Recently, I was shopping at my local super center store when I spotted a metallic pink fishing rod and reel. I admired it for a bit and moved on with shopping. Later, I saw the same set online and checked out the item description: "designed for the female angler, Ready 2 Fish Combo with Kit includes everything she needs to start fishing today."
I guess women apparently need their own special fishing rods to learn how to fish! The review went on to describe how the kit is hard to break and that the tackle box will stop users from losing their lures. I didn't realize that women are so prone to breaking and losing equipment. All joking aside, I was upset to see that this equipment company found it necessary to design a product for women because this implies that fishing is a men's sport with equipment too difficult for the average woman or girl to use.
Why do companies think we need our own special product?
This issue extends beyond a fishing set. A popular saddle company, CWD Sellier, released a new product called the 2GS Mademoiselle. Their website advertises the saddle in pink font as a "finer and lighter saddle with horsewomen in mind." It goes on to applaud the saddle for releasing strain on the female pelvis. Maybe we should just go back to having women sit sidesaddle! That would surely minimize pelvic strain. The creation of this product also seems ironic because society typically stereotypes anything having to do with horses as "female." Why then, is there a sudden push to create an exclusively female saddle? Even better, you can customize the product to have pink piping for that "additional feminine touch."
My frustration after learning about these products reminded me of a recent segment on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show." Ellen addressed a line of Bic pens "for her," sarcastically praising the company for finally creating pens that women can use.
She pokes fun at the social construct dictating that women need instructions to learn how to work things. These pens, unlike the fishing kit, don't provide any guidance. How are women supposed to know how to write with them?
After watching Ellen's video, I went to Amazon to read more about these female-branded pens. I was shocked by the item description, which includes phrases like, "sleek pen silhouette and jeweled accents add style," and "fashion ink." Excuse me, but what is "fashion ink?" I don't really care if my pens have rhinestones or some kind of feminized ink — I just want to be able to take notes in class or at work.
It isn't just about sporting equipment and pens. If you walk down the deodorant or shaving aisle at your local convenience store, you can spot an obvious price disparity between men's and women's products. Our pink and purple razors, which society deems feminine, cost way more than the male equivalent. This is unfair and made worse by the fact that we still have a huge gender pay gap. Women are making less but being charged more for daily expenses.
There have been some cases where products "for her" haven't made it to market. In 2004, Volvo debuted a new vehicle called the Volvo YCC (Your Concept Car). Volvo's goal was to create a car to fit the "needs" of female drivers. I, for one, didn't realize that my driving needs are different than those of a man. I can commend Volvo for one thing — they employed an entirely female team to design the vehicle, which is pretty cool.
However, reading about the car's design left me disappointed. It includes special indentations on the headrest for ponytails and extra space for handbags and accessories. More amusingly, the bumpers are constructed with dent-resistant materials. Perfect, because women are clearly worse drivers and are more likely to dent and scratch their vehicles.
In my mind, the most sexist aspect of this model is the fact that you cannot open the hood of the car. Only mechanics are able to access the engine because, why on Earth would a woman want to hassle with examining things under the hood? The YCC never moved past the concept stage, but still illustrates how marketers think women need their own special products to function in daily life.
How can we respond to all this? Don't buy products that are advertised as female products. Know that you can fish or drive or even use pens as well as any man can. Pay attention when you shop. Try and notice obvious price disparities and inform others. Let's attempt to prove to marketers that we don't need more expensive products that they see as catering to our female "needs."
