How Society Took Food And Made It Gendered

Today's global citizens have an almost unlimited world cuisine travel pass, yet there is an unspoken divide in our food choices that has persisted for decades: the role of gender. While international migration and cultural crossovers led to wonderful fusion mashups and new cuisines, attempts to bridge the guy-gal food gulf — such as Eva Longoria's ill-fated attempt to open a steakhouse for women —are seen at best as brave, and at worst, as foolish. 

We all need to eat, and we all grow up sharing meals in mixed-gender groups, but at some point, a coding slipped in. Imagining a group of friends sipping smoothies and trading tales after a gym session conjures up an image of a group of ladies in activewear, although men dominate the sports nutrition market and are just as likely to trade gossip as the girls .
Moreover, who makes our food and how they are regarded is another key part of society's gendering of food. This is amplified by the fact that advertisers see the value in women and their domestic labor, even if society doesn't always do so. Since the early 20th century, when companies recognized that women controlled over 75% of consumer spending, experts began to target their ads to women's lives and insecurities. The specifics have changed, but with 60%+ of women still believing ads show more negative female stereotypes than positive ones, the strategy seems to have stayed the same.
How Society Took Food And Made It Gendered