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‘Lady Doritos’ U-Turn: Here Are Five Other Products ‘For Women’ That Didn’t Need Inventing
Crunch away to your heart’s content because “Lady Doritos” will not be hitting supermarket shelves after all. The makers of Doritos, PepsiCo, said rumours circulating about the new product were “inaccurate”, adding: “We already have Doritos for women – they’re called Doritos, and they’re enjoyed by millions of people every day”.
The term “Lady Doritos” began circulating online on Monday after PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi told Freakonomics Radio women worry about crunching loudly when eating crisps and long to fit packets into their handbags. The CEO said the company was “looking at” the idea of “snacks for women that can be designed and packaged differently”. She added: “We’re getting ready to launch a bunch of them soon”.
But following the backlash of the concept, with many calling the idea of women-specific snacks “sexist”, it seems PepsiCo thought better of it. Quite frankly, we’re glad to hear we won’t be seeing another unnecessary gender-specific product on supermarket shelves. Here are five other “lady products” that should never have been invented. Surprise surprise, they’re all pink.
1. BIC for Her
Who could forget the now-infamous BIC for Her? To save women from the perils of writing with a blue pen, BIC launched the pink alternative in 2012. Following a eyebrow-raising advert, the pink pen was called out for being “sexist” at the time, but BIC claimed the product had “proved to be very popular”.
2. Aurosa #BeerForHer
Entrepreneur Martina Smirova launched #BeerForHer under the brand Aurosa last year. The product was supposedly meant to empower women to drink beer while embracing their feminine selves, but it was called “patronising” on Twitter. In response to criticism Smirova said she “never intended to dictate what women should or shouldn’t drink”, adding: “We are simply a brand that wants to offer beer in an elegant and beautiful bottle, something that has not been done before.”
3. KitchenAid For Women
In 2017 appliance brand KitchenAid came under fire for an advert featuring pink products accompanied by the slogan ‘KitchenAid for Women’. In response to the criticism, KitchenAid clarified the ad was created to highlight the ‘Cook for the Cure’ program, which raises funds for breast cancer research. However, the company apologised for any offence caused by the wording and removed the ad.
4. SEAT Mii
Launched in 2016, SEAT’s Mii was designed in partnership with Cosmopolitan magazine and was supposedly meant to “connect with modern women”. Its “surprise sparkle” and “eyeliner-shaped headlights” failed to hit the mark with men and women on Twitter though, with many pointing out cars do not need to be gender-specific.
5. The LadyBall
Don’t break a nail, break boundaries with #Ladyballpic.twitter.com/Ixpmn4Bky1
— Lady Ball (@theladyball_com) January 13, 2016
In 2016 a team of entrepreneurs created the ‘LadyBall’, a pink football designed to make the “masculine world of sports” accessible to women. Many on social media speculated the product was actually a joke, but the makers did not confirm or deny this. Either way, as some at the time pointed out “women’s sport is still the punchline”.
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