Iced versus hot coffee: Sexism in unnecessary places

By Brannagh Rattigan

The differences between a man and a woman will always allow sexism to thrive in our prejudiced society — this fact is not unknown. However, while this truth does provide me with a nasty headache each day, what really eats me alive is the constant microaggressions rooted in a deep misunderstanding of the female sex. 

The current debate I have seen floating around various social media platforms is iced versus hot coffee, specifically how iced coffee is considered a “girly” drink for being sweet in flavor and cold in temperature. 

As our world shifts to be more knowledgeable about gender and inclusivity, I find it equally as important to understand where gender is not necessary; I can confidently say that coffee does not have gender.

I cannot help but notice that anytime I drink my large caramel iced coffee with oat milk and sugar from Dunkin’, the men around me have something to say about it.

“Do you want any coffee with your sugar?” or “Is there even any coffee in that?” just to name a few of the remarks I am burdened with while I try to get my caffeine intake for the day. 

Even though these comments do not directly address gender, it is quite obviously intended to highlight a man’s masculinity, because he, apparently, does not need sweet additives or fun and joy in a cup to enjoy his coffee. Often, I have heard, “real men drink black coffee,” and to that I say, with that logic, I was not aware my mother is a man.

To this point, I can only stress that, yes, you may enjoy your coffee however you want — black, sweet or full of creamer — but it never needs to be something that provides you security in your manliness.

While I wish this was just my feminist mind pulling strings, there are actual people, and too many of them, who believe drinking hot, black coffee makes them superior to women who choose “feminine” iced coffees. In the BroBible’s article, “Here’s Why People Who Drink Black Coffee Are Superior To Those Who Don’t,”  the author equates drinking black coffee to the Civil War times when soldiers, who were only male, viewed coffee as a rare pleasure, solidifying coffee as a manly substance. They go on to say that drinking black coffee will even improve a man’s performance in bed, because of course, that is all a woman looks for in her partner.

As an iced, sweet-coffee lover myself, as well as a woman, I feel as though I have just gained one more reason to have to prove myself as a hardworking, intelligent being in a world full of sexist men who get away with their antics by labelling themselves as  “rage-baiters.”

In this light, I also see it fit to speak about what would happen if a woman were to drink hot, black coffee in the presence of most men. The amount of times I have seen or heard a man tell a woman it was attractive for her to drink such a ‘manly’ drink is outright insanity to me. I find this depicted in entertainment as well, where a woman’s sex appeal is found in her choice of drink, because of course, she must be special for liking bitter, warm beverages.

Already in daily life, I find I am constantly trying to speak and appear more manly in nature just to be taken seriously, but I draw the line at changing my simple pleasures, such as coffee. I will not happily live in a society where me, as a woman, drinking black coffee will be considered a turn-on for the men around me because, “she is not like other girls.” To be attracted to me by my choice of coffee is an insult that I hope no one will ever bestow upon me.

Furthermore, I will not raise sons or daughters who believe girls are made of “sugar, spice and everything nice,” and that girls order sweet treats just because of their biology. Rather, I will raise children who understand their own preferences, and respect those of others, because, at the end of the day, it does not come down to gender, it comes down to tastebuds.

I have tried to enjoy black coffee in the past, and I simply do not, but I will no longer try to force myself to enjoy it. I drink sweet, iced coffees because they are a constant source of pleasure in my life, not because they make me feel more like a woman. 

With all of that said, I would like to leave you with one final statement: if what you drink depicts your security in your gender, you have larger issues to unpack regarding your identity.

Brannagh Rattigan is a sophomore journalism major