my child suffer for a bad ad, but there are alternative medicatins. Motrin is just a brand name, there are generic brands that work just as good. Now not all genrics are created equal, but label reading can get the ones that are. In my opinion the makers of the Motrin ad are going to have to do alot of damage control in order for fix this. What offended me was that being a mother makes one crazy and in general is a bad thing. Well it is not. I do not know what I would do without my babies. My experice while not always a bed of roses has been the best experience in my life!
i agree with you trisha! i’m not sure what was so offensive about the ad either…i guess some people got so bored that they needed to whine about something. i read some of the blog entries bashing this ad and was highly entertained. there is so much injustice being done to women and their children around the world and here they get worked up over a stupid ad? THAT angers me. Whatever…Motrin got what it wanted and IS laughing its way to the bank…ahahahaaaaa!
Amen Trish! I thought really? Really, people are getting worked up over this? But I guess Motrint got what they were looking for….advertising.. I have seen this discussed on several websited today alone.
your words were well stated. my problem with the Motrin ad was the tone of the woman’s voice. even my 15 year old called it patronizing (one of her vocab words). I get tired of having to change life to be politically correct, but I don’t like condescending attitudes to any group of people.
I do find it interesting that Motrin pulled it so fast.
What sets back our growth are people who are so easily offended. Shame on you women!
I used a sling caled Snugli to carry my infant son, 27 years ago. I found myself constantly challenged by uninformed people, teaching people many times daily about the value of the sling in forming a bond with my child and aiding him in learning to deal with this often loud, lonely and cold world.
I never got tired of teaching people. I always believed that what I was doing was the best for my child.
Unfortunately, my son grew so fast, that I, weighing 100 lbs, did experience tremendous amounts of back pain. In just a few months, my 9 lb baby weighed 35 lbs and I was unable to use the sling for more than a few minutes.
Move forward, enjoy where we are today. I’m not hearing too much enjoyment, just women who need some cheese with their whine.
Tell Motrin it’s your baby and will carry it anyway you choose.
There are alternative pain releivers that are more natural than motrin so who needs them, when you get back pain just take this:
http://tinyurl.com/5mm7kv
I was angry about the ad, and here’s why:
I work in a boutique fitting women with baby slings, helping them with breast pumps and bras, etc. I also go to a babywearing group and try to spread the word whenever I can about it. A baby sling isn’t just a cute little accessory; it’s a parenting tool, and I don’t know what I’d have done without mine. Yes, it did help me bond with my daughter, and the ad made fun of that. It also allowed me to breastfeed in public without having to be banished to a bathroom or cover my baby’s head with a blanket. It’s a big part of the way I parent, and ideally all moms would at least try babywearing so they could make their own judgments about it.
That ad, as harmless as it may seem to some people, could make a mom who didn’t know any better rethink her decision to try to wear her baby. It truly doesn’t take much. You wouldn’t believe the ignorant comments I have to put up with at work: “Ohhh, I’m always so worried the women who use those things are going to drop the baby onto the floor!” or “Well, gee, the baby doesn’t look comfortable in there!” or just laughter. I am not just looking for things to get worked up over. All I want is to do a good job raising my daughter and maybe, while I’m at it, help some other moms find their way. Maybe they will find babywearing to be helpful or maybe they won’t, but at least I will have tried. It IS important to me, even if most of these commenters think it’s stupid. It’s helped me be a better mother, and I don’t see how that’s unimportant.
And about the Baby Bjorn… It is not at all surprising to me that you had issues with it. That carrier hangs baby’s entire weight on your shoulders/back, as baby’s body is barely even touching mom’s. A sling or wrap, on the other hand, facilitates the way a mom would naturally carry her child, with the baby facing mom and partially wrapped around her (in a hug-type position) or sitting on her hip. I would definitely recommend trying a sling next time if you haven’t already! You may already know all this but I wanted to mention it, because I see many moms who are mystified as to why their Bjorn/Snugli is so miserable.
what in the world.
i don’t know about all this drama… but from what I read in your post I agree with you.
OK, so my apologies to you, then Trisha.
I consider myself to be hard to offend, as well, but I have heard lots of comments like the one from GobiM — meant in all seriousness — from men, women, mothers, grandmothers… (I work with new mothers, so I’ve seen and heard it all) So I took it as a real comment, not someone trying to be witty.
