Lady Chips

Is there a market for gendered snacks?

Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, thinks there is. In an interview with Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics Radio, Nooyi spoke about the way genders eat their snacks. The CEO spoke about Doritos in particular. She says men love their Doritos and gobble them up, lick their fingers then pour the crumbs into their mouths. Something women don’t do, according to Nooyi.

“Women 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 flavor into their mouth.”

A lady geared snack would be low-crunch, full of flavor but would leave less residue on your fingers. The snack could also, of course, fit in a purse.

Nooyi’s idea of creating gendered snacks did not go over well with the Internet. Shortly after the podcast was released, the interview went viral. It became the center of news stories worldwide.

Thousands took to Twitter to share what they thought of #LadyChips. Their reactions weren’t positive ones.

 

PepsiCo released a statement last night shooting down the “lady chip” idea and that the whole situation was a misunderstanding.

“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 controversy surrounding “Lady Chips” sparked a conversation about what women are fighting for. Some calling the initiative “sexist.”

Crunchiness and cheese dusting seems to be the last on the list of women’s worries, indicating there’s no market for lady snacks anytime soon.