Frida, a popular babycare brand, has come under fire for allegedly intentionally using sexually suggestive slogans in marketing campaigns to advertise its products.
Images on a now-deleted Instagram post, advertising a rectal thermometer, were captioned “This is the closest your husband’s gonna get to a threesome,” and another post showed an illustration of a baby sleeping between its parents with text reading “Threesome: When your toddler invades your bed and takes up 70 per cent of the space.”
It’s not exclusively their social media marketing. Product packaging in stores is adorned with similar innuendos: the touchless thermometer bears the slogan “Fancy a quickie?” along the side of the box, while instructions for a scent diffuser feature the headline “I get turned on easily.”
Another post on the company’s Instagram account appeared to joke about a baby with semen on its face. The picture depicts a cartoon baby with what appears to be mucus on its forehead, captioned “What happens when you pull out too quickly.”
The vulgarity has created furore online, with many parents saying they will boycott the brand and return its products. Users online described the campaign as “morally repugnant,” flooding the brand’s social media with complaints.
Frida’s response to the outrage
The brand was founded 12 years ago by Chelsea Hirschorn, a mother of four, who wanted to bring the NoseFrida from Sweden to the American market.
In a statement to the Telegraph, representatives from Frida said, “From the very beginning, Frida has used humour to talk about the real, raw and messy parts of parenting that too often go unspoken. We do this because parenting can be isolating and overwhelming.”
“Our intention has consistently been to make awkward and difficult experiences feel lighter, more honest, and less isolating for parents.”
They went on to address the humor they used more directly, saying that “the humour we use is always grounded in a specific feature, benefit or innovation – a reflection of the real problem we are solving for families.”
Throughout the statement, Frida never directly addresses the accusations of sexual innuendo behind their product marketing, instead saying, “Frida was built to support families through some of the most vulnerable and transformative chapters of their lives. We stand firmly behind that mission.”
They added that “we will continue to show up with honesty, empathy, and courage. With each decision we make, we will continue to evaluate how we express our voice so that our commitment to families is unmistakable and our tone always meets the moment.”
It is unclear whether products with sexual slogans are still on the shelves of major US stores, including Target and Walmart. However, some of the social media posts containing the innuendo appear to have been deleted following user complaints.
The company also appears to have taken down a page of its website that named its key executives.