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
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.