As a woman living in today’s oversaturated, consumerist media culture, it is nearly impossible not to feel inundated by products promising to correct the apparently endless imperfections, deviations, and undesirable traits I possess simply by virtue of my female body. It is equally impossible to escape the obviously sexist marketing behind so many of these products, right down to the names and colors used to market them. Even products as seemingly gender-neutral as deodorant or razors receive highly unequal treatment when marketed to men and women.
But this inherent inequality doesn’t stop with mere branding. Additionally, products marketed toward women are consistently more expensive than those meant for men, even when the products perform identical functions. A 2015 study by the New York City Department of Internal Affairs found that “women’s” products cost an average of seven percent more than their male counterparts, a discrepancy that reached as high as 13 percent for personal care products, such as deodorants, razors, hair products, and more.
The hidden cost of this gendered marketing is known as the “pink tax,” and over the course of a woman’s life can compound into a truly significant (but largely ignored) toll on what is considered the cost of merely living. After all, in a society that so consistently reinforces normative gender roles, down to the binary color lines of blue for boys and pink for girls, and which encourages women’s tacit acceptance of extensive personal grooming in order to be seen as normal, it can be difficult, if not outright impossible, to avoid buying into such an obviously unfair system.
On a personal level, I often find myself seduced by the cute pinks and purples of female-marketed products, drawn in by promises of coconut- or rose-scented body wash, convinced that if I buy Old Spice instead of Secret deodorant, everyone will somehow be able to tell that I’m failing some implicit gender test. But as much as I love these products, I also want to support the mission of a consumer economy that is truly fair and free of gender bias. Because of that, here are three tips that I’ve found to help fight the “pink tax”:
Buy more gender-neutral products.
Or products that are clearly marketed towards men. Though they are not always cheaper, they often are, and, honestly, they usually do the job just as well. With the example of Old Spice vs. Secret deodorant, I’ve consistently used “male”-marketed deodorants for years and can personally testify to the fact that they get the job done and don’t make me smell “manly,” whatever that even means.
Switch to reusable menstrual products.
Though I have yet to personally make this switch, I intend to soon, especially after doing more research into the deep inequality of the “pink tax.” It is plainly unfair that the products used to help women deal with a totally normal and incredibly frequent occurrence are so wildly expensive. Switching to a reusable method, such as the Diva or Moon Cups, Thinx underwear, or other options can be immensely cost effective in the long run, as well as cut down on a lot of pastel-toned packaging. I have a few friends who have made the switch to Diva Cups and absolutely love them.
Be more critical and mindful in our consumer decisions.
I will be the first to admit that when picking between two products, I often choose the one that is superficially the cutest, or that I’ve seen in an ad while glancing through Vogue. And while there’s nothing wrong with making an aesthetic choice, I think that it’s important to be aware of when we are doing so instead of blindly following whatever consumer trends we’re told to love.
Women hold immense consumer power. What we decide to buy or not to buy has a huge effect on the economic marketplace, so by merely being mindful of our own shopping trends and rejecting unfairly priced and ridiculously gendered products, we can truly fight for greater equality.
