He ain't heavy, he's my baby: Motrin ad makes moms mad, launching a new #motrinmom meme

In the middle of International Babywearing Week (Nov. 12-18), Motrin has, for some reason, released a mom-targeted ad that disses baby-wearing.

In its "just between you and me" voiceover, the ad depicts babywearing as a fashion women adopt only so that they'll look like good moms. (The logic is something like  babyslings : mothers :: stilettos : hookers, i.e.an uncomfortable but essential part of the uniform). Instead, the narrator confides, babywearing is just a giant pain in the ... back.

You can watch it on Motrin.com or on YouTube but I've taken a few screenshots:

If you're not a mom (or dad) who has comforted a baby by wrapping her close to your body,  you may not understand why this new ad by Motrin has people so riled up. Basically, it presents a woman who views babywearing as a pretension, who doubts its value ("supposedly, it's a real bonding experience") and suspects other women just do it as a fashion statement.  Or as Alan Gutierrez succinctly summarizes: "Motrin Asks: Can We Forgo the Pretense of Loving Our Children?"

In a stunning example of the power of Web 2.0, disgusted women voiced their displeasure online. #motrinmoms became a top meme in twitter, video responses like Motrin Ad Makes Moms Mad were posted to YouTube, and numerous moms and social media experts (like Mashable's Sarah Evans) began blogging about it.  The Adventures In Babywearing blog began collecting babywearing photos from real life moms.

It didn't take long for some using the #motrinmoms tag to accuse others of being overly sensitive and others to wonder if they were inadvertently giving Motrin more publicity than they'd ever hoped for.

A sampling of voices in the Twitterverse: