Posted on 03/21/2007 12:56:18 PM PDT by WesternCulture
The Swedish Consumers Association (Sveriges Konsumentråd) has reacted angrily to one of the ice pops in GB's new line. 'Girlie', a star-shaped, pink ice-cream with glitter make-up stored inside the stick, is entirely inappropriate, according to the association.
"I question whether there is a demand," said secretary general Jan Bertoft.
The raspberry-flavoured novelty ice cream was just one of a new range presented by GB at the beginning of March.
According to GB, the 'Girlie' ice pop signals a "sense of summer", "star status" and "a disco feeling".
The Swedish Consumers Association however uses an entirely different word: "gender-profiling".
"Girlie, GB's new ice pop, is pink and has make-up inside the stick. It says a lot about what GB thinks about girls and how they should be," said the association in a statement.
According to the consumer watchdog, Sweden does not need more products that reinforce existing prejudices surrounding young boys and girls.
"Especially with a product as neutral as ice cream," said Jan Bertoft.
He would like to see alterations made to the product to make it less gender specific.
"They can call an ice pop 'Girlie' if they want, but it doesn't have to be so clearly aimed at young girls and telling them how they should be," said Bertoft.
GB's marketing manager, Christoffer Schreil, considers it unfortunate that some people have viewed the ice cream as being directed solely at girls.
"It is not out intention to exclude either boys or girls as consumers of our ice cream. We target everybody.
"We think Girlie is a fun ice cream with a retro feel," he said.
Schreil hopes that plenty of boys will buy the product but admits there have been a few complaints.
"We reply to everybody who gets in touch and tell that we certainly did not mean to reinforce or cement gender roles in any way," he said.
GB has no plans to withdraw the product or make any alterations.
"It's not something we have considered yet, no," said Schreil.
It is not the first time that GB has landed in the spotlight. Two years ago its marketing campaign for liquorice ice cream Nogger Black was deemed racist by the Centre against Racism (Centrum mot Rasism).
Is it possible that GB is making a conscious attempt to get free advertising by stirring up controversy?
Absolutely not. We work with ice cream and just want it to be lots of fun. We like arouse feelings, but we absolutely do not want to aggravate anybody," said Schreil.
To the girls or guys?.........
Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
ROTFLMAO...
Then again, having lived there... maybe they're trying to make the girls a little more feminine... then maybe they'd marry more Swedish guys instead of chasing macho foreigners....
Baawwhhhhaaaaaaa!
;D
My daughters would flip for something like this, Before I realized this was in Sweden, I thought "Ooh, I wonder if I can buy these by the case?"
It says a lot about what GB thinks about girls and how they should be -
Furthermore, it says nothing. If its a success, more power to them. If it fails as a product, the consumer is the one who has spoken.
You can, if you're man enough.
Swedish girls fancy strong, powerful men with plenty of charisma.
Swedish women comes in two versions;
1. Women who're attracted to real men, like genuine Swedes, Britons and Americans (they also like Spaniards and Italians).
2. Women who like to opress blond, blue eyed Vikings and other men of true warrior blood.
Problem is, it's really hard to distinguish between category 1 and 2.
Presently, Swedish pop artist Linda Bengtzing is the voice of each and every Swedish Girl, expressing the heart's desire of any young Swedish woman (This is a slightly altered version of the original clip):
(Not suitable to sensitive persons)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IIWOJHUdGrI
Nope, not banned, but you will notice, they no longer say "cigarettes" anywhere on the packaging, and the "pink tip" to make em look like a lit cigarette is gone too.
The bubble gum cigarettes were always cooler anyway, put it in yoru mouth with the paper still on it and blow, and you'd get a little puff as the limestone used to keep it from sticking to the paper was blown out.
Sweden is whacked. Maybe their brains freeze from the cold?
Your article reminded me of some previous Swedish insanity:
Now sit, Ingvar, sit. Young women in Sweden, Germany, and Australia have a new cause: They want men to sit down while urinating. This demand comes partly from concerns about hygiene–avoiding the splash factor–but, as Jasper Gerard reports in the English Spectator, "more crucially because a man standing up to urinate is deemed to be triumphing in his masculinity, and by extension, degrading women." One argument is that if women can't do it, then men shouldn't either. Another is that standing upright while relieving oneself is "a nasty macho gesture," suggestive of male violence. A feminist group at Stockholm University is campaigning to ban all urinals from campus, and one Swedish elementary school has already removed them. In Australia, an Internet survey shows that 17 percent of those polled think men ought to sit, while 70 percent believe they should be allowed to stand. Some Swedish women are pressuring their men to take a stand, so to speak. Yola, a 25-year-old Swedish trainee psychiatrist, says she dumps boyfriends who insist on standing. "What else can I do?" said her new boyfriend, Ingvar, who sits.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/leo081500.asp
When faced with a similar PR problem for the above product, Colgate renamed it "Mouth-Jazz"
Perhaps The Swedish Consumers Association would be willing to compromise. I suggest they try the name "Sweedie-Cream"
Excellent question. Perhaps both.
That's the nice thing about capitalism, comrade Bertoft. If there is no demand then the product will go away and hand-wringing ninnies like you will have nothing to worry about.
The difference between being a SUBJECT or a CITIZEN, writ large.
http://www.dribbleglass.com/images/billboards/cigars.jpg
Nam Vet
I pickup packs of them for my kids from time to time at a liquor store in the People's Republic of MD no less.
Well, if this is truely Swedish ice cream named "Girlie", it wouldn't be complete without blond hair on top of it.
Holy schmoly ...... I can see what you didn't pull the trigger ....
Funny though
I was surprised to see a candy cigarette machine at a particular convenience store near our home in Korea. After the proprietor noticed our surprise and our photo taking, he had the thing removed.
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