Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a number of feminism blogs and even the Wall Street Journal discussing the new Butch Bakery cupcakes sold in New York City. Billed as the “manly cupcake,” it comes in 12 different varieties such as, the Jackhammer, Campout and Driller.

While some of them sound really good like the Rum & Coke and Sidecar, my first reaction was to laugh. Do guys really look at desserts and deem them too feminine to eat? During my years working in various PR sectors, I’ve thrown a lot of events and fundraisers and attended even more. I’ve never seen men refuse sweets because they were too “girly.”

I think it’s an interesting gimmick, and I’m not going to fault anyone for being an entrepreneur. It does strike me as odd because the most masculine examples that come to mind never acknowledge the “masculinity” factor. Unless it’s some Tim Allen comedy routine, did the Marlboro Man or John Wayne ever discuss the inherent sexism in cupcakes? The concept of a manly cupcake simply conflicts with the image of masculinity. Would Don Draper put down his Lucky Strike to pick up a Butch Cupcake?

Is this an interesting sales pitch or masculinity interpreted through the eyes of an urbanized, metrosexual male? According to the web site, “Our objective is simple. We’re men. Men who like cupcakes. Not the frilly, pink-frosted sprinkles-and-unicorn kind of cupcakes. We make manly cupcakes. For manly men.” (They need James Earl Jones to narrate the site for the most impact.)

Are real men going to seek out the most masculine type of cupcakes available or wander clueless into the nearest Walmart and ask the bakery department for cupcakes because their wife/girlfriend/mother sent them? Is this like the dessert version of the cocktail? Real men aren’t going to eat cupcakes covered in sprinkles or order fruity cocktails with paper umbrellas?

I also feel like we’ve arrived at some pre-apocalyptic point in society when reality has turned into a Mel Brooks/Monty Python satire because people are seriously discussing the gender implications of cupcakes.