Recently Doritos announced their “lady friendly” chips, and people all over social media went wild. The idea that chips, of all things, are geared towards a specific gender is flat out outrageous. What exactly is the point to “lady friendly” chips? According to Pepsi CEO, Indra Nooyi, the chips will come in a smaller package that will conveniently fit  in any woman’s handbag, as well as producing a quieter crunch while eating. Nooyi stated along with the announcement, “ [Women] 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.”

Many questions were raised after this announcement, such as why are we gender typing food? The discussion about products geared toward a specific gender has been a hot topic in the recent years. Personally I don’t understand why such products keep being put into production. Do women actually want pens made just for her, as well as special Doritos to keep up your ladylike qualities? Even though I myself, am not a woman, I can stand by women and justly say that this is ridiculous. We don’t need gender specific products. It is 2018, and the idea of having to gender type products needs to end. Equality is something all people want, so lets start now.

I decided to reach out to some women at this school for their opinion on the whole “lady chips” and gender specific products. Senior, Cassidy Ratzan, shared her opinion on the topic, “I don’t think it’s necessary to make separate products for women because it totally goes against what females stand for, and that’s just simply equality! We definitely don’t need these types of products to be made.” Another senior, Jordan Walker, stated, “It should just be a fun sized bag! I think the whole idea is really funny, but I do think the whole gender specific products are so stupid. They are just a waste of money. Allie Bable, senior, said, “I love crunchy stuff, like I love tacos and chips, I just feel that less crunchy chips would be unsatisfying.”

As of writing this article, a statement had come out from Doritos on twitter amidst the enormous wave of backlash they have received “We already have Doritos for women – they’re called Doritos, and they’re loved by millions. 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.” Doritos still hinted at new products for consumers, which lead people to believe that “lady Doritos” are still coming, again another product that women didn’t ask for.