On the wrapper of the British chocolate bar "Yorkie" it says in bold letters "Not for Girls!" Does this sexist statement cause any controversy in the UK?

In the 1980s for example, toy Corgi Yorkie lorries were available and TV ads featured truckers. The recent ad campaign made this more explicit with the slogan It's not for girls, which caused very minor controversy. In fact, Nestlé has recently received complaints about this campaign from Norwegian customers, who find it sexist and distasteful. Special versions for use in Ministry of Defence ration packs read It's not for civvies. In 2006 a special edition that was for girls was sold, wrapped in pink. Aside from the original milk chocolate bar, several variants have and are still being produced, like a biscuit and raisin flavour and even Yorkie Ice Cream.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkie_(chocolate_bar)

Well, I found this on the third page of googling

http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2005/11/feminism_and_popular_culture

so I'd have to say that no, it doesn't cause any noticable controversy. Matters could get a bit heated if a shopkeeper refused to sell me one, but no sensible person would come between me and chocolate! I'm more of a cadbury's dairy milk girl!

My daughter and her friend did once write in to complain once (they were aged about 11 at the time), but only because they were hoping to get some free chocolate by way of compensation. They didn't!

Other than that I've never heard it mentioned. I think it's just taken as a piece of fun.

The idea behind the Yorkie adverts is that females weren't buying them. The 'prohibition' was to make them sell better to females, and it has, I believe, worked. Apart from which, the population of the UK has possibly a better sense of humour than that of the USA and Norway.

I've seen them in the US occasionally and although I used to be a fan of the Yorkie bar (I'm a Yorkshireman myself) I refused to buy it because I felt it was sexist. I may buy Yorkie (or Nestle products in general) once they remove that slogan, but most likely I'll boycott the company, which I've found to be somewhat disreputable in other ways (the baby formula in Africa debate). The pink Yorkie 'for girls' is similarly sexist.

As for Britons having a better sense of humour than Americans, I agree. But sexism is not funny in either country. If it has become funny in the UK then I guess British humour has declined markedly in recent years.

I'll stick with Cadburys.