Feminists were quick to label KitchenAid sexist last week after it introduced a new line of pink products…to raise money for breast cancer.
The company posted an ad to its website featuring the shiny pink appliances under the tagline, “KitchenAid for Women.”
Some mistakenly took the ad to mean the appliances are meant for women simply because they’re pink, not that the company supports women affected by breast cancer.
Writer Hazel Davis tweeted out a picture of the ad with the caption: “Are you actually serious, KitchenAid? #letkitchenappliancesbekitchenappliances #everydaysexism.”
To which KitchenAid replied:
@hazedavis This color edition to support @BreastCancerHaven in the UK. Pink as a symbol of hope. It raises awareness to find a cure!
— KitchenAid UK (@KitchenAid_UK) March 17, 2017
Davis - who has since deleted her original tweet and her Twitter account - defended herself to The Huffington Post UK.
“Nowhere on the ad, until you looked much further, did it say anything about the charity, it was just a sea of bright pink with the words ‘for women’ which I am so, so, so sick of seeing,” she told the paper. “Why does everything to do with women have to be pink? Why can’t I care about cancer awareness and buy red items?”
Perhaps, KitchenAid chose pink because the breast cancer ribbon is (surprise!) pink. And because red is typically associated with either heart disease or HIV/AIDS awareness, not cancer.
Despite their good intentions, KitchenAid still issued an official apology.
“We apologize for any offense caused. The web page has been removed,” Alessandra Romagna, a marketing director at company, told The Huffington Post UK. “Our intention was to highlight the ‘Cook for the Cure’ program, which gives people with a passion for cooking a way to support a meaningful cause. The program raises funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. From pink products and celebrity chef auctions to home-based fundraising events.”
Together, KitchenAid and the Susan G. Komen Foundation have raised over $10.7 million in the past 15 years through the 'Cook for the Cure' program, added Romagna.
But, hey, let's continue to be triggered by fake travesties and shame KitchenAid for selling pink products...because that will help promote lasting change, right?