I agree that it _seems_ like a trivial thing to get upset about on the surface, but maybe when mothers realize they can band together and be heard — and so quickly! — when they take issue with an advertisement from a pharmaceutical company, well … maybe they’ll realize that spit-up on the shoulder or not, they can band together and be heard on some of the VERY real issues you highlighted.
Don’t rank on them for being upset and speaking up … encourage them to keep at it.
angela, my comment back to gobi was meaning that his/her comment was funny, in that, i cant imagine the comment that he/she made being REAL. Its such an outthere comment in its entirety! I didnt even get where it came from, so I found it funny that someone could actually SAY “flirt with the shopkeeper”. I wasnt saying his/her opiion was right, but that the way they expressed it was pretty ironic/funny. I am just pretty laid back about offense.
Trisha, I followed your link on NYTimes hoping to find a different perspective from someone supporting other women, but I was disappointed.
First you say in your own blog that it’s the fault of the “Mommy Wars,” the we spend so much time knocking each others choices that we lose all perspective when it comes from the outside.
I might be able to go there except …
When GobiM essentially labeled “babywearers” as unsexy and ignorant … then accuses them of “not only trying to bring back the excess confinement of the mother role of the 50s, they are trying to bring women back to the stone age” …
You say: that was hysterical… I appreciate your comment.
So, just who is it engaging in the “Mommy Wars”?
I agree…people are way too easily offended. But that’s just me.
But on a different note, do you think Charlotte’s pains could be growing pains? I’ve heard of kids having them around her age; especially in their legs and they are intermittent just like you described. Just a though:)
I loved wearing my baby because it freed up my hands. Pure and simple. It really depends on what carrier you’re using. Ones that go over one shoulder aren’t meant for heavy babies or long term use.
The ad is stupid. I never felt fashionable. I felt like I was giving myself a break and could finally make a freaking pancake.
I just thought of this for Charlotte. Have you tried giving her mineral supplements? My legs hurt so bad when I was pregnant and my dad said it was because of a mineral deficiency. I took mineral supplements and the pain went away.
If I hear the word “trendy” ONE MORE EFFING TIME.
Seriously, the NaziMommas get their panties in a bunch over all the most asinine things.
OOOH, what can I be offended about TODAY??
If I’d have written the text of the motrin ad in a blog post, I GUARANTEE YOU it would have gotten some laughs.
Somehow the so-called “Mommy Bloggers” (and hey, I’m a mom and I blog about my kids sometimes, but you know the ones I mean”) think that ALL POSSIBLE UNIVERSES revolve around them and their opinions.
I said the same thing as you last night when I was on twitter: if their voices are so powerful, why not use them to accomplish something important like making sure our kids in this country don’t go to bed hungry.
Apparently that would mean being less self-involved.
Love the post, couldn’t agree more. I must confess, I have not pursued defining my online self as a mommy blogger because I suspect and fear, that professionally I would not be taken as seriously, my credibility would be diminished by being associated with mommy bloggers. I’m sure this will not earn me any new fans, however, it is this type of over-reaction and negative- take the big guy down attitude that causes mommy bloggers to not be taken as seriously as other online groups. In my humble opinion.
Sure, help relieve your child’s pain, but no need to buy a brand name. Money is the only thing that companies listen to, and maybe this will get them the message.
I think the ad undermines moms- we have finally found a way to get things done AND meet our baby’s attachment needs, and now we’re told we’re doing it for fashion??!
One of my primary concerns is that the ad encourages moms to turn to drugs for help rather than to other moms. When I first started wearing my baby over a year ago, I didn’t know what I was doing and it did hurt sometimes. After getting help from a local babywearing group I learned which type of carrier to use and how, and can now wear my 14 month old for several hours without pain.
If a mom is actually in pain from babywearing, she should get help or stop wearing baby- drugs will just mask the symptoms and she could seriously injure herself.
