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For a change, dads are upset with Huggies

March 11, 2012 @ 5:27 pm (Updated: 5:29 pm - 3/11/12 )

How many times have you seen the image of a clueless, clumsy, bumbling, fumbling dad?

It's a classic media stereotype in comic strips, TV shows, movies and commercials. But, it's no longer featured in a Huggies ad.

Huggies, a popular diaper brand, is being criticized for its campaign "Dad Test."

HuggieDadHere's the concept with a series of advertisements, which have now been pulled from Facebook:

"To prove Huggies diapers can handle anything, we put them to the toughest test imaginable - Dads, alone with their babies in one house for five days while we gave moms some well-deserved time off. How did Huggies products hold up to Daddyhood? The world is about to find out."

Huggies found out that fathers don't like being portrayed as guys who've never changed diapers, don't know how to feed a child, and are generally detached parents.

"This minimization and emasculation of men, mocking us as incompetent parents, is a stereotype I take particular offense to. Men have been written off as the 'inferior parent' for way too long and it's commercials like these that reinforce that message in our culture. Men are by and large ignored by the baby product industry when we should instead be the focus of some heavy attention," says Ryan Hauck. "I can take care of my three boys by myself quite competently, thank you. Believe it or not, I can even make sure they're dressed and fed and have on clean underclothes every single day. And I can most assuredly do it without using Huggies."

"I Was watching a hockey game last night. Tracked three ads. Two of them had the man-as-idiot theme, one with the obligatory superior, sophisticated women frowning upon the idiot man," says Paul Krill.

"Can you imagine if GM ran an ad talking about how their new cars had scratch resistant panels so that even the viewer's stereotypicaly vapid wife can't screw it up too badly when she inevitably wrecks it?" Chris Thomas says, "Seriously, Kimberly Clark, this is how you're going to do business? I'm a father of two and a stockholder and this makes me want to go out and buy a box of Pampers. Way to go.

Others weren't as offended. Daniel Freeman says, "I'm not quite at the level of uproar...but as a father of two I certainly don't feel 'celebrated.'"

After hundreds of complaints online, Huggies pulled its ads from Facebook and replaced it with a contest for dads. The company also posted an explanation/apology.

"I am responsible for the Huggies advertising you are seeing. We have read your feedback on our Dad commercials and, as a father of three young children, I recognize that we need to do a better job communicating the campaign's message. Our singular goal with this campaign was to demonstrate the performance of our products in real life situations because we know real life is what matters most to Moms and Dads.

A fact of real life is that dads care for their kids just as much as moms do and in some cases are the only caregivers. We intended to break out of stereotypes by showing that Dads have an opinion on product performance just as much as moms do.

That said, we’re learning and listening, and, because of your response, are making changes to ensure that the true spirit of the campaign comes through in the strongest way possible. For instance, we have already replaced our initial TV ad with a new one that more clearly communicates our true intent; and are in the process of revising the wording of our online communications. We appreciate the honest feedback and look forward to the continued discussion on the brand."

Dads, your call. Are you tired of being stereotyped as the dopey parent, or are the fathers being too sensitive?

By Linda Thomas

Photo, screen grab from Huggies "Dad Test" commercial

Related: Moms are offended by 'shut the front door'

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (21)


  • Add A Comment

  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    As a stay at home dad of four boys since 2007...
    March 12, 2012 8:47 am
    I have felt the double standard imposed on domesticated males in many aspects of life. From the idiot comments from the cashiers at the grocery store, to the overly-gushing teachers who can't believe a dad would be involved in his kids' school life, to funny looks at the playground and a virtual shutout by the school mom cliques.

    But, at the end of the day, my wife and I are satisfied with our choice of how to manage our lives and family, and our sons have benefitted greatly from a consistent parental presence at home. We really don't care what anyone else says.

    As far as Kimberly Clark is concerned, they are exactly like their idiot-proof product: full of sheet.

