M&M’S launches purple ‘inclusive’ peanut and I have thoughts about it
Good grief, M&M’S. I’ve never managed not to eat an entire bag in one go – resulting in nausea. But now I feel sick even before opening a bag of M&M’S. And it’s all because of that new purple peanut M&M’S.
Last January, the marketing department at M&M’S (part of Mars) had already decided to give the brown, red, yellow, blue, green and orange characters a fresh new look in order to “create a world where everyone feels they belong in society”. Inclusivity, in other words.
Now hardly anyone noticed the difference – the green M&M’S swapped her boots for sneakers and the brown M&M’S went from stilettos to a lower pump – but with the new purple peanut they’re taking things a step further. And honestly: I’m starting to feel a little sick of it.
So woke
Because here’s the thing: for the first time in ten years, M&M’S is expanding its crew with the introduction of a new character; Purple. ‘The first female peanut M&M’S character stands for acceptance and inclusivity. There is a lot in her character that people will recognize and appreciate, including her determination to be completely herself. She shows that we should celebrate our unique qualities’, says Jane Hwang, Global Vice President Mars Wrigley.
The introduction of the latest M&M’S apparently marks the next chapter in their ‘Purpose story’. Maybe it’s the autumn, maybe I have a sinister personality, but all I can think is: ‘just stop, it’s a piece of candy! Don’t be so woke!’ Has anyone ever actually compared themselves to one of the colored little characters? Maybe during an LSD trip, but in a non-intoxicated state of mind I certainly hope not.
If M&M’S are so eager to be woke, they should turn their attention to the disastrous cocoa industry, where more than 90% of cocoa farmers, according to the Cocoa Barometer, live in poverty and face widespread child labor and deforestation. There’s nothing inclusive about that, as far as I’m concerned. It would do a mass producer like Mars credit if they led the fight against chocolate inequality instead of sending purple peanuts into the world with a supposedly virtuous story.
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