Doritos has just announced a product that is a boon for all its women customers. Yes, we are talking about women-friendly chips that will make less crunching noises and will not stay on consumers' fingers for long. For who can endure the horror of loudly-chewing women with fingers smelling of chips?
When PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi stated in a Freakonomics Radio interview that they are toying with the idea of women-friendly chips, she sure seemed to have done a lot of research on consumer behavior. For instance, she explained that guys love to eat Doritos, lick their fingers and pour the little-broken pieces into their mouth at the end, whereas women detest these very things.
"Women I think would love to do the same, but they don't. They don't like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don't lick their fingers generously and they don't like to pour the little-broken pieces and the flavour into their mouth," she told Freakonomics.
It is unclear whether the move was designed to wow its women customers, but the announcement has indeed grabbed the attention of many. It comes across as more of a shock because Nooyi is consistently ranked among the world's most powerful women by Forbes magazine. She has also spoken out on women's issues many times in the past.
After the crunch-less chips sparked outrage, Doritos posted a tweet saying, "We already have Doritos for women – they're called Doritos, and they're loved by millions." The company has also stated to Fairfax Media that they are not manufacturing any such variant of chips.
The last time a 'crafted-for-women' product led to outrage was when BIC launched their 'For Her' pens in pretty lady colours of pink and purple. The pens became so infamous that American comedian Ellen DeGeneres addressed the issue in 'The Ellen Show' via a hilarious albeit scathing video.
This time, Doritos is the stimuli behind women openly asserting their equality on social media. Majority of them are immensely offended that a woman CEO of a multi-national company still abides by the patriarchal notions of women having to be calm, composed and graceful all the time.
After all, if men can relist their packet of Doritos without inhibitions, why must women hold back from doing so? This idea is shared by comedian Kathy Griffin, who addressed the issue on her Twitter page.
This may seem silly to some folks but at one point or another most women are told that they're too loud, take up too much space, that we're too much. If Doritos is actually doing this it'll just represent the BS women have had to deal with at home and at work. #CrunchLouder https://t.co/ScaAD0Qf12
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) February 5, 2018
Check out few of the consumers' reactions to the announcement of 'women-friendly' chips:
If someone could get me some Lady Mountain Dew to drink (no burping ladies!) to go with my Lady Doritos while I oil my Lady Remington (pink oil y’all) inside of Lady Footlocker with my Lady Moonpies (no crumbs ladies) I would be really Lady Grateful
— ?Brienne of Snark? (@BrandoLauren) February 6, 2018
The only good thing about the new quiet “Lady Doritos” is now they can’t hear us coming pic.twitter.com/irMRblNDP4
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) February 5, 2018
Things I don't want:
— jina loves you. jina needs a hug. (@jina) February 5, 2018
- Lady Bic pens
- Lady whisk(e)y
- Lady Doritos
Things I want:
- Lady President
Thank god because my fragile, feminine, woman jaw just about breaks every time I have a normal dorito. By the time I finish a bag, I’ve already been to the hospital 17 times for a shattered lady mandible! It hurts my girlish dainty hands to type this out, but thank you Doritos! https://t.co/sJJ2HsCWYJ
— em ? (@uhhmmily) February 5, 2018
women: give us equal pay, stop harassing us, stop literally threatening our lives
— Sammy Nickalls ?♀️ (@sammynickalls) February 5, 2018
brands: how about quiet doritos for women?
women: no, that's--
brands: snacks you can fit into your purse!
women: what? no--
brands: a pen that's comfy for your lady hands!
Lady Doritos isn't a bad idea. Sometimes I eat chips so loudly I start my period and it's distracting to the office :/
— "Sarah Schauer" (@SJSchauer) February 6, 2018
Brands: yo y’all want lady Doritos?!
— |L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) February 6, 2018
Women: ....
Brands: um what bout lady McDonald’s fries?
Women: ...
Smart person: how bout equal pay and non toxic tampons?
Women: pic.twitter.com/GO4H0MYb4h
Can’t believe they’re letting women eat doritos now.
— Vødalus (@BFomebranch) February 6, 2018