Energy Drinks Are for Girls Now, Too

"Recently, though, a new kind of energy drink has emerged. Or rather, the same drinks have emerged in a new package. The active ingredients tend to be pretty much the same-taurine, guarana, and, most saliently, caffeine-but the marketing is gentler, the flavors are fruitier, and the cans are cuter. Beverage companies seem to have realized something that-not to brag-I have understood since I was about 15: There is nothing inherently male, or masculine, about being tired."

"In the 1980s, an Austrian businessman fell in love with Krating Daeng, a bottled drink adored in Thailand for helping workers stay alert. He partnered with that company's founder, added carbonation (to appeal to international consumers), and rebranded it with an English name. Thus Red Bull was born, and an entirely new class of beverage was introduced to the world."

"These drinks came in flavors such as "Hardcore Apple" and, um, "Assault"; the art on their cans referenced venomous snakes, mythical beasts, the military. The companies that made them tended to forgo traditional advertising in favor of sponsoring athletes famous for getting punched or jumping off things. Their slogans made promises invoking conquest and might: A can of this stuff would give you wings, fuel your fire, unleash the beast."

Energy drinks emerged as a distinct beverage category in the 1990s when an Austrian businessman adapted Thailand's Krating Daeng, creating Red Bull with added carbonation for international appeal. The industry grew to approximately $80 billion by differentiating from the saturated soda market. Early brands like Monster and Rockstar employed aggressive masculine marketing with military and beast imagery, sponsoring extreme athletes and using conquest-themed slogans. Recently, energy drink companies have fundamentally shifted their approach, maintaining similar active ingredients like caffeine, taurine, and guarana while adopting gentler marketing, fruitier flavors, and cuter packaging designs to appeal to broader demographics beyond the traditionally targeted adolescent male audience.

Read at The Atlantic