For those who are commenting who are not Moms, the ad was not targeted at you so you should not be affected either way. For those who feel that Baby-wearing Moms are overreacting, listen, Motrin took a topic that is close to the hearts of many Moms and did not do enough research to understand why. Some Moms may wear it because they think it is the Mom thing to do, others may feel that it is the best thing for their baby and others may feel it does not work for them. It is the psychographics of the very Mom demographic Motrin is targeting. The fact is the ad makes a snarky remark about the efficacy of babywearing which is a hot topic among a large demographic of moms. That was a mistake. They should recognize that mistake, apologize, remove the ad and we can all move on.
Instead, their website is still down and Motrin is virtually out of communication. Now who is dragging this out . . .
And lastly, for those who say that Americans are babies because they fight for their voices to be heard on topics that are important to them, well I am not sure what else to say.
AMEN!
I was just reading this to my non-blogging friend Abby. She said (and I am quoting). “THAT is rediculous! Babies are NOT fashionable. Wearing a baby is even LESS fashionable. If I’m on a beach where I can’t get a stroller and I know I have to carry my kid, I’ll wear him. What is WRONG with those people?!”
I have to say I’m with her. 3 years ago, I was on a power walk with 3 other moms at the mall. I didn’t wanna try to play bumper stroller so I wore him. Standing in line at a fast food place with 2 customers in front of me, I watched as 2 female employees openly mocked me. “Oh, no she didn’t wear that!” I was humiliated. I emailed the chain and got free food that I didn’t want to get, or else I’d have to return to that location.
That alone is all the proof a gal needs that it’s NOT fashionable. I still wore him, and have worn my 2nd. I’ve never felt like it made me look like a mom. More like a disgruntled nanny…
Thanks for bringing some sanity to this debate.
I’m in advertising, and I plan to someday be a mom. And I think some moms are totally oversensitive. Get over it, it’s a freakin’ ad. It’s supposed to be funny, and real. And I have to also note how ludicrous it sounds to say, first, “I wear my baby” (babies aren’t scarves) and second, to say you wear this 8 to 30 lb child on your body in some way shape or form, and it never gives you any back pain, shoulder pain, whatever. Mentally, you’re nuts, and physically, you must be superwoman.
My thought: moms could stand to chill out a little bit. I’ll bet you ten 10 to 1 that there were several strong moms behind this campaign. (In my office alone, there are five women and three men on the creative team, and the account team is 100% female).
Thank you for this post! I got here by way of Peter Shankman. This is exactly how I felt yesterday and stopped myself from going on twitter. so many more things to worry about and a Motrin ad didn’t deserve that much credit IMO.
Gobi, im sorry, that was hysterical. I dont think i flirt at all…with my child………since im married.
But i appreciate your comment.
trisha
Babywearers are the ones who are setting women back. A woman with a huge weight on her is not going to be comfortable, agile, able to do what she wishes. Who is more likely to flirt with the cute shopkeeper, a woman with a baby strapped to her or one with the baby safely in a stroller supported by the brilliant invention of wheels? Babywearers are not only trying to bring back the excess confinement of the mother role of the 50s, they are trying to bring women back to the stone age.
I AGREE!!! OMG I just thought GET OVER IT DRAMA QUEENS! lol I had over 30 emails about the ad…I mean, come on…there are some SERIOUS issues like the tobacco companies marketing to our children…and the other issues you mentioned above…I try to pick my battles and sorry this is not one of them. I do not agree with how they worded the commercial but, really when Motrin and the makers of Motrin are the ONLY choice for my kids {they both can’t take Tylenol-allergies} then guess what…I am buying Motrin and even if I don’t buy “Motrin” I am STILL buying from them because they OWN IT ALL!
I just saw this, and I’ve decided that it was poorly worded. I think their general message of carrying a baby can give you aches and pains is accurate, but I think they went about saying it the wrong way.
Okay… I mean seriously, mom’s do not have babies so they can “wear them” if it causes the mom pain, well so did child birth. I think we as moms can handle it “ALL” I think all the wraps are cute, and if they work for you go for it, I have a 2 year old and would love to be able to carry him around in a sling again. Should I go and get pregnant so I can carry my baby in a sling and be fashionable… I do not think so. LOL…
It’s not just an offense issue. Check out the trademark they’re using.
