If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Be sure to leave your comments and suggestions! I read them all! Thanks for visiting!
Some people are feeling the need to break up with Motrin today. He got all crazy talking about babywearing in an ad, and now moms all over the world are deciding they’re “not that into Motrin” anymore.
For those of you who don’t know, Motrin (the pain reliever) put a web ad out there talking about babywearing…ya know, slings, Moby’s, Ergo carriers…you name it. The ad suggests that babywearing sometimes hurts (it does) and suggests that it’s fashionable (it is). I’m failing to see why I’m supposed to be offended by an ad that speaks pretty honestly about the pain in the neck that babywearing can create.
Let me just say that I did the whole babywearing thing and in all honesty, it was no picnic. My kiddo was big…really. darn. big. And that doesn’t always work when babywearing is involved. Does that mean babywearing is bad? Of course not! Babywearing can be awesome if you have the back for it.
News flash….NOT. EVERYONE. DOES.
This whole anti-Motrin thing is a little silly. The moms who participate in babywearing are not all alike. Some have pain, some didn’t. Some also had 7 pound babies, whereas mine was nearly 10 pounds. So everyone’s experience with it is different. Why can’t we as moms just agree that not everyone has had a positive experience with babywearing? Sometimes, it just plain hurts!
Did every mom have the same pregnancy? Did every mom have the same birth experience? Was every mom’s baby into being worn? C’mon moms…let’s just chill out. 
Motrin is in the business of relieving pain. If you didn’t have pain, then by golly count yourself lucky. But some of us do, and Motrin is saying, “Hey you babywearing mamas…if babywearing doesn’t agree with you on some days and your back is killing you, pop a Motrin!”
Moms in pain. We are their target market….
(Mom’s not in pain, sorry but you kinda aren’t….)
That’s why the ad doesn’t speak to moms who were lucky enough to be able to enjoy babywearing. But the ad specifically addresses the pain as a “good kinda pain” and acknowledges that pain or no pain, babywearing is good. Why are people missing that part of the ad?
But I *am* slightly put-off by the part at the end that says babywearing makes you look like an “official mom”. It sounds sort of dumb, like a college advertising intern who’s never worn a baby wrote that one and it somehow slipped by the people in charge. Kind of hokey..
But seriously moms…why is it that we have to fight with each other just because our experiences are different? Babywearers who didn’t have pain…we dig you and envy you. Now just let us have our pain-killing goodness so we can enjoy it a bit too k?
15 responses so far ↓
1 Kelly Sons // Nov 16, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I think you are the voice of sanity in this whole witch hunt.
Kelly Sons´s last blog post..Play Bejeweled Twist- For Free!
2 admin // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Why thank you Kelly!
Just trying to bring it back to Earth if possible!
3 Susan // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Is it weird that I want to kiss you? I’ll just say right on sista’!
Susan´s last blog post..Motrin Mom My Take
4 Kristina // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:12 pm
That’s actually what irritated me about the ad when I first saw it: the whole official mom bit at the end. After that line, the “trying sooo hard to be cool” vibe of the ad went from mildly annoying to really, really irritating.
I don’t know why anyone should be fighting each other though
I’m not objecting against the fact that many moms have back pains baby wearing, because I definitely did as the tot got bigger. and bigger. and bigger.
I just don’t think that ad was thought through. If they had the voice actress be a little less OMG-ish and changed the copy to remove any trace of what can possibly be construed as condescension, there wouldn’t be this mommy-blogger backlash now.
Kristina´s last blog post..Worried About Your Child’s Educational Fate in a Global Economy? Read The Global Achievement Gap
5 admin // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:17 pm
It’s funny, but if you read the transcript of the ad, it’s VERY difficult to find anything uncool about it. It *does* have a lot to do with the delivery of the lines by the actress. I agree with that!
I guess my beef about all of this is how narrow-minded some of the anti-Motrin moms are to those of us who have had a different experience than them. It’s like the age-old breastfeeding-formula debate that I won’t even get into.
Thanks all for the comments! Keep ‘em coming!
6 Tricia // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I think the witchhunt is just that. Someone was really sensitive and got their feelings hurt. Give me a break it’s just a commercial. If they are offended so easily by this, how do they get by in the world today.
7 Kelly // Nov 16, 2008 at 5:46 pm
We agree! We totally agree! Woohoo!
Kelly´s last blog post..Motrin Moms: Social Media Hysteria
8 I’ll Take A Motrin With That | // Nov 16, 2008 at 6:34 pm
[...] is just another type of mommy war as my friend Jen Know over at AutomaticMoms say. Which I think is even sadder than the ad. Why do we have to be so worked up over small things [...]
9 Tammy Munson // Nov 16, 2008 at 7:06 pm
in 100% agreement over here… I think Tricia’s right someone got their panties all in a bunch and it started to “snowball” from here.
I don’t get all the anti-Motrin hype personally…
Tammy Munson´s last blog post..Happy Birthday Hunter!
10 admin // Nov 16, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The writer Wayne Dyer has a fascinating outlook on the concept of being “offended”. If any of my readers have a chance, I highly recommend reading up on some of what he says about it.
I just think that some parts of the Mom community are so defensive of their role and their choices.
NEWS FLASH: ALL. MOMS. ARE. DIFFERENT!
Just because someone is a mom that does not give them some sort of insight into MY experience as a mom. I really dislike (oh, who am I kidding.. I HATE) that there are self-righteous moms out there who think their ways are the only way…and their experience is right….and their philosophy is right….and if you are having trouble (i.e. breastfeeding) or having pain (i.e. babywearing) that it’s not just that your experience is different, it’s that there is something wrong with you or that you are doing something wrong.
