Sometimes sexist advertising really cheeses us off. Here is how one young reader,
Rebecca Barnett, broached the subject with the manufacturers of Yorkie chocolate bars.
DEAR Nestle and whomever else it might concern,
I'm writing to tell you how appalled I am with your "new" Yorkie wrapper. It is sexist and encourages a patriarchal view on things.
The Yorkie wrapper says, "IT'S NOT FOR GIRLS!"
Do you want girls to stop eating Yorkie bars? As for "NOT AVAILABLE IN PINK", most girls don't like pink from about the age of eight! This is encouraging the "girl = pink, boy = blue" taboo. I have to say over half of my wardrobe is blue but only one item of clothing I wear is pink.
The other day, my younger sister, who is only 11, came home from school and told me this: "Today at school, Laura Wright, [who is a bit of a tomboy] was eating a Yorkie bar, and a boy [my sister's age], came over and said, 'You shouldn't eat that, Yorkies aren't for girls'." So you see this new wrapper is sexist and pathetic.
What next? Are you going to be putting racist comments on your chocolate wrappers? Because in my eyes, racism and sexism are both forms of prejudice. Although I'm only 13, I know the difference between right and wrong. In my eyes your wrapper is wrong.
What is it meant to do, put women off eating Yorkie bars? It certainly has put me off. Don't expect me to buy them while they have sexist comments on.
I believe in socialism and so therefore believe in fair-ness between the sexes. We have lived in a male dominated world for so long - now its time everyone was treated fairly. But that is impossible when Nestle is printing wrappers that declare it's "not for girls".
Girls do not = pink and boys don't = blue. It's time people began to realise we can pick our own colours.
