Is corporate America is neutering gingerbread men???
Look, it is an understandable interpretation, given all of the social engineering we have been subjected to over the years. Add to the fact that it is Target Stores at the center of this story it becomes a default reaction. But upon deeper inspection, it is not quite the social horror.
What has people aghast with visions of gelding cookies dancing in their heads is this holiday offering from Target:
Introducing the new "Gender Inclusive Gingerbread" Christmas sweater at Target: pic.twitter.com/LmcIvBaDMy
— Paul Bois (@PaulBois39) November 12, 2019
Over at the Daily Wire they picked up on the holiday outrage, as did a few others.
Introducing Target’s ‘Gender Inclusive Gingerbread’ Christmas Sweater https://t.co/GSETHm30NB pic.twitter.com/3EH2xDjV5x
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 12, 2019
This was something that had reared up last year, as we saw the controversy over the gender of cookies being debated.
So… gingerbread cookies which have no X or Y Chromosomes have a gender and “obviously they’re men.” What I’m getting is that @FoxNews now agrees that chromosomes aren’t the deciding factor and gender is merely a construct. pic.twitter.com/Q4dYeuDGQE
— KThanksBi_Laws ? (@Bi_Laws) December 19, 2018
However, this is not an accurate read on the matter. While the catalog entry does say “Gender Inclusive” it is not, in fact, a reference to the gingerbread figure. Target has listings throughout its catalog for clothing items it lists as such.
It appears these are items that would be described as “Unisex”, and so the reaction to a neutered cookie figure need not be so outrageous.
Of course, there are those who will see these cookies as an object in need of politicizing. A number of people are making signaling statements by posting what they dub to be “Genderbread Person” cookies.
Recommended
Day 2 of posting the Genderbread Person infographic until society begins to use the appropriate language for sex vs. gender and reforms its views on the concept of identity as a result. pic.twitter.com/nvmP08hgty
— Hayley Mierzwa (@hayls_mierz) November 12, 2019
And in that “notice me” thirsty method of social preening, a bakery in New Zealand is once again selling asexual cookies of vaguely anthropomorphic representations for the holidays.
Cafe replaces gingerbread men with 'gender neutral gingerbread person'https://t.co/4tFS26ua9D pic.twitter.com/v4tF5arkKY
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) November 8, 2019
Here at least the shopkeeper is doing so as a tongue-in-cheek gag commentary. Additionally in the process, they have seen an increase in sales, so hey — if you can profit off of the self-serious mentality we have to endure, more power to you!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member