We all have had different pregnancies, different births, different recoveries, different everything….I just wish I could hang a sign around my neck while I’m out with my baby that reads, “Yeah, I know you’re a mom, and so am I, but please mind your own business”.
Sheeshh….
11 Lauren // Nov 17, 2008 at 10:51 am
I don’t care how you carry your baby, it is hard work — that’s true. However, implying that I suffer because I made a faddish choice that is based on nothing is insulting. If the ad celebrated mothers’ strength, I might feel differently, but it first insults my intelligence, blames me for my own pain, and then tells me to take drugs for it. It’s a bad ad. They could have made this work, but they screwed up.
12 admin // Nov 17, 2008 at 11:51 am
Hi Lauren,
First of all, thanks for stopping by and commenting. This whole issue has brought up some good points.
For Lauren (and everyone else…this is not all directed at Lauren):
I guess I can’t find where in the ad they are dissing babywearing. I mean, let’s be honest…it *is* fashionable. There’s nothing wrong with doing something for fashion’s sake. Remember “acid washed jeans”? Ok, that’s BAD example because I think most of us would like to forget we ever wore those.
But my point is that the ad specifically talks about the pain as being “the good kind of pain, because it’s for my kids”. It acknowledges that pain or no pain, we do what we do for our kids. Why is that part of the ad glossed over all the time?
And if I’m in pain…yeah, I’m taking something. Whether it’s Motrin or not, I’m a better mom when I can do what I need to do and not be held back by pain. So I’m not sure why taking a pain reliever is a a bad thing.
No one, Motrin included, is blaming anyone for anything. Certain things cause pain. That doesn’t mean they are bad. Childbirth is painful. Running a marathon is painful. And yes, babywearing can be painful for *some moms*. Anytime you have 25+ pounds hanging around your body for ANY reason, there’s a chance you will experience pain.
What’s next? Ditchdiggers against Motrin? Firefighters boycott Motrin? Why is it that the Mom community is so sensitive about someone being honest about the fact that *some* moms feel *some* pain, *some* of the time?
Motrin is in the business of selling pain relievers to people in pain. Therefore, if you are not in pain, I’m sorry…you just aren’t the intended recipient of the message.
Advertising identifies a problem, addresses a target market, and then provides a solution.
Not every ad is for every person. Not every ad for every MOM is for every MOM.
Sorry, but it just seems like Moms have so many strengths and abilities that we can use to discern when something is relevant or not. We have such power, but it gets diluted when we have these kinds of uproars. Imagine if we had spent this time finding a missing child, or volunteering at a food shelf (which I highly recommend by the way and do myself) or something else that REALLY helps a mom.
But I appreciate the counter-argument, I just don’t agree that the ad is what some moms think it is. Sorry, but some of that group (not everyone) have made some of us who don’t find it offensive feel like we have three heads or something because our experience is different.
13 admin // Nov 17, 2008 at 11:57 am
Also, just want to direct people to my follow-up post that I think explains a little more eloquently why some of us who aren’t offended feel like we are being talked down to by the “Mom Community”.
I think it explains it on a more personal level. http://www.automaticmoms.com/opinion/why-the-motrin-thing-ticks-me-off/
Or, click on “Front Page” above and scroll down a bit. It’s titled, “Why the Motrin thing ticks me off….”
Thanks all!
14 Kelly Beaman // Nov 17, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I am SOOO tired of moms and their JUDGEMENTS of other moms and speaking for everyone in general. From the day I got pregnant, I had moms who were critical of every… single …minute …decision I made on MY baby. I’m tired of tsk tsks I get from certain moms who feel they know the answer to everything. You have the moms who say you have to breastfeed or bottle feed, au naturale w/ no pain meds or caesarians w/ lots of meds, Gymboree clothes or Target, to Babywise or No Babywise, sling or stroller, crib or bassinet, plastic bottles or glass, Gerber or Beechnut, Baby yoga or Soccer Tots, to vaccinate or not vaccinate, Dreft or Tide, Fruit or Snack Packs, work or not work, organic or not organic ETC. ETC!!!! The list goes on and on. Every mother makes a million decisions that she feels are critical to the well-being of her baby. WHO CARES WHAT SHE CHOOSES?? As long as she is not beating a child, those decisions are hers to make. If it works for you, then do it. So, if a mom wants a DAMN MOTRIN for her freaking back b/c she chose a sling over stroller then let her have one w/ o some other mom judging her or the ad people who were thinking of those moms like me who might just be in pain. BTW, I thank the Lord someone made motrin b/c my baby was 10.5 pounds at birth. SO SHOVE IT TWITTER MOMS!!!! My back hurts!
15 admin // Nov 17, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Thanks Kelly!
I literally have nothing to add!
Except this…I hear ya on the big baby thing! My son was 9 pounds, 12.5 ounces and a sturdy baby at that.
I also had an emergency c-section after 17 painful hours of labor with three failed epidurals and a pinched nerve in my neck. Did I mention that the doc botched my epidural and I have pain to this day (14 months later)?
Wait, it gets better…then they delivered a nearly 10 pound baby expecting an 8 pounder. It took several tries to even pull him loose! Then I had hemorraging and a heck of a time getting sewn up again.
Next day, the fun continued…a blood transfusion! Wonderful!
So I EARNED that Percacet!
Think I was anxious to hang a 10 pound baby around my neck after all of that? I tried, but neither of us were into it.
EVERY mom’s experience is different! We just need to think for ourselves, about ourselves.
Thanks again for the comment!
Leave a Comment