November 17, 2008 | Ginger | Comments Comments

MotrinMoms: Can You Feel My Pain?

[ This post has nothing to do with personal finance, so feel free to skip over it as I'm riding the latest social media wave. If you choose to proceed, there's profanity ahead, cover your eyes K-Thx-Bai ]

If you’ve been paying attention to the social media waves over the weekend then you know that Motrin caused a tsunami and messed up big time with a poorly executed ad. So much so the site is down as of Sunday 10pm EST so I can’t even show it to you here.

The intention of the ad was to convey to moms who carry their babies in slings that Motrin feels their pain. Cool right? After all, if I carried a baby around in a sling I’d be in pain too because I already have back problems. I know a few sling moms and this is true. However, the ad went on to state that carrying a baby in a sling was more so a fashion statement along with saying that some moms secretly want to be committed because their children are writing on walls and just overall running a muck. Hey, I’d be bat shit crazy myself.

Moms are outraged.

I get that. The ad was poorly executed and at times condescending (if you’re so inclined to read that deeply into it)

But people there are more important issues to be outraged out in today’s world. Moms (and dads) are leaving their children on Nebraska’s doorsteps, Congo women are being beaten and killed and teenage girls are being kidnapped and being trained as sex slaves.

Where is the outrage about that? When did it become OKAY to let a company like Motrin stepping on to the social media scene define who and what moms are? I find it so silly that mom bloggers are in a huff over this when it’s clear the ad was misguided and not as some are saying furthering the perception that children are a pain.

Newsflash!

They can be and I don’t even have children! Is that so hard to admit? Are mombloggers so insecure that one lone company now defines motherhood? I saw this in action at Blogworld while in Vegas this year #BWE08 between the tech bloggers and mom bloggers. The latter group were insecure when telling the tech guys they’re mom bloggers because there’s this perception that well mom bloggers are somehow lower on the blogger totem pole. There not people, we all know that, Graco for sure knows this. So tell me why are they so up in arms about this? Why don’t they know their power and why aren’t they using it to educate instead of misdirected outrage?

One woman had the nerve to say to me on Twitter that Motrin implied that she wasnt a part of the Official Moms Club because she doesnt have a sling?

Come in close. Real close and let me tell you a secret.

The reason why the tech bloggers think mom bloggers are lower on the totem pole is because of shit like this. Are we serious? If you want respect then please use your power for issues that will actually make a difference. A poorly executed Motrin ad will never define who I am as a woman, a future mom-none of that.

Admitting that doesn’t take away from the love and dedication that you have for your children but mombloggers are so deeply entrenched into groupthink they can’t see this for what it is and move on.

Take that “strongest-to-band-together-and-form-one-opinion-like-the-Borg” collectives out there - [that is the] The Mommy-Blogging community and channel it towards REAL issues that affect women and children.

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Filed Under: Social Media

Tags: Motrin • MotrinMom • MotrinMoms

About the Author: Girls Just Wanna Have Funds is for the woman that wants to take charge of her personal finances. We value budgeting, investing, frugality and remain mindful of our spending habits. Move over and make way for women who are in control of their financial destinies and not afraid to say it. We're armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time!

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Pat Williams (4 comments.) | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply

I agree that people take things too seriously, and yes, we should be more concerned with abandoned and abused children but I suspect the issues here are more deep rooted than they first appear.

Mom bloggers may not feel equal because many Moms aren’t seen as equals - even within their own families. There has been so much talk about the breaking the glass ceiling in politics lately…. I don’t think women will ever have true equality until we get it at home. I know very few women who have shared family responsibilities whether they are working in, at or out of the house. Booking the children’s appointments, school activities, the overall house cleaning - all seems to rest on the mother’s shoulders. This is not true for every household but it is for 99% of the women I know. Sure their husbands help - but is the work equally distributed? Does he feel and have 50% responsibility? Equality needs to start at home and it will benefit ALL family members. I’m currently planning and working on a solution based blog on home-based equality to be released in the new year. I’ll let you know when it’s ready!

Pat Williams’s last blog post..I’m wondering how you remember…
Tawnya (8 comments.) | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply

I get your point. I saw the fuss floating around through twitter as well, but honestly - my baby wearing days are done. So, I just didn’t find it as much of interest as a tweet on writing or music was. Or the tweet pointing to an article in the Chicago Tribune hoping Obama will bring back jazz to the White House, which I found extremely interesting.

So, I’m not one of those moms who got pissed. But I do understand why they might have and it is exactly what Pat says.

Since staying home, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard ‘Oh, you just stay at home then?’ accompanied by a nervous laugh. And as a woman who in many regards truly wishes I weren’t ‘just a stay at home mom’, I hate telling people that I am. So, yes I think the fact that moms that stay at home (and women in general) are not considered equal in our society makes that particular group a wee bit more sensitive than they should be.

I remember once, in my first marriage, I had just landed my first real job out of college and was brand-spanking new. No one wants to miss work within weeks of starting so I asked my then-husband if he would call in and stay with our son who running fever.And When he called work? His own boss told him to come in to work and have his wife stay home ’since that is what they are there for’. (Those were his exact words, I kid you not.) So, moms in general do feel like the low man on the totem pole.

However, Ginger - you are right. The mommy bloggers are a powerful group and they don’t even realize it. Imagine for moment what would happen if they applied this pressure to social situations - funding for public schools or providing aid & support to the women of the Congo. It would be better served than being hypersensitive over a motrin ad.

Tawnya’s last blog post..Mindfulness
Andrew Knight | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply

Hi Ginger,

I’m emailing you in regards to an email I sent to you last month about a partnership, have you had a chance to think about it?

If you have any questions or would more information, please advise me and we can go from there.

Kind Regards,
Andrew Knight
Gingerlatte (33 comments.) | Nov 19, 2008 | Reply

No fear Im installing a new plugin and all comments should reappear shortly
Arlice Nichole (3 comments.) | Nov 20, 2008 | Reply

Hi Gingeelatte, I'm glad to see you're back and I love the redesign. It's fabulous. Who was your designer.

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MotrinMoms: Can You Feel My Pain?

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