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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Girls' and boys' yogurts from Muller - AIBU to be a bit WTF??

196 replies

nicecupofteaplease · 05/09/2013 20:51

Here they are - the product you never knew you needed. I sort of understand how toys have become sexually stereotyped but food products. Really? It's utterly ridiculous. Isn't it? Or should I only be feeding my daughter yogurts suitable for a girl? All these years she has been making do with unisex yogurt. I feel I have let her down.

According to Muller, boys like monkeys, space, pirates and cars, and girls like flowers, popstars, superstars and fashion - and it's only right that these interests are reflected in the dairy products they consume. My DD likes climbing trees, I am confused about which yogurt I should choose.

OP posts:
HarumScarum · 05/09/2013 21:15

Yes, it's Tesco that's saying girls' yoghurts. The two varieties appear to be Football Yoghurts and Lots of Love Yoghurts, judging by the website. Which is very nearly as bad, really.

Numberlock · 05/09/2013 21:16

How can we complain about this BS?

HarumScarum · 05/09/2013 21:16

Fashion? I hadn't seen those on the website. Bloody hell.

thisisyesterday · 05/09/2013 21:17

no, there is no mention of boys or girls specifically, but it's very clear that that is what it is!

runningonwillpower · 05/09/2013 21:17

Apart from the sexist crap, why is food being marketed towards children?

No wonder we have issues with obesity.

ShadowSummer · 05/09/2013 21:17

YANBU.

This is utterly ridiculous.

Titsalinabumsquash · 05/09/2013 21:18

I get these! BUT my boys like the one with pink hearts in, they're 8 and 6 and don't seem to give a monkeys about defined gender food, they also like the football and space ones but prefer the pink hearts. Grin

cardibach · 05/09/2013 21:19

DD (17) and I were watching tv last night and the ad came on. We looked at each other like this: Hmm Confused Shock

Growlithe · 05/09/2013 21:19

My DDs liked the heart shaped ones, but they have been replaced by the shoe ones and they like them too.

To be honest, I don't care what shapes are in them so long as they are eating them because neither of them are partial to milk at the moment. They are the right sized pots for them and appeal to them so they think they are getting a big treat.

I don't totter about in pink high heels so there is no stereotype for their yoghurt to reinforce in our house. Grin

MurderOfGoths · 05/09/2013 21:19

Wow.. that's just odd..

LadyKatherine · 05/09/2013 21:19

YABU. I hope you will desist from forcing your poor DD to eat substandard non specialised yoghurts immediately. FFS I bet you haven't even kitted her out with these essentials for going back to school have you? You should be ashamed of yourself. Grin

LadyBigtoes · 05/09/2013 21:22

It may be c,ear to you that they're for girls and boys, but how much of that is your ingrained sexism? If they were for girls and boys, they could label them with that. Instead a girl who likes football or the other "adventurous" things can happily choose them and a boy who's into fashion and pink can choose them - with no prejudice.

My 3yo dd would genuinely enjoy both. Recently in a playpark I saw a little boy aged approx 7? who was playing a fashion designer game with his less-than-keen friend - it was obviously this boy's passion and he knew all the lingo. He would have loved the pink shoes one.

I know I might seem obstreperous but if it's not there, don't perpetuate it.

HarumScarum · 05/09/2013 21:23

Tesco have labelled them girls' yoghurts, though. That's a bit dodgy, surely?

LadyBigtoes · 05/09/2013 21:25

Yes it is bloody doggy and boo to tesco. But muller were getting the rap unfairly - plus people on this thread are doing exactly what tesco did - slotting them into gender categories as if it's obvious.

Sparklingbrook · 05/09/2013 21:25

If when my 2 boys were younger and would eat yoghurt that happened to have footballs on or whatever i would have been overjoyed brcause they were eating it.

RoonilWazlibWuvsHermyown · 05/09/2013 21:28

Yeah seems to be just Tesco. They like to gender anything though. I emailed them once to ask why a purple bottle was described as for girls while a purple beaker wasn't gender specific and got a patronising email back confirming that it was safe to use the purple bottle for boys :/

pumpkinsweetie · 05/09/2013 21:30

Simple buy whichever ones your child likes, whether that's spaceships for a girl or princesses for a boy so be it. We don't have to give in to stereotyping if we give our children the colours/toys they desire.

SunnyIntervals · 05/09/2013 21:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

liquidstate · 05/09/2013 21:33

I reaally dislike this advert.

'grown up like mummy, strong like daddy...' aaaargh. because I am definitely stronger than my DH

personally I think muller are being clever by not saying they are girls or boys but really who is going to want the fashion one?? pink stinks hasn't picked up on this yet.

Picturesinthefirelight · 05/09/2013 21:34

My ds loves pink & wants to be a pop star

Dd hates pink but loves fashion & ballet

Crowler · 05/09/2013 21:36

How depressing. Food now has a gender.

FannyFifer · 05/09/2013 21:38

I've bought them a few times £1.00 for 4 pack in Asda.
I have a boy & girl who eat either of them.

Growlithe · 05/09/2013 21:50

I think it's the way you live your life - the way you treat people and the way you allow yourself to be treated - that mostly influences your children. If you instill in them a core set of values, it will not matter what yoghurt appeals to them, or for that matter what toy they play with.

This is why I just can't see why this causes a hoo haa. If you are worried that your child will become a wannabe WAG, a stripper or worse because you condone them eating a shoe shaped bit of cereal with their yoghurt every now and then, then heres my advice:

  1. if you are being a good role model yourself, then no matter what colour or designs they may be attracted to just now, they will take their cues from you as to what type of person they become. Stereotypes will not affect them long term.

  2. there is a whole aisle of yoghurts in every supermarket, pick another type if it's bothering you. Chances are, in a week's time you'll only be throwing it in the bin away.

BoozyBear · 05/09/2013 22:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sirzy · 05/09/2013 22:44

Madness. In don't quite understand why different children's yoghurts are needed, but girls yoghurts and boys yoghurts is just rediculous!