Popular sweets brand risks boycott after 'woke' LGBT+ packaging make-over
Chocolate and sweets on sale on Grand Opening Day at Aintree Racecourse.
PA
A popular sweet brand has been earmarked as being at risk of facing a boycott after it was accused of producing “woke” LGBT+ packaging.
Skittles, a confectionery product marketed by the Wrigley Company, produced limited edition packaging designed by LGBTQ artists for Pride Month.
The products feature several slogans adopted by equality campaigners, including “black lives matter”, “joy is resistance” and “express yourself”.
Skittles vowed to “amplify” and “celebrate” stories from the LGBT+ community ahead of the release of its latest limited edition packaging.
An image of the usual packaging for Skittles
Skittles
However, its campaign provoked criticism from the right on social media.
Conservative commentators accused the popular confectionary brand of directing activism towards children and going “completely woke”.
Chad Prather, a conservative political commentator who ran to be governor of Texas last year, wrote on X: “Unless they are trying to get your kids to turn into LGBTQ/BLM activists . . . what’s the point of this? They’re coming after your children.”
Right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok said: “Skittles is trying to turn your kids into BLM and LGBTQ+ activists.
An image of some of the new limited edition packaging released by Skittles
Twitter/Libs of TikTok
“Their packaging also features a drag queen. Skittles have gone completely woke.”
Skittles’ senior director Justin Hollyn-Taub unveiled the company’s Pride packets in April.
He said: “The Skittles brand is committed to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community both within our own organisation and throughout the world.”
Outrage about Skittles’ latest packaging change comes despite the company producing limited edition products to mark Pride since 2017.
Dylan Mulvaney promoted Bud Light on her TikTokTikTokHowever, the latest boycott threat comes after Bud Light was engulfed in a separate debacle for signing a deal with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Mulvaney, 26, was tasked with promoting the beverage in March.
Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev reported revenues dropped by 10.5 per cent during the second quarter of this year.
The drop primarily came as a result of a drastic fall in Bud Light sales.