Consumers are threatening to boycott the milk product – Mullermilch – made by multi-national giant Müller after a number of people decided to be offended by the “sexist” and “racist” illustrated Christmas packaging.
The news, trending through Germany, will bring to mind the furore over the Starbucks Christmas Cups which has its genesis here at Breitbart London.
The Müller bottles feature different designs for different flavours. The girl on the chocolate milkshake is black, which the company has suggested is being “over-interpreted.”
Users of social media have been sharing their anger on Twitter under the hashtag #ichkaufdasnicht (I won’t/don’t purchase this) and #Mullermilch.
“Racists, sexists and disgusting,” tweeted one outraged German man. “Last time I buy any product from Mueller #Muellermilch #muellergate #racistmilk”, added another.
“The layout of the Christmas #Muellermilch seriously makes me want to punch someone. Like, sexism is a thing and you use it to sell stuff?” questioned another.
The online petition is already well underway, garnering 14,000 signatures in one day.
“Sexism has little to do with nudity. Sexism is when one gender is disadvantaged. Using smiling woman and their bodies as a decoration for any product is pejorative”, it claims.
The offence is compounded because, “equating a Black women with chocolate milk is not only sexist but also racist. Especially non-white women have had enough of being ridiculed in Germany as exotic objects.”
Adding: “We are living in 2015, in a time when women want to be more than milkmaids and we should show new female role models to our children” before calling for a boycott.
Müllermilch marketing chief Markus Geprägs told Der Westen: “Ultimately it is a matter of taste that should not be over-interpreted”.
He said the Christmas designs were merely a replacement for the recently discontinued illustrated Halloween bottles, which had proven very popular.
A statement from the company explained the bottles were, “far less revealing than what is seen on a daily basis, often in advertisements, TV spots and across all forms of media which show bare skin”.
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