Methinks someone is playing devil’s advocate. Why would anyone want to give permission to the media to continue to portray women in a condoscending manner? As a Baby Boomer from coming of age in the 1960s and 1970s, I thought we would have made more progress with Feminism. That events of the last year has raised many eyebrows & opened many eyes. Please, enough already. The ad was an insult.
What I want to know is when we stopped ignoring things that bothered us. It’s like any other virtual drama. There’s a little red X up in the right corner of my computer screen. There’s a bajillion other things to look at on the web. And last I checked I still controlled what channel my TV was tuned to (unless beloved is home) and there was more than on station on my radio.
How long has this thing been running? Cause today is the absolute first time I have seen it or anything related to it. Does this make anyone else think that maybe this is the only way Motrin could get some attention for thier poorly designed ad campiagn (thus saving the whole marketing teams butts)and justify throwing money away on something completely ineffective?
We did remember that ads change all the time right? I mean this thing isn’t going to make it through Christmas! It’ll be lucky if it even makes it to Thanksgiving. Change your channels ladies. Use that happy red X.
As with everything in this beautiful world of ours – this too will pass.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t moved one way or the other about all of this. I thought I was all alone. Thanks for putting my thoughts in perfect words.
What bothered me the most, was the “supposedly” babies who are worn cry less part. There’s nothing supposedly about it, it’s fact. I was saddened that they’ve made an effort to discount information that can really help moms who have colicky babies or babies who can only be comforted by being held/worn in order to sell their product. And what’s that ‘official’ mom thing? So, moms who don’t wear their kids (to be trendy) aren’t officially moms?
I always get annoyed when I see poorly constructed messages to ‘me’ as the trendy target audience just because it seems moms are the group to talk to these days.
I have the same reaction when I hear ‘business seminars for women’ talk about how to dress and do our hair so we look professional. Gross.
Boy am I glad someone said this. It does seem like many are overreacting to this. I’m a baby carrying mom and I didn’t find it offensive. Maybe I just have bigger things to worry about.
Yep, I agree, I don’t see the offensive part. I can think of bigger things to get my panties in a wad over.
I couldn’t agree with you more Trisha!! I honestly don’t understand what the big uproar is about either. People are just waayyy to sensitive these days…over NOTHING! Seriously, are you going to stop wearing your baby because motrin put out an ad saying you might get “aches and pains??” They didn’t say to stop wearing your baby…they simply said use our products when you get those pains. Can someone honestly tell me that they don’t get “aches and pains” or even “headaches” from their kids?? I’ll admit, i sure as hell do! I think it was very well said Trisha!!
From reading all the posts on Twitter, I was expecting to see something extremely offensive. I’m not wild about Mortin’s new mom-ads, but like Trisha I didn’t take offense to it. I was never a babywearer, but it would seem it could cause aches and pains. By choice, our family doesn’t use Motrin. At one point in time my son was taking 7 tsp of generic ibuprofen a day. Mortin was just too costly.
This whole event has not only spawned so many moms dissent with Mortin, but also the “weak-assed” label of Chief Officer Moms. It’s amazing how fast these events develop on the social media scene.
Wow, I’ve been under the weather this weekend and have missed all this excitement. I don’t get the offensive part of it either. But I don’t tend to get all riled up about things unless someone’s rights are being taken away. They’re trying to make money. They’re a big company. That’s what they do.
As far as belittling or feeling inferior, I’m a woman and a babywearer and it doesn’t make me feel that way at all. I truly don’t think that anyone seeing that ad will think any less of women. I think Eleanor Roosevelt hit it on the head with the quote “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”. I honestly don’t care what a major company says about baby wearing. I’m going to do it no matter what. And I really don’t think any other moms are going to change their minds on the subject just because of an ad by Motrin. JMO
I, too agree that their are bigger issues out there but it’s about principals here. If we just let things slide and throw out those principals, then what does anything mean anymore.
I think Kimberly did a fantastic write up in her comment that portrays my feelings exactly.
I agree with “Maybe I’m missing it all, but I just don’t see why this is a big deal. Maybe because I don’t see people twittering, myspacing, and facebooking:
Human Trafficking in Asia
Sex Slavery in Indonesia
Sex Slavery in America
The plight of Women in Afghanistan
Babies born addicted to drugs
Blood Diamonds
Physical and Mental Abuse of 25% of women IN Armenia”
And, so many more important issues like the basic right to clean drinking water.
