I tried a macho, creatine-loaded cereal “for men.” Did I mention I'm a woman?
I am anything but the target demographic of the new brand called, painfully, Man Cereal . I know the creators of this concoction are not trying to sell me this breakfast. I don’t know this because I asked, but because the cereal’s branding basically screams, “BRO, THIS WILL JACK UR DELTS.” The box features bold, black typography and a solitary cereal puff against a white background. The website commands you to “add some balls to your breakfast.” And for the low-low price of $58 per pack of three, you can feast on 2.5 mg of creatine per serving. If a cereal could do a chest thump, this one would.
But I, a 40-year-old cisgender woman, am eternally curious and newly into weightlifting. And sure, perhaps I’m still susceptible to the quiet lure of a product that claims it will give humans (or just men?) more energy and muscle gains, and/or otherwise compensate for the slow and steady creep of middle age. Also, I am a wellness journalist; trying weird things on purpose is basically a work requirement.
So after being served one too many macho ads while scrolling through weightlifting routines on Instagram, I decided to see what high-protein, creatine-loaded, absurdly marketed Man Cereal could do for me.
