"Skittles blasted over new pro-LGBTQ packaging"

[SpicyMoth]

https://nypost.com/2023/08/13/skittles-blasted-over-pro-lgbtq-packaging-time-to-bud-light-them/

Wondered what MNer's thought about this, does it bother you, does it not etc?
Are Boycott's being overdone at this point?

Part of me does worry that public outcries like this just give activists more ammunition for saying "SEE?! We're clearly not getting through, we must do more, and harder!"

The general Pride stuff is fine imo, they've been showing support for years now.
I thought their original campaign, making Skittles all plain coloured to focus on "The rainbow that mattered" whenever that was going on was a neat idea.

But with this, it just seems different. It seems more politically and ideologically driven somehow?
Maybe because there's no direct "face" of it? Maybe it's because it's the new Pride Flag?
Maybe because of the actual text on the packaging? Maybe all of it, I'm honestly not sure.

I'm definitely not "outraged" by it. But I'm not necessarily comfortable with it either.

They've been doing that Skittles Pride thing for years. Their strapline is Taste The Rainbow. It would be more weird if they didn't get involved.

I'm not going to boycott sweeties for no good reason except those soft Skittles, they're rank.

A boycott is as ridiculous as commercializing pride.

Saying that, it is tedious to be bombarded with that stuff everywhere.

Hmm. I must confess, I always thought making Skittles plain coloured for Pride was charming. Some real thought was put into that on Skittles' part. I like campaigns and brand endorsements that truly tap into the product's nature. I much prefer those to lazy ones that just slap a logo on.

But I say this as someone who doesn't like the taste of Skittles. Their actual customers may have been less thrilled by last year's campaign.

We need to be really clear that being gender critical is a pro-LGB position. Which does not align with mad gun people shooting bud-light cans. Or hating rainbow sweets.

If I take on a boycott it's a major deal and I think it through. The only one I do now is Nestle and that's been something I've done since I was 16. [Meanwhile they've gone from strength to strength commercially but whatever].

I'm not boycotting any product because they do Pride in some form, why would I? I reserve the right to dislike some things and to be annoyed when they're obviously going for publicity in any form (cf Costa) but if they genuinely think that will boost their sales, they can fill their boots. I will be honest though, I haven't gone to Costa since. I'm not boycotting but that image made me sad and I don't want to feel sad while paying £4 for a coffee.

I very much agree, which is why I said that I thought the plain coloured skittles were a good example of pride inclusivity done well and wondered if boycotts like this do more harm than good :/

There's something about this though that seems way more... I'm not sure what word I want to use, confrontational maybe(?) to the original campaign, especially when there's a strain between LGB and T

From what I've seen, the issues people are having are specifically to do with the direct reference to trans people on the flowery graffiti design on the packet, just wanted to see if anyone else had any extra insight on it maybe

As I said, I'm certainly not outraged - I quite liked their old Skittles campaign in fact! This new one does give me an uneasy feeling though, I can't explain fully why :S

Your last sentence is very much how I feel on it!

"I'm not boycotting but that image made me sad and I don't want to feel sad while paying £4 for a coffee."

Couldn't have said it better myself.
The OG Skittles Pride was genuinely nicely done, I'll miss it :/

I agree the original campaign with the white skittles was clever and I imagine drove sales because it was interesting to not know what flavour they were rather than anything to do with pride. I can't tell from the posted packaging are the skittles inside that packaging white or normal?

I hate rainbow washing like this, not a single person is going to become more tolerant because skittles changed their packaging, if they want to do something they should take the money they spend on redoing the packaging and give it to organisations who help gay people in countries where its illegal

Totally agree miri
The skittles campaign doesn’t bother me particularly, but then I don’t buy them anyway. I do respond to stuff like Oxfam, the Costa campaign and DM boot design - I don’t boycott as such, just I don’t generally choose to support brands which celebrate abusing/mutilating women. So that’s just marketing really, brands project an image which they think their customers will want to be associated with, and customers respond

Yep that's how I feel. I don't boycott per se, but at the end the day spending my money with companies who despise and disempower women and girls (in the strictly birth sex meaning of the words) isn't something I want to do.

So I certainly wouldn't avoid companies just because they support Pride or highlight LGBT issues, but the more that message becomes weighted T more than LGB, and the more the rhetoric moves towards "most marginalised", "hate" etc, the less inclined I'm going to be to spend many with that brand. I don't feel especially inclined to fund my own erasure thank you.

Dreamies. I boycott Dreamies. As noted above, it's not so much a 'boycott' as an 'oh, fuck OFF'.

And Nestle, of course, because they are evil and I will never forgive them for killing babies.

Sounds like Skittles will be my next boycott. I don't eat them but I'll buy DGC something else when I see them.

I have never bought Nestlé since baby killing scandle either. No Milky bar for us.

Yeah "supporting Pride" is a dumb reason to boycott anything.

So weird that we have all these ‘Queer’ kids claiming to be anti capitalist anarchist punks but at the same time the big corporations are using LGBT symbolism to flog product.

I hate the fact it is the ugly progress flag colours. It’s not about the LGB anyway.

And to be honest I am getting really sick of all this pressure to celebrate and focus on groups of people I am not part of when I have plenty of my own shit to deal with and I need to prioritise that (I am pretty sure I am not the only one who experienced loads of things turn to shit during the pandemic, elderly relatives going from healthy to gravely ill, children developing mental health and social issues, needing to start again on everything, the financial crisis making things bleak, etc). It feels like psychic violation all this corporate moralising everywhere you bloody look.

Why should I be particularly interested in or care about people with issues around their sexual orientation or identity? It’s hardly a big deal compared to sickness, disability, poverty, etc, which do hit certain groups harder, but not this group I am being asked to prioritise. The resentment is building in me.

Yeah, I wouldn't boycott Skittles, I'm part of the LGB community and am really glad they're supportive (although I wish they'd get rid of the T, nowt to do with sexuality).

I do boycott Flora products (due to them branding MN as massively transphobic) and obviously Nestlé too. I don't drink, and so it wouldn't occur to me to boycott Bud Light, and DH doesn't like it anyway.

https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/articles/celebrate-pride-month-2023

"From Banfield's Drag Queen Story Hour to Pride chef demos and queer mental health speakers, our Associates are going all out with celebrations this year. They’ve created both in-person and virtual events to ensure ample opportunities to come together."

"Our commitment to inclusivity extends beyond us. With our brands, we proudly partner with influential organizations such as GLAAD, the Ali Forney Center, Out and Equal and Stonewall in the UK, among others. Through these partnerships, we provide financial support and resources to create a more inclusive world for everyone."

Nope. Nor kitkats or After eights or any of their many cereals. The supermarket's own brand are okay, though.

The other thing about Skittles, is that they are for kids aren’t they?

All the sweets are displayed low down so kids can buy them themselves.

Is the progress flag something that should be marketed at children when it represents adult sexuality, combined with puberty blockers, kink, etc?

Well if they're making direct payments to Stonewall that's a good enough reason not to buy them. "A more inclusive world for everyone"* lol

(*except women and gay people)

And detransitioners.

Exactly I will never support anything that tries to make females believe they are males or vice versa especially in children. Far too much hormone blockers and surgery going on.

but if they genuinely think that will boost their sales, they can fill their boots.

When it's a product that's somewhat aimed at children, and they want to expose them to far left ideology like transgender activism, and BLM which involves things like, "reparations for slavery", "defunding the police", I'm not so sure that it should be all about the money.

Political activism is for the adult world, not marketing to children that are too young to have formed their own views.