Yeah I know, I know. Controversial as hell, but its not what you think.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a bag of crisps and a yummy chocolate bunny thing (yes… the Easter shit is already out… in January! – do NOT get me started!). Anyway, the girl beside me – I’m at work – is eating these crispy, curly, fake crisp things.

Now, don’t get me wrong I enjoy my Snack a Jacks as much as the next person, but that day (and several others around, before and after then) I just wanted a bag of crisps.

Anyway, she finishes up the packet, looks at the back and, with an expression of surprise in her eyes, shows me this. Now… its not immediately odd (unless you’re like me). Its just the ‘please put your crap in the bin’ picture, right? But look closely. Notice that the figure has flicked up hair, a ridiculously narrow waist and a skirt which inescapably identifies it as female. Or a dude in a kilt.

I looked at it. And then I looked at it again. And then (because I’m insane) I kicked off a rant that initiated a conversation of almost an hour.

Because… honestly… didn’t the picture, once upon a time, look like this? Yes it did! Don’t argue with me; of course it did!

And, if you really want to be fussy about it, when the hell did the little figure start to look like this?! I’ll bet you’ve never noticed it either.

But herein lies the debate. Are we being told, through the foods we eat, that only girls like the light, fluffy, low calorie, tasteless crap, and that only men like the fat-filled, crunchy treats that are potato crisps? Ha, I bloody hope not. And what about the chocolate? The little generic, angular figure was on the back of my chocolate bunny; surely, if anything was going to have a woman on the back of it, a chocolate bar should? Chocolate and ice cream; a woman’s domain! But isn’t that just as bad? Particularly when Yorkie’s slogan was (and possibly still is) ‘not for handbags.’

Grr.

I dunno… it bothered me far more than it should have done, but what can I say? I’m a bit of a freak like that. And… while constantly thinking about ensuring that my babies grow up free of society’s restrictions and preconceptions with regards to gender (read this article, its BRILLIANT!) seeing these images on the back of packs of junk food just set me off.

Bear in mind that I’m the woman who is seriously considering not finding out the gender of my babies, just so I don’t accidentally tell anybody else, as a means to avoid getting shit-loads of pink or blue clothes as gifts. -_- Because you know (you KNOW!) the second I say my twins are boys or girls, people will consider that when buying gifts. Even on a unconscious level. Lots of people say they won’t… but fuck it- I know better.