"Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
I rolled my eyes while writing this article at the simple fact that this is real news and not a satirical piece. People are actually butthurt over the term "gingerbread man." Nevermind the fact that gingerbread men are typically shaped like a man...
A company called Co-op, famous for their gingerbread men, have announced that they will no longer serve gingerbread men, but rather "gingerbread persons."
They feel that they cookie should not be assigned a gender, noting that styles have changed over the years and therefore they do not want to continue using a stereotypical term. With that being said, they are pushing for gender neutrality.
The Co-op released the following statement on their website: "Our Food team is adding the final touches to a new Co-op gingerbread person, but they've yet to come up with a name. They'd like members to join in and suggest a fitting name for our new little biscuity friend. The plan is to give our new gingerbread fellow some seasonal costume refreshes - a distinctively Christmassy look for December and something rather spooky around Halloween for example. So they'll need a name that works for any time of year."
Co-op launching gender neutral 'gingerbread person' and want people to name themhttps://t.co/b64cvABS2Y pic.twitter.com/kIGkzcXgCL
— Mirror Weird News (@MirrorWeirdNews) April 10, 2019
"We also need to ensure that the name is gender neutral too. Join in to suggest a name. Our Food team will create a shortlist of the ones they think will best fit the bill and we'll be back to ask you to vote for your favourite next month," they added.
Co-op also told people not to fight the name change because it's 'here to stay' but rather to send in suggestions for gender neutral names, other than "gingerbread person." The company will then decide on an official new name for the cookie.
There are plenty of name suggestions that keep coming in. The company has also decided not to take on names that are already associated with a specific gender like Leslie and Mark. Instead, it is looking for a gender-neutral name, a name that has not been tagged as of yet. For example, Cassidy or Kennedy. In order to name the biscuity friend, people are required to join a competition on the supermarket's website. The new gender-neutral gingerbread is also dressed appropriately in grey clothing made out of icing. It is said to be released in September.
Co-op is not the first place in the world to take such an initiative. In August 2018, Pret A Manger announced it would be launching a female gingerbread treat to go alongside its existing gingerbread man. Although this initiative was well appreciated, it still does neglect the fact that there are more than just two genders in this world. People are aware that genders other than male and female exist and they should have the freedom to name or decide what the gender of the biscuit is once they purchase the product.
Errrr, except for the fact that there are only two genders. Everything outside of male or female is made up. Society needs to stop normalizing mental illnesses.
