Official Complaint to Mumsnet

Whenever I turn off the adblocker I'm astonished at the inappropriate placement of many of the adverts (especially some of those targeting women in the infertility and birth topics).

That was the case until MNHQ introduced Mumsnet Premium, which some users are paying for. They are customers.

That explains a lot.

I find that adblocker, and the ability to hide topics, make mumsnet a much better place.

I find it amusing that people are referring to MN’s attitude toward their customers (eg, the users of this forum)

Forum users are not the customer, they are the product.

Did anyone actually think MNHQ would do anything about this?

Just had the blasted advert pop up again so came here to see what @MNHQ had to say - not a lot by the looks of it 👀

I think the company is trolling mumsnet tbh. I don’t think they give a shit about sales.

This. The last thing I a want to be reminded of during sex is my children. That's just a no no. I don't know whose brainless idea this was, but it's most likely backfiring.
Also agree with pp about the timing of the Sex board suddenly appearing in Active. Very dodgy. A bit like most of the pervy blokes who post in there.

I see it's now appeared as a promotion in "Food & Recipes".

Are we meant to suck it as well ?

You’re welcome.

Thanks Empressaurus, very helpful.

The language is dehumanising and offensive. Reducing women to body parts or functions is misogynistic. Wtf are you thinking Mumsnet?

I don't know for the app but if you're on the website:

Click the person icon in the top right corner.
Click on settings.
Click on more settings.
Click on Talk settings.
Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Click on Manage hidden threads and topics.
Type Sex into the search box & when it appears, click Hide.

Well it's said there is no such thing as bad publicity. I guess the marketing team were hoping this would get picked up somewhere else - but it's probably too icky for that.

It's a campaign for men really ,isn't it. Buy one of these and maybe the new mum will let you near her (or him, musnt be transphobic, must we). Bottles for bullet points to remind you that she doesnt have to breastfeed.

If I'd been bought one of these when sleep deprived it might have found a new home in the buyer's throat.

How do I stop the sex topic appearing please? I have clicked onto sex, but only have the option to follow, not hide.
I really don't want it popping up - I read everything on Mumsnet via ' Active', but, because of personal reasons, do not want to see any sex topic headlines.
How do I hide the whole topic please?

Oh god I didn't even mention THE BOTTLES. Ok.

1. No woman in the history of ever has said 'damn, do you know what's missing from this advert when I'm trying to purchase this vibrator? A reminder of how I feed my babies. No really! I want it rammed down my throat that I'm a mum, even when the timing is hideously inappropriate. Seriously. When I'm right on the edge I want you to run into my bedroom and whisper 'the early learning centre' in my ear'. The only way this is not a creepy move is if the graphic designers are 17 year old boys and trying to think of things that relate to mums. Please tell me they're 17. The other explanations are very icky.

I hate the sex topic appearing in Active. I may actually stop using active at all. It's really intrusive.

Few points.

1. Wtf Mumsnet, read the room.
2. 'smile makers' <boak>It makes me want to turn inside out with cringe. That said, I might consider it if it were called the screamer. 'sexual beings'?!! Treat me like human being (an adult human female at that) and I might be inclined to consider the product.
3. The softly softly poor womby people have forgotten to do sex and must be feeling so coy about it that they need to 'gently explore'. Are you shitting me?? Have these people done ANY market research?!! As others have said, the biggest barrier to sex for a mother is hormones, pain, useless fathers, lack of sleep and an actual extra tiny human who has crashed the party with all the crying and the needing. A smile maker for me in the early days would have been one of these cringebag marketers to turn up on my doorstep and make me a damned cup of tea.

1. The correlation between making the sex topic active and the appearance of these ads. Did the creepy smile dudes suggest it? Are you being groomed Mumsnet?! Or are you grooming us, and by much more worrying proxy our kids? Mine spotted it instantly when I was using the laptop on the sofa next to them. In some ways thankfully they're older (old enough to have steadily taken the piss ever since and temporarily ruined my life because I keep walking into the unrelenting jokes becasue I'm not as quick or witty as them), so other kids, younger kids, MUST have been exposed to it. It's weird, just stop it Mumsnet.
2. An intrusively and creepily marketed vibrator by TWO BLOKES???

I'm just gonna pause right here and get my mumsy sowing machine out and gently explore the patterns for a bunting of red flags.

It gives me flashbacks to The Apprentice episode a million years ago where they come up with a magazine for over 60s and call it Hip Replacement with a load of patronising articles.

I don’t think any sensible MNer would buy a sex toy from two men who think ‘cis’ is a thing, but I’m also curious about what they thought partnering with Mumsnet would do for their corporate image. Given all the bollocks about people with wombs / vulvas, you’d think they’d view it as social media suicide. Is it possible that catering to the woke market isn’t profitable enough?

Just adding my voice here. The product looks crap, the messaging is misogynistic and completely inappropriate... the whole partnership is awful and urgently needs rethinking. Really disappointed in Mumsnet right now.

It's overrun by posters who spell the word 'come' as 'cum'. No thanks.

I totally agree. I ventured on there the other day and quickly backed out because it was overrun with creepy men.