I respect your opinion Kimberly, I just dont see how its offensive…read over the ad. At what point was it offensive? By implying wearing a child on your body is heavy and could cause a back ache? It can. Someone explain to me the actual offense part?
I don’t see discrimination, offense, degrading….none of it. Maybe im just not that sensitive.
I think if we are going to start a movement, maybe we should start by working on spreading awareness of babywearing, rather then bagging on a company. It would be a lot more effective then free advertising.
And i think you may have proven my point about moms…as your statement that “just because you dont see this as one of them, doesn’t mean that other women need to defend how they felt about the ad to your anyone else”
Im not asking someone to defend a point, rather sharing my own, and asking WHY its offensive.
I believe moms do more to create an issue where there was none then any other section of people online because they are SO busy “defending” their stance, that unless your on that side, no other opinion counts.
JMHO
trisha
But the ad is about a bigger issue…it’s belittling to moms and once again, it is the large company that is marginalizing a mom’s choice to carry a baby. As women and as moms, to move forward and be taken seriously, we need to let companies know that we are not okay with being patronized. And whether or not that was their intention isn’t the point. It’s how it made people feel. And if women being taken seriously as mothers isn’t a big issue, then we will continue to fail to get the world to understand why it’s important for us to have adequate childcare, why it’s important for us to be able to stay home with our children if we need, and why our opinion, knowledge and expertise is just as important as anyone else.
I agree there many other big and serious issues in the world to deal with and just because you don’t see this as one of them, doesn’t mean that other women need to defend how they felt about the ad to you or anyone else. This isn’t just about a group of moms that were easily offended. It’s about how our world in general views moms and women.
I too fail to see the controversy. Do we not relate carrying and chasing a child around to aches and pains? So we would relate wearing your child the same way. Whether it is true for all moms or not, it is a common assumption. They took that common assumption and used it to try to reach an audience. Basic advertising.
I’ve been seeing the huge uproar over Motrin and the ad via Twitter, but to be honest with you I just left it scroll on past and haven’t even seen the ad myself. My whole opinion on the matter? WHATEVER. You are right in that there are SO many more issues that people need to be up in arms about instead of some stupid ad. So WHAT if you boycott Motrin? They’re not going to be going out of business anytime soon, boycott or not. Find something better to do with your time – play with that baby you’re wearing instead of complaining to Motrin.
I’m currently not a babywearing momma, but I’m considering it. We have a carrier but just never really pushed it with our daughter, and we’re starting to think about giving it another try. The ad certainly didn’t make babywearing more or less appealing to me – it’s just an ad. Whatever.
I dont know renee, there is NO product on the market that could take my child, who even at her youngest carrying age for me, was 25% of my body weight. Thats always going to cause me pain..it may not for moms larger or babies smaller, but for ME, it would.
And i do believe it has turned into a fad for SOME..how could it not? There are about 100 types of carriers and they are all so cute. By fad, i mean something that has hit the main stream market. A fad does not mean, at least in my opinion, something is meant to be offensive.
When you read the ad in its entirety, (i printed the text) I failed to see the controversy.
as always, thanks for your opinion!! I know this is touchy, so i appreciate your thoughts.
I understand part of where you are coming from. The more I think about it I have a feeling Motrin knew just what they were doing. They knew it would upset a large part of the mommies out there and they would get FREE publicity. When I heard it was International Babywearing Week it hit me. Still I think that Motrin goofed and could have done this campaign a lot better. They could have talked about how so many people are babywearers these days and are doing it wrong and have pain.
I completely agree with you about sick kids and adults needing medicine. However, I will say I am a mommy who is proud to say that she uses generic medications when she can and ibuprofen works beautifully to reduce fevers
I am sure that Mom that are boycotting Motrin will not let their child just have a fever – there are generics and they work too. What I found offensive was the implication that I am wearing my child to be “in fashion” and cool. That is so far off the mark for me personally. Although it may “seem” as though there are alot of women wearing babies I think we are truly in the minority among moms. The ad company could have easily gotten feedback from actual mothers to see if carrying their child caused pain. If you do it correctly and use the proper carrier it actually distributes the weight and does not hurt at all.