"It's Not For Girls"

I would argue that in the U.S. women generally have a much greater opportunity than they did during the first wave of the women’s rights movement. That does not mean the struggle has passed and narrow stereotypes regarding gender are not used or an obstacle today.

Some time ago I was introduced to a candy bar sold almost entirely in the UK alone. The Yorkie® by Nestlé is a pretty typical chocolate bar, but with a very unique slogan: “It’s not for girls.”

Of course, when a friend brings me one as a gift from overseas, even despite my lack of fondness for chocolate, I had to check it out.  I examined the wrapper and then the candy bar itself. Other than being what I would consider unnecessarily over-sized, it’s not like it was full of unhealthy amounts of some dangerous substance particularly to women. It was pretty much just chocolate. So, why then would it offer such a warning? Nothing crazy happened when I tried it. The men in black suits didn’t show up to take me in for questioning, my hair didn’t fall out, nor was I impressed by anything it had to offer.

So, I came to a few conclusions as to why this ordinary piece of chocolate was limited to consumption by one sex. It was a large candy bar containing nearly twice the amount of fat and calories as an average sized bar of chocolate. The moral of the slogan: only men should take pleasure in such vigorously rich food choices.  A slogan like “It’s not for girls” is most likely used to pull men in and simply let them know they can eat whatever they want, just the same as food advertising geared towards women generally includes statements like “be bad” or “indulge,” or even “be good.” Am I not intelligent enough to know if something is healthy or unhealthy for me? And why is it okay for a man to eat whatever he wants, even encouraged to do so, yet a woman has to be guided or told when it is appropriate to eat certain foods?

Maybe most people wouldn’t be surprised that such advertisements are still used in generally well-developed parts of the world without unrelenting negative chatter.  I think it still shows, even the world over, women are still suppressed by stereotypical values of inequality. In all honesty, I mostly think it is just a candy bar and who cares what the advertisement says, but it does get me considering how the world views women.  If women can’t be considered capable of consuming or selecting even the same candy bars as men, how do those feelings boil over into issues like equality in government and careers?

Check out this manly candy bar at Nestlé’s website: http://www.nestle.co.uk/brands/chocolate_and_confectionery/chocolate/yorkie

By the way, I love how the wrapper still says “It’s not for girls,” but the description on Nestlé’s site calls it “a delicious treat for the whole family.”