Pinnacle foods makes frozen dinners, called Hungry Man, that cater to people looking for a quick, complete meal. While some of these meals are absolutely delicious, it’s a little off-putting for females to buy a frozen dinner that explicitly states that it’s for men. Here are three reasons why.
1. It makes a woman feel like she’s eating too much. Even though there’s a normal sized meal in the box, the fact that it says “Hungry Man” on the front makes it seem like it’s not appropriate for women. As a female, I don’t want to seem like I have the appetite of a hungry man, even though apparently, according to Pinnacle’s standards, I do.
2. Unless she lives with a man, it feels silly to buy something called Hungry Man. Buying “Hungry Man” makes a woman feel silly if she knows she’ll be the one eating this frozen dinner. While the 7 minutes microwave time on meals like fried chicken with vegetables makes these awesome choices for a woman on the go, most women are going to keep walking past this option in the store.
3. It’s a sexist name. Why not go with two separate lines: “Hungry Man” and “Hungry Woman” if there must be a gender specific name on the box of delicious frozen meals that each go so far as to include a brownie. Let’s go ahead and make two more lines called “Hungry Kids” and “Hungry Teens” so there’s no confusion on those points either. I’m not an super-feminist by any means, but for some reason this issue irritates me.
The reason I care is because I actually find these meals absolutely wonderful- aside from the stupid name. The chicken varieties are the best. There are also ribs, but I find the idea of boneless ribs a little disturbing. There are Salisbury steaks as well, but these are a little too reminiscent of cafeteria school food for my palate. The fried chicken breasts are as close to home-cooked as it gets, without actually cooking these at home. And though I prefer eating healthier, more organic foods most of the time, occasionally a hungry woman simply craves a….Hungry Man. There- I’ve said it. Now, Pinnacle, kindly change the name so I never have to put those words together again. Thanks.