Bic has been forced to discontinue a pink lighter after it was called out for sexism.
The product in question - known as Miss Bic Flex - is a pink lighter which features a picture of a candle on its packaging.
Twitter user @JusteBro tweeted a photo of the lighter next to a blue version from the brand’s Multi range, complete with pictures of BBQs on the packaging.
People couldn’t help but notice a shocking disparity between the two.
“Finally my fragile female hand will be able to light a candle too,” @JusteBro wrote. Her tweet was shared by the Everyday Sexism Twitter account, where it was met with outrage.
A spokesperson for Bic told HuffPost UK that the product will be discontinued by 2018.
They highlighted that the Miss Bic Flex also comes in black and blue and added that the range is £1 more expensive than the Multi lighters to reflect the flexible nature of the product’s lighter end.
“Bic has heard and understood the criticism,” they said. “We apologise for any offence that this product may have caused. It was really not what we were trying to achieve.”
It’s not the first time a gendered Bic product has caused controversy. The brand previously released ‘Bic for Her’ pens, which came in pink and purple and were “designed to fit comfortably in a woman’s hand”.