Real Girls Eat French Fries

You might have noticed that McDonald is trying to create a healthy and refined image rather than the junk (oops I mean fast) food joint that it is.

It bought part ownership in Pret a Manger recently. Pret a Manger or Pret for short is an English resturant chain which prides itself on fresh sandwiches, natural foods and clean quick service. It also serves one of the best shots of espresso I ever tried. If you are ever in London or the UK forget Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, or Harrods, run to a Pret and order an espresso, you will thank me for it. But I am steering off the subject.

Back to McDees, McDonald's in its recent campaigns is encouraging healthy eating, sports, fruits and salads even though the Big Mac, Fries and Milkshake is a killer combination in more ways than one. I always liked McDonald and did not think it should become an organic sterile bland health shop. The following Business Week article written by a group of smart girls agrees with me, one long quote follows:

So what does a girl want? What would be a successful natural new product? Below is fast food brainstorming done girlstyle. We rolled up our sleeves and took a look at girls and their food -- what drives them during ordering, how they diet, and the relevant differences between how boys and girls eat. Armed with these insights we hoped to get some ideas for McDonald to work with that support the brand, not abandon it.

Girlstyle dieting is a sophisticated art form. Yes we care about our weight, but maybe not the way you think -- at least not when it comes to McDonald. It's more subtle and complex than just throwing down a salad and calling it a day. When girls diet we still order what we crave but we also use strategy.

VIVE LE DIFFERENCE. For example a girl might think: I will only eat a handful of fries instead of scarfing down the whole box, this way I get my pleasure without feeling guilty. Or she might be even more sly. If she decides she wants a hamburger, she'll convince her boyfriend to buy one for himself, knowing she'll take a bite to satisfy her own craving. Convoluted? Yes, but this is the calculus real girls use to negotiate their food during a diet.

Boys are functional eaters. Girls are experiential. If you pay close attention you'll notice that there are significant differences in how they eat. Eating is much more of an event, an experience, for girls than it is for boys (and often this drives boys crazy!). Guys are functional. They grab, they swallow, and you wonder if they even chew. They will eat anything, anywhere, and they execute the task with great efficiency. For girls eating is about more than just the food.


The article "Real Girls Eat French Fries" can be read here.