Doritos responded to the “Doritos for women” backlash, and we’re confused
Do not expect to see Lady Doritos on the store shelves – ever. After PepsiCo’s CEO Indra Nooyi revealed the company’s so-called plan to develop a line of Doritos designed specifically for women, the internet lost its collective mind.
Now, the company is clarifying Nooyi’s initial statements – and we’re pretty confused.
ICYMI, PepsiCo found itself in some hot water after Nooyi revealed that the company was developing a lady-friendly-chip for the near future (because apparently women are embarrassed to eat crunchy snacks in public). In fact, she even claimed that women and men eat chips differently.
“When you eat out of a flex bag — one of our single-serve bags — especially as you watch a lot of the young guys eat the chips, they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee,” Nooyi said in an interview on the Freakonomics podcast.
"Women would love to do the same, but they don't," she continued. "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 flavor into their mouth."
Following her interview, the hashtag #LadyDoritos immediately began trending on Twitter with people slamming Nooyi’s comments as sexist.
"Lady Doritos"? More like "sexism is deeply ingrained in capitalism"
— Peter Coffin 🚳 (@petercoffin) February 6, 2018
We’re gendering snacks now?? https://t.co/0nJIpO8z7b
— ines helene, ShroomGirl (@inihelene) February 5, 2018
And now, the company appears to be backtracking.
“The reporting on a specific Doritos product for female consumers is inaccurate, PepsiCo told ABC News in a statement. “We already have Doritos for women — they’re called Doritos, and they’re enjoyed by millions of people every day. At the same time, we know needs and preferences continue to evolve and we’re always looking for new ways to engage and delight our consumers.
The Doritos Twitter account also tweeted out a similar message.
We already have Doritos for women — they’re called Doritos, and they’re loved by millions.
— Doritos (@Doritos) February 6, 2018
Hmmm…this honestly sounds to us like the most convenient way to avoid more backlash and misdirect consumers. Sure, perhaps a “lady-friendly” version of Doritos specifically wasn’t on the agenda, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Pepsi — Doritos’ parent company — is planning to design sexist “snacks for ladies” in general.
On behalf of all of us, please do better.
