food

Freshness invents wrapper to help women feel comfortable chomping into a burger

20 Comments

A Japanese burger company has a new burger wrapper designed exclusively to help women eat burgers more politely.

According to a widely circulated YouTube video created by the advertising company Dentsu Tokyo Inc, Japan’s Freshness Burger noticed that their largest burger on the menu (the “Classic Burger”) was very popular with male customers, but not with women.

They assumed the reason for this gender discrepancy was because in Japan, it’s attractive for a woman to have what’s known as an “Ochobo” — a small mouth that one politely, and modestly, covers when open in public.

So Freshness Burger and Dentsu invented what they have dubbed a “Liberation Wrapper,” a burger wrapper that doubles as a face mask with the picture of a woman smiling politely.

According to Freshness Burger, after introducing the sexist wrapper, sales of the “Classic Burger” rose by 213%.

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20 Comments
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Can't we just enjoy the pleasure of eating without having to enrich the coffers of some false modesty business?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There is a reason why British royalty refuses to allow photographs while they are eating. No one--men or women--looks that great when chowing down (though the J girls who nibble one bean sprout at a time behind a discrete hand come close). This solves that problem, but it does look a bit creepy.

I'm not particularly enthusiastic, however, about any cultural standard that suppresses the ability of women to be relaxed and natural and still considered beautiful. That goes for all cultures--and all cultures have this double standard.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

That is so clean and discreet.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Full marks for trying the language

Exactly. It was a noble effort, but difficult to follow.

As for the campaign, points for seeing a cultural point that they could use to sell more product. It's cute and makes people feel more comfortable about eating. Nothing wrong with that.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

My friend in america asked me about this and I made a video challenging the myth....

Full marks for trying the language, and I hate to criticize when anyone tries to communicate in another language, but sadly have to agree with Probie. The staff's reaction was more of "What is he trying to say??"

4 ( +4 / -0 )

My friend in america asked me about this and I made a video challenging the myth....

I agree with the poster above. I am not sure they knew what he was talking about. I sure would not have had your link not been in this discussion. Besides, the campaign just started recently, not 'last year' as your friend stated. I do not know what the store staff thought they were answering, but it was not about this. Since this is happening this year, not last year.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@white_shinobi

Maybe you should get someone who actually speaks understandable Japanese to ask next time? Because I'm sure they just didn't have a clue what you were asking.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

No offense, because I appreciate the effort in trying to confirm this, but if I hadn't known what you were talking about, I would have had no idea what you were talking about. Maybe get a Japanese person, or someone who can explain what they were talking about to go in and ask the question. It may also have been only in limited stores, so asking a counter girl making minimum wage may not get an accurate answer. Asking head office would be better.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Not true...

My friend in america asked me about this and I made a video challenging the myth....

http://youtu.be/JkrSwq_bShQ

Please post more up to date news ;)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

More mysterious X'mas presents to confound the family back home with...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Hopefully they only give this wrapper to females? What if you just order a bunch for a group or take-out? Do they ask how many are for females?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

They can call it the Tatemae Wrapper.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This was in the Daily Mail weeks ago. Somehow, it's never favorable Japanese news that leaks abroad. First, musical bidets, now this. What next, hijab and veil?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

This is pure brilliance on the part of freshness burger. The person who came up with it should get a raise... but probably didn't. Still, great idea to increase sales with just a little change.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Different cultures have different standards. What is right for a Yank or Brit woman is not always right for a Japanese woman, at least not until the one-world monoculture takes full effect. For a commenter here to criticize a person for behaving in a way that is normal in her culture and goes back to a period of time when Brits were battling in peat bogs imaginary monsters such as Grendel, and half a millennium before the first proto-Yank ever set foot in North America, is a particularly arrogant and supercilious form of racism that I find sad. What is next? Criticizing Japanese for eating with sticks instead of the proper, civilized eating utensils of fork, knife and spoon? It is not the prerogative of expats living outside their own cultures to sneer at locals. It is to try to understand, accept and adapt to the differences. No one expects expats to wholeheartedly and completely adopt cultures not their own. But a little understanding is essential. Without some understanding of the alien culture they find themselves in expats are nothing more than festering blights with, really, no business stepping outside their own doors in their home countries. That is, if locals on that level would tolerate such bigotry.

The hamburger wrapper is a brilliant solution to the perceived ochobo problem. I find it interesting that at even a fast-food level a problem was noted, analyzed and had a possible solution attempted. And look at the results! A tripling of sales in one demographic! But was it really the ochobo solution that led to the rise in sales or the novelty of having the lower part of one's face transform into a beautiful woman while eating? Maybe both.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

And the dumbest invention of all time award goes to....

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Where's Freud when we need him?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

And it gets more rediculous.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

They are only denied the "wild pleasure of taking mouth-sized bites" because that's their decision. Why should they worry what the person sitting at the next table may be thinking? You are in a burger joint, not a fine French Restaurant, dig in and enjoy yourself.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I suppose the next step is to sit behind a bamboo or shoji screen - just like the good old days!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

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