A Sexist Food Item That Will Make You Laugh

Attention, ladies and gentlemen (or maybe just ladies, since this is clearly directed at women), take a look at this: "Hungry Girl Flatbread," folks.  And only 47-100 calories per serving - whatever that means.  Sexism is alive and well at your local Wal-Mart, which is where I picked up this delightful little snack especially for women.  Ladies, now you can eat a sandwich and not feel guilty about having all that bread.  With this great new product, you can use thin pieces of flatbread - which resemble cardboard in appearance and taste - to make yourself a "guilt-free" sandwich.  Because women should always be watching what they eat, right?  

You would never see a "Hungry Boy Flatbread" on the shelves of your supermarket because that's just silly.  Men don't need to diet or watch their weight.  Men are supposed to be big and bulky, right?  And women need to be little.  So why not create a brand of flatbread especially for women to aid us in our quest for thinness?  As if perfect, airbrushed models aren't enough of a "thinspiration."  

After purchasing this, I did a quick investigation to see if anyone else has noticed the blatant sexism of this item.  It seems that no one on the Internet has complained about the awful idea behind this product.  Am I the only one who is bothered by this?  What are girls going to think when they see this at the store while shopping with their mommies?  This is the kind of thing I would've bought into as middle/high school aged girl.  How incredibly damaging.  

I can hear what you're thinking, dear reader.  Isn't she being a bit dramatic?  Doesn't she realize this is just the name of a silly product and it doesn't really matter?  Some women want to be thin.  It's just a fact.  And this product is appealing to that specific group of women who are dieting.

Okay, fair enough.  I understand all that.  I really do.  But here's my beef:  In a culture that is so focused on thinness for women, we don't need products like this.  If this product were being marketed to men and women ("Skinny Flatbread" for example. Or countless other names that aren't gendered), I would have less of a problem with it.  Why do we need to gender products like this?  Eating healthy is something that everyone should be doing.  And it's not just the women who are looking for lower calorie options.  

Anyway, the stuff tastes horrible.  So next time you're in your local Wal-Mart, take a look in the bread section to see if "Hungry Girl Flatbread" is still there.  And if it is, just know you're better off buying whole grain bread. ;)