Universal Pictures tweeted a controversial request to its 178,325 followers, asking them to send photos of themselves or other "hot moms" to Break.com's "American Pie" photo call.
"Being a MILF has its benefits," the site declares. "Submit a photo of yourself or a hot mom you know and share it with your friends. Get 20 ratings that average 3 out of 5 or better on the Stiffy Meter and you qualify to win a brand new iPad 2 and more!"
The tweet, which is embedded below, drew swift and sharp criticism from a number of the studio's followers. The Twitter account for "American Reunion," the "Pie" film in question, also tweeted a similar request.
"MILF" is a profane acronym that stands for "Mother I'd Like to F**K," a term popularized by the first film in the series. In the 1999 movie, John Cho (who is credited as "John, MILF Guy #2), looks at a picture of Stifler's mother and defines the term that has lived in infamy ever since.
Universal's original tweet:
Got MILF? Submit a photo of yourself or a hot mom you know and you could win an iPad! ow.ly/9xUMR @AmericanPie #AmericanReunion
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) March 15, 2012
Though some responded with links to photos of themselves and/or others, other followers were quick to denounce the studio's suggestive tweet:
@UniversalPics That last tweet just lost you a follower.. come on, you have kids following you guys..
— Sam Welker (@SamWelkerTV) March 15, 2012
"American Reunion" is the next installment of the notoriously raunchy series, and opens in theaters on April 6. Does Universal's PR campaign make you more or less likely to see the film? Let us know in the comments.
Also on HuffPost:
TMI on Twitter? Marketers searching through your old tweets now
Posted: 03/15/2012 1:33 pm Updated: 03/15/2012 1:45 pm