Girl, 10, forces Kellogg’s to change ‘sexist’ slogan on Coco Pops.
A SCHOOLGIRL has struck a blow against sexism by persuading Kellogg’s to change the message on its Coco Pops boxes – to show fathers make breakfast just as often as mothers.
Hannah-Marie Clayton, 10, was incensed at the slogan on her favourite cereal, which said: “Loved by kids, approved by mums.”
She wrote to the company pointing out that her father James, 47, a landscape gardener, is often on breakfast duty because her mother Anne-Marie, 48, is an airline cabin crew leader.
Kellogg’s has now promised to alter the wording on the boxes to read: “Approved by parents”. It will be on supermarket shelves in November.
Hannah-Marie’s protest echoes that of Meghan Markle who, at 11, made Procter & Gamble change a “sexist” washing-up liquid TV advert showing a sink of dirty dishes as a voiceover said: “Women are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Soap.”
After receiving a letter from her, the company changed the wording.
Hannah-Marie, of Bournemouth, who is a pupil at St Walburga’s School, said: “My mum was away so I was just with my dad when I saw it on the cereal box.
“It made me think that dads should be included as well because they are important too. Also, some people don’t have a mum and they might find it upsetting.”
Her letter said: “I feel that quote is sexist, men are also able to make breakfast. “My dad does it a lot for me because my mum works away a lot and is not always there for breakfast. I would recommend instead of putting ‘mums’, put parents or carers. It would just mean a small change. In this world today we shouldn’t just rely on women.”
She was amazed when a letter from Kellogg’s arrived, saying: “I wanted to let you know that we’ve recently renewed our research and our new pack design will refer to approval from both mums and dads. Apologies for any offence caused and thank you for your feedback, which has played a part in our decision to change.”
Mrs Clayton said: “James and I are both very proud of Hannah-Marie. You can make a difference, no matter how big or small, if you voice an opinion – even to a large corporation.”
A Kellogg’s spokeswoman said: “We agree with HannahMarie: Dads love to have Coco Pops too. We’ll start making these in a couple of weeks when the changes to our cereal pack printers have been made.”
