A few years back, M&S revealed a power couple to rival all power couples.
The famous Colin the Caterpillar cake got a brand new girlfriend, Connie, in 2016, and their love story continued, with a wedding and even some chocolate-covered babies following.
But now, as part of Marks and Spencer’s new ‘Love is in the Air’ range, customers can switch it up and buy two Colins or two Connies as a set – in what the luxury supermarket calls the ‘first-ever same-gender pairing.’
In an Instagram post on their official food PR page, the retailer said, ‘For the first time ever at M&S, you can pick your favourite pair with our half-size Colin and Colin, Connie and Connie, or Colin and Connie. Made with chocolatey Swiss rolls decorated with milk chocolate, hearts and sprinkles.’
It’s not the only move the brand has made to be more representative, either.
LGBTQ+ news outlet Openly report that M&S has brought back their same-gender Valentine’s cards, as well as working to make their existing collection more gender-neutral as part of a bid to ‘be more inclusive.’
While many customers appeared pleased at the new cake range – with several Instagram users taking to the comments to praise the store’s representation of a wider range of relationships – others appeared concerned that the new range was a ‘gimmick’.
Several Twitter users pointed to M&S’s ‘LGBT sandwich’ that was rolled out in 2019, which was a version of their BLT sub. At the time, the food product faced backlash by members of the LGBTQ+ community, with some calling it an ‘insulting marketing stunt’.
Critics also pointed out that the same-gender couplings of the cakes adhere to rigid gender binaries, meaning that couples where one or more partners are gender nonconforming were still not represented.
A cake is never going to be a spokesperson or advocate for LGBTQ+ rights – or anything, for that matter, as it is an inanimate food object.
Hopefully, however, this is among the many tiny steps we’re taking to normalising all types of couples, and depicting a more rounded view of how we love.
Customers can purchase the Valentine’s Day range, including Colin and Connie Caterpillar cakes, on the M&S website or in-store.
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