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Critics: Amazon hasn't a clue about modern American families

March 20, 2015Written by RetailWire Staff

Recently, television star and new parent Ashton Kutcher made a widely publicized Twitter pronouncement: Public men's restrooms should be fitted with diaper changing stations. Mr. Kutcher's tweet spoke to a shift in parental responsibilities in modern American families that is having an impact on retailers beyond their bathroom facilities.

A case in point is the online ire being directed at Amazon Mom, the e-tailer's online store for childcare products, by a group of dad bloggers who take issue with its gender-specific banner.

According to an article on The Daily Beast site, the dissatisfaction with the name of Amazon Mom has been percolating on dad blogs for some time but recently grew in intensity when Oren Miller, a well-renowned stay-at-home dad blogger and critic of Amazon Mom, passed away from cancer. Mr. Miller's "Dad Blogger" Facebook group was instrumental in organizing the campaign encouraging Amazon Mom to change its name. Those who support a name change are using the hashtag #AmazonFamilyUS.

Amazon Mom is named "Amazon Family" in the U.K., Japan and other countries. This has given critics the impression that Amazon considers other countries more ready to accept the trend of dads as caregivers than the U.S.

While Amazon has not yet acquiesced, retailers are catching on to the trend of dad being the one who watches the baby, with sites like Dadgear.com offering "a line of masculine diaper bags ... and accessories specifically designed for men."

Fatherhood is not the only area in which positions seen as traditionally female in the U.S. are opening up to men. In the medical field, for instance, the U.S. Census found that 9.6 percent of registered nurses in 2011 were men, up from 2.7 percent in 1970, according to an article in The News & Observer.

Health trends such as yoga and Pilates are also gaining traction with men. Magazines like Men's Fitness have run features with names like "Pilates For Meatheads," which give the inside scoop on what it's like for a guy to take on a workout in a Pilates studio.

Startups and retailers are also taking notice of the market. Broga — a portmanteau for "yoga for bros" — has been catching on at gyms. Lululemon, which recently began opening men's-only stores, is expected by analysts to report impressive Q4 2014 earnings in mid-March 2015.

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