Full disclosure: I love Doritos. Nacho Cheese is my favorite flavor and, during my pregnancy, I had no problem polishing off an entire bag all by myself. And do you what I did right after I ate that bag? I licked that orange dust off my fingers without hesitation. Hell, I still do this – I just don’t devour the whole bag anymore.
Apparently, though, not all women are piglets like me when it comes to eating their Doritos. At least that’s according to PepsiCo’s CEO, Indra Nooyi.
During a recent Freakonomics Radio podcast, Nooyi noted some consumer insight regarding the differences between how men and women like to eat Doritos, and it turns out they don’t eat their chips the same way.
“Young guys,” she notes, “they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee.” Meanwhile, women, Nooyi said, “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 (at the bottom of the bag) into their mouth.”
Really? Who are these women? Where are they from? Because I can’t be the only woman who doesn’t care about the messiness and “loudness” of Doritos.
Anyway, back to Nooyi’s comments. Apparently the company is working on developing some lady-friendly snacks that are low-crunch yet full-flavored – plus easy to throw in your purse for some on-the-go snacking. Umm, isn’t that what snack-sized Doritos bags are for? Also, gender stereotyping much?
As you can imagine, people took to social media to mock the company for its lady snack concept. On Twitter, @kateford76 said, “In response to Doritos lady friendly crisps, I shall be eating the biggest crisps I can find crunching really loudly, burping and carrying a packet of crisps as a handbag.”
I’m right there with you, @kateford76!
Some say this backlash is absurd (take a peek at Slate’s take here), but I just find it laughable. Honestly, I appreciate companies trying to cater to women, but seriously? Do we need a woman-friendly chip? I don’t have any problem with our current assortment of chip options.
What do you think? Do you think Doritos should make a lady-friendly chip? Tell us in comments.
