Bitter Women Pulling Pints, Not Punches.
We all have ideas. Some of which, we can easily see how they can turn into a tangible product, brand or movement. A much more important question is why? Why does this idea deserve to be made into a reality? It comes from their origin. If an idea is born out of frustration at the status quo, it has a place in the world. Bitter Women is an idea that deserves, or rather needs to be made. In the words of the founder, Fê Sasson de Campos, “we aim to put more women in beer and more beer in women”.
Fê has worked at The Brunswick pub for three years now, where she’s served amazing craft beers and learnt about the industry. This experience has given her first-hand insights. One of the most common gender biases brought up was subconsciously steering women away from beer. Whether it’s with family or when out drinking. For example, bartenders instinctively giving women cocktails and pints to men. She explained the roadmap of eureka moments that brought the project into fruition. First, came the realisation that she would do the same thing at work. It would never be a conscious decision, but it happened. She said, “the gender bias is so engrained in the beer world that it makes us all act unconsciously to support those assumptions”. So, she started to question why this is ignored? As an advertising student, she took a deep-dive into the media. Advertising and social movements often overlap now, so why is this gender-bias not being tackled? By digging into beer campaigns, their target audience became blatant. “What started as an inner monologue on how to be a better bartender evolved into a shout for equality”.
Every detail of Bitter Women’s branding is empowering. Fê explained that, as many women drink beer, it’s easy to jump to the assumption that it’s already a fair space. For the project to make a difference, the existing barriers to entry need to be highlighted. For example, take their Port Belly grape ale. This beer shows the challenges of beauty standards and the pressure forced on women to look a certain way. The drinking culture is so prominent in the UK that it can appear as an immovable object. Bitter Women refuse to look at it that way. As well as the beer names, the narrative behind them, the glassware, coasters, stickers and more create such a coherent tone of voice. The clearer the voice, the harder the issue is to ignore. The all female team consists of Fê, an art director, a brewing assistant, a photographer and an ever-growing network of creative consultants.
To support Bitter Women, support the cause. Question everything. Don’t make gender-biased assumptions on drink choices, don’t be patronising and dissect the beer adverts you’re poured on a regular basis. Bitter Women is currently in the testing phase, but you can still follow them on Instagram to keep updated and join in with the dialogue.
“We were so thirsty for a change, we are brewing our own beer”.
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