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  • schneidleraj wrote...
    Paul Krill is right
    March 12, 2012 8:59 am
    the quote from Paul Krill said it best: men (fathers) are the last bastion of anything-goes in terms of mockery and advertising. Even sit-coms portray the dopey, stupid (Kevin James, Patrick Warburton's, and Belushi's recent characters, to name a few) who somehow got paired with the much smarter, much better looking but long-suffering wife. AM/PM minimarket also runs many ads where the stupid husband sneaks away for snacks and is caught red-handed by the annoyed, much prettier, wife. Can you imagine what would happen if advertisers reversed the roles and ran campaigns about how stupid, ugly wives were insulted by their much better looking husbands? Or situational characters where homely, unattractive stupid women were paired with much more attractive, successful and smarter men? The world would scream sexism and misogyny. But instead, we think the reverse is somehow funny. PS - I was a stay-at-home dad for 3 years while putting myself through law school in the evenings.
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  • Don of the dead wrote...
    This makes me laugh
    March 12, 2012 10:21 am
    I took a year off work for my first daughters first year. My wife a year for our twins. My mom made us cotton diapers and we used pampers. I don't give a rats behind what goes on TV. Look at the people who are behind it. nuff said they have issues not you and not me.
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  • JW1984 wrote...
    I am ashamed...
    March 12, 2012 10:18 am
    ...of my gender. Have we really become so whimpy that we have to be offended by this?
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  • Outside_Observer wrote...
    Annoying, but works.
    March 12, 2012 10:41 am
    The fact is, even though many dads are not complete idiots, women like the comparison. I was a stay-at-home dad for 3 years with my daughter. I learned how to French Braid her hair while reading lecture notes from my prof in night school. Moms I speak to truly like the idea that the job of "mom" is the most difficult job in the world and they have the upper hand on men in that department. Although dad can do just fine at the task, Huggies knows how to play into what women like to see, and dads have to keep their mouth in check to keep from being pegged a male chauvinist.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Wow Outside
    March 12, 2012 4:00 pm
    Think your wife will give you your penis back when she gets home from work...?
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  • bemac wrote...
    Huggies
    March 12, 2012 10:59 am
    Huggies are the worst. Go with Pampers. I'm a father of 4 (almost 5) and I can't tell you how many diapers I've changed. I usually do a better job than my wife too, in that when I put it on it contains everything that happens. I applaud the dads that care and the dads that are there and get involved in the day-to-day... we need more of that, but that's a topic for a different discussion. GO DADS!
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  • Padre wrote...
    White American males....
    March 12, 2012 11:21 am
    ...are low-hanging comical fruit to the oh-so enlightened entertainment industry. My wife is an incredibly hard-working professional and is the primary breadwinner in our family, so I've taken on more of the traditional "mom roles"—cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, giving baths, dressing the kids, etc. Am I offended? No, not really. I don't get offended. I get even. So, Huggies can stick it in their diaper. Pampers will be getting our business when Kid #2 arrives in a few weeks. ++
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  • jpetro wrote...
    When our girls were
    March 12, 2012 12:30 pm
    little my husband changed as many diapers as I did. The Huggies ads suck, however my husband would not care or be bothered by all the hoopla. To complain about it makes you kind of wimpy(and I say the same thing about women)
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  • BeenThere wrote...
    WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE.
    March 12, 2012 4:36 pm
    With 40% of children in this Country with no "father" around and more that aren't involved in their kids' lives or ignore them altogether, we dad's don't have a lot of evidence supporting our great paternal abilities. When we say we love our kids but then turn around and treat their mother like crap, what are we teaching them? If we are some of the few that take an active role in raising our kids, how we treat their mother will demonstrate to sons how to treat women or daughters to be treated by men. Saying and doing aren't always the same. How we demonstrate love and affection. How we honor, nurture and sacrifice for our wives and families will determine what kind of fathers we really are. And collectively we don't have a great track record.
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