Britain | Proliferating profanities
Foul-mouthed mothers are causing problems for Mumsnet
Sponsors fear that their adverts sit alongside ever-ruder content—and they are right
FEW corners of the internet are more likely to celebrate the news of another royal baby than Mumsnet. Users of the parenting website, founded in 2000, welcomed last week’s announcement with a flurry of excited messages and grinning emoji.
Such streams of expletives are causing trouble for Mumsnet. On August 19th the Times reported that sponsors were threatening to pull adverts from the website. Among them were Confused.com, a price-comparison site, the National Trust, a conservation charity and Bulgari, a jeweller. They are reportedly wary of being associated with increasingly foul-mouthed mothers. Are they right to fret?
Unsurprisingly, nothing gets online mums more riled up than talking about their relationships. Much of this is venting about husbands’ emotional distance, flagging libido or adulterous tendencies. By contrast, debates about the book of the month elicit, on the whole, much milder language.
Our accompanying chart avoids spelling out Mumsnet’s oaths. A version with all the salty details can be found here.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Proliferating profanities”
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