M&M’s Is Pulling Its Spokescandies After Facing Right-Wing Backlash

M&M’s women’s empowerment campaign has officially ended its use of “spokescandies” in the wake of backlash.

M&M’s intended to give a voice to women going against societal expectations, however, there have been many negative responses against their feminist movement.

A message from M&M’S. pic.twitter.com/EMucEBTd9o

— M&M’S (@mmschocolate) January 23, 2023

This month, M&M’s released new limited edition packaging depicting their women mascots upside down with text reading “Supporting women flipping the status quo.”

The brand sponsored multiple inspiring women and feminist organizations on its website. Anyone could nominate women leaders in their lives to win a monetary donation from M&M’s to further their missions. Thus, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Female Founder Collective have both provided donations as support.

Despite M&M’s receiving positive reception with their new packaging campaign, widespread internet backlash came fast and in different forms. On TikTok, an audio clip taken from Tucker Carlson Tonight has gone viral, as well as other commentaries from conservatives claiming that “woke M&M’s” is ridiculous. Below is a compilation of comments made against M&M’s packaging.

@mediamatters Fox News continues to be strangely passionate about M&M’s packaging. #foxnews #tuckercarlson #politics #gutfeld ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Because something as minuscule as candy packaging sparked angry responses, many have found these reactions humorous. The reason why there’s so much outrage with M&M’s “Flipping the Status Quo” campaign, is because many believe these feminist movements have gone too far. Nonetheless, thousands of people on TikTok have mocked Carlson’s aggravated response towards M&M’s.

However, there are a number of reasons why people have taken issue with the M&M’s campaign. Many believe that the company’s #flipthestatusquo move inspired other big brands to vocalize surface-level activism as a marketing strategy.

In the wake of all the backlash towards M&M’s campaign, their recent apology has sparked outrage from their audience.

Friendly reminder that these companies exist in a capitalist culture and don’t actually support women (or any group of people) unless it can get them more dollars. If they /actually/ supported women, they would donate to shelters, lobby to make voting more accessible, etc.

— Sam/サム (@SamBeNoArt) January 23, 2023

Gotta be honest, M&Ms are the ones who look foolish here. Why continue to bend the knee to deeply unserious people? If you can’t stand on your campaign then it makes me question how much you believed in it in the first place. https://t.co/BpFnquuIsf

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) January 24, 2023

Furthermore, some find it strange that M&M’s mascots were even personified in the first place. People have wondered why pieces of candy are being spoken about as if they’re anything more than just candy. Does a cartoon piece of chocolate-wearing boots and glasses mean anything more than a fun design choice?

Am I the only one who never thought about whether M&Ms are sexy?

— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) January 24, 2023

It’s surprising to see the amount of attention the M&M’s campaign has received. The company is already being criticized for the way it responded to the initial backlash, so there is no telling what M&M’s will do next regarding the situation.