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Bic Does It Again: This Time It’s A Pink ‘Miss Bic’ Lighter For Candles, And It Costs More Than The Blue One

Published on: May 30, 2017 at 11:44 AM
By Stacey Cole

Bic sparked a furor on social media for releasing a pink Miss Bic lighter with an image of a scented candle and a blue one for lighting BBQ grills and log fires.

The seemingly sexist gesture caught fire on social media after a Twitter user named Juste photographed the Miss Bic lighter along with its manly, blue counterpart in a hardware store in Germany.

Sharing the photo online, Juste sarcastically pointed out that her “fragile female hand will be able to light a candle too.”

Bic, the company, is now facing a great deal of criticism from feminists, who have branded the Miss Bic lighter a sexist product.

Feminists have slammed Bic for its sexist presumption that women’s need for a lighter are limited only to lighting scented candles while only men can handle lighting BBQ grills and log fires.

As if it wasn’t enough to drive feminists around the globe mad, the pink Miss Bic lighter also comes with a higher price tag, which prompted users to joke that empowerment costs an extra $1.

Another user even managed to bring the pay gap into this, arguing that the Miss Bic lighter should be cheaper.

Bic’s seemingly sexist Miss Bic lighter has come under fire all over social media, as Juste’s tweet served as a tiny spark that grew into massive fire, generating 2,600 likes and nearly 2,400 retweets.

Even Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette responded to the sexism controversy surrounding Miss Bic by sarcastically quipping that Bic gave women “the secret of fire.”

The raging feminist fire surrounding the sexist Miss Bic lighter even reached Bic, with the brand claiming the controversial lighter would be discontinued by 2018.

In addition to believing that only men can be responsible for BBQs, Bic seems to believe that “fragile women hands” require an alternative shape of the lighter, which is probably why the Miss Bic lighter comes with a curved angle of the tip.

The Daily Mail reached out to Bic, with a spokesperson for the brand explaining the brand’s seemingly sexist presumption that all women are capable of is lighting scented candles.

The spokesperson explained that “candles and BBQs are common illustrations in lighters packaging,” adding that “Bic megalighters Flex [Miss Bic] have a flexible end” while other Bic lighters don’t, which explains the price difference.

“As a company we are committed to support gender equality and women’s empowerment.”

Despite defending Bic’s decision to sell the seemingly sexist Miss Bic and saying that their products are “designed for all,” the spokesperson revealed that the line of these lighters would be discontinued by 2018.

It’s not the first time Bic has been accused of sexism, as the brand has prompted furious responses from feminists in the past. In 2015, Bic released an ad celebrating Women’s Day that encouraged women to “Think like a man.”

“Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a boss.”

However, this appears to be at least similar to one of Steve Harvey’s quotes, as even multi-millionairess Paris Hilton recently posted this quote on her Twitter account.

In 2011, Bic was at the center of yet another sexist scandal when it released pens exclusively for women , claiming that those pens were “designed to fit comfortably in a woman’s hand” and were available in “attractive barrel design available in pink and purple,” according to the Telegraph .

While Bic may maintain that its intentions were harmless, the sexist pens, caused quite a stir among users on social media. But what remains baffling is that Bic have not learned from their pen faux pas, and still thought it a good idea to release a lighter for women. What’s next?

[Featured Image by PRNewsFoto/BIC/AP Images]

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