Bugaboo’s bikini-clad model draws Internet ire from moms

A bikini is perfectly acceptable attire for jogging while pushing your $800 stroller. At least that’s what Bugaboo believes.

The Amsterdam-based, high-end stroller maker garnered the outrage from moms online when it posted a picture to Facebook last week showing a svelte, bikini-clad model casually running in the park, buggy in tow — a completely normal thing to do.

“See how the model and mum Ymre Stikema stays fit and healthy with the Bugaboo Runner,” the caption reads.

It wasn’t long before the ad caught the ire of moms who verbalized their rolling eyes with sarcastic comments (428 and counting). “I prefer running naked with my children,” one woman wrote. “Seriously why in the world would she be running in this? Horrible promotion!!,” another person wrote. And then there’s this comment: “I can almost see her uterus…”

stroller two
Just a typical jog in the park

The Internet outrage cycle moved from backlash, to backlash against the backlash. Commenters said that others were just jealous about the 23-year-old’s fit figure. Haters gonna hate.

“Really ladies? Are you that judgemental or jealous that you have to question what she is running in? Women should support each other not tear each other down because you feel inadequate. I would never get away with wearing that while I run, but great for her!,” one woman wrote.

Bugaboo didn’t engage with the comments, except with one from a woman who was bothered, of all things, by the buggy’s wheels not being properly inflated. Bugaboo’s social media manager launched into action and explained that stroller’s “unique suspension system” ensures a smooth ride for the lil’ one. And for $800, it had better.

The company did, however, release a statement to NBC’s Today addressing the furor saying the stroller is designed “with active parents in mind” and that it believes “all parents should run free no matter where they are on their fitness journeys and what they choose to wear on their runs.”

https://digiday.com/?p=128195

More in Marketing

Digiday+ Research deep dive: Agency spending on TikTok sees a sharp decline

Agency marketers have historically been more skeptical toward TikTok than their brand marketer counterparts, and a Digiday+ Research survey found that agency spending on TikTok has fallen sharply in the last few months.

The Home Depot rebrands its retail media network in pitch for ad dollars

The Home Depot hosted its inaugural InFront, a play on the television industry’s UpFronts or NewFronts, digital media’s answer to the upfronts, for its retail media offering.

Why Georgia-Pacific consolidated most retail media spending with seven networks after testing over 25 options

Figuring out which retail media network is worth spending on given the glut of new retail media networks can be a challenge for marketers.