As women are finally seeing some results in equality, a lot of us are noticing that there are various items that have seemed to secure a specific gender. For several years, we have purchased and lived with these particular items, unaware of how ridiculous it is to categorize inanimate objects by gender. As consumers, we are expected to favor certain smells and colors according to our gender. The next time you take a trip to the grocery store, I encourage you to examine the items that you have grabbed for purchase, and decide if they are gender-neutral or specific. Until then, take a look at these unnecessarily gendered items that I had discovered at my local Walmart:

1. Stickers

Labels like these teach our youth to only like "feminine" or "masculine" kid idols and animals according to their gender. At a young age, they are expected to follow typical gender roles. So apparently, boys are not allowed to like cats, and girls can't enjoy Star Wars.

2. Boxing Gloves

This is one of many items that is gender-specific by color. Only women are allowed to wear pink gloves, according to the brand Everlast. If you look closely, the black gloves, that are represented by a man, are not labeled as "men's", so clearly sizing isn't a factor in labeling these gloves, just sexism.

3. Shampoo

I'm pretty sure both men and women like to shampoo their hair. I would love to know what is so different about men's hair that sparked Dove's idea to produce their own shampoo. I could understand that some men don't want their hair to smell like "flowery", "girl" shampoo, but not every girl wants that scent either. It would make more since to categorize shampoo by fragrance, rather than sex.

4. Razors

These razors are exactly the same! The only characteristic that made these razors "for women" is the pink color. I'm sorry Equate, what? Your sexism is as cheap as your razors.

5. Birthday Cards

As a girl, I would rather receive a Spider-Man card over a Doc McStuffins card any day. Neither of the cards included words like "daughter" or "son" either, so I'm not quite understanding why girls are propelled to like the "cuter" card and why boys should't.

6. Earmuffs

Once again, we run into an example of gender specificity by color. The color pink has no gender, so why should these earmuffs?

7. Soap

I'm assuming both genders enjoy being clean and fresh, but please tell me if otherwise, Dove. First shampoo, now soap? Men must really need something much more special than the other soap you used to produce for everyone.

8. Baby Albums

Even fresh-out-of-the-womb boys and girls are labeled by the two colors. There was a "gender-fluid" album that I later found, but it was green. Is that color supposed to represent neutrality? Why can't a newborn be a "sweet baby boy" with a pink album?

9. Face Wash

Everyone's skin is very different, but acne is not prejudice against gender. This face wash is packaged and promises the exact same results as my Neutrogena face wash does, except this one's for "men". Does this make men want to take care of themselves more when it's targeted towards them?

10. Toys

These toys don't directly say "for girls", but the products are only being advertised toward little girls through the various pictures of them playing with the dolls. Not a single toy in this pink, "girl" section was pictured with a boy, which, in turn, may discourage boys who do want to play with dolls and kitchen play sets to actually indulge themsleves in it.

11. Deodorant

Both deodorants are "fresh" scented and long-lasting, but one is pink, so it must only be for women. We don't care if our deodorant is decorated with purple or pink, we just want it to work.

Although it is practical to design the shape and fit of clothes based on the body types of the two sexes, categorizing any other object by gender is inappropriate, and I was very disappointed to find a slew of such products at my local Walmart. Speaking on behalf of many boys and girls, we should be allowed to choose products that we genuinely enjoy, not what brands demand our gender to use. Gender-specific products will refrain consumers from choosing what they really like. Several boys will abstain from choosing a Barbie over a Spider-man doll in fear of rebelling the brands target market and being rejected by their peers, and the same applies to many girls. We have to create a gender-neutral world where labels mean nothing, and that starts with eliminating such stereotypical marketing by refusing to support such absurdity.