Crunch away to your heartโs content because โLady Doritosโ will not be hitting supermarket shelves after all. The makers of Doritos, PepsiCo, said rumours circulating about the new product were โinaccurateโ, adding: โWe already have Doritos for women โ theyโre called Doritos, and theyโre enjoyed by millions of people every dayโ.
The term โLady Doritosโ 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 โlooking atโ the idea of โsnacks for women that can be designed and packaged differentlyโ. She added: โWeโre getting ready to launch a bunch of them soonโ.
But following the backlash of the concept, with many calling the idea of women-specific snacks โsexistโ, it seems PepsiCo thought better of it. Quite frankly, weโre glad to hear we wonโt be seeing another unnecessary gender-specific product on supermarket shelves. Here are five other โlady productsโ that should never have been invented. Surprise surprise, theyโre 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 โsexistโ at the time, but BIC claimed the product had โproved to be very popularโ.
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 โpatronisingโ on Twitter. In response to criticism Smirova said she โnever intended to dictate what women should or shouldnโt drinkโ, adding: โWe are simply a brand that wants to offer beer in an elegant and beautiful bottle, something that has not been done before.โ
3. KitchenAid For Women
In 2017 appliance brand KitchenAid came under fire for an advert featuring pink products accompanied by the slogan โKitchenAid for Womenโ. In response to the criticism, KitchenAid clarified the ad was created to highlight the โCook for the Cureโ 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, SEATโs Mii was designed in partnership with Cosmopolitan magazine and was supposedly meant to โconnect with modern womenโ. Its โsurprise sparkleโ and โeyeliner-shaped headlightsโ 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
In 2016 a team of entrepreneurs created the โLadyBallโ, a pink football designed to make the โmasculine world of sportsโ 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 โwomenโs sport is still the punchlineโ.