If you see a baby bundled in pink in a stroller you assume that it is a baby girl, right? If you see a pink toy and a blue toy you assume that pink is for girls and the blue toy is for boys, right? The same color associations seem to permeate all areas of our lives. Whether it is pens, pencils, razors, school supplies, clothing...basically anything of color can be assigned a gender by society's norms and expectations.
The assignment of gender to colors is outdated itself, yet this is a problem that is manifest within the economy. Special items "for her" are often more expensive than the "male" counterparts. This is called the pink tax, and not only do women have to pay more for products, but women already make less than men do.
What is the pink tax?
Chances are, you haven't even realized all of the different ways that women are charged more. When buying deodorant, for example, it costs more for a women's scent of deodorant than men's. This goes for many personal products including body washes, lotion, soap, hair products, and face products.
Do you see what I mean? Same product. Same purpose. Same number of items. Yet, it costs almost an entire dollar more to shave your legs with a pink razor rather than a blue.
There is no way to make sense of this; there is no blatant reason that women should be charged more for products that are the exact same. This issue goes hand in hand with the tampon tax that spreads throughout the United States. An unfair taxation on feminine products targets women specifically and puts an economic burden on women that men do not face.
I bet you did not know that women cannot write with an average pen! No, her delicate hands could not handle black or blue pens. It would be a disgrace. Don't worry, though, Bic released packs of pens specifically for women! Don't fret over your lack of writing utensils because finally, you can use a pink pen to write down recipes and grocery lists.
Yeah, right. BIC majorly messed up with this one. Seriously?! Even the suggestion that a pack of pens specifically for women would appeal to women is an embarrassment. I wonder how this ever made it through the ranks of BIC. Oh wait, maybe it is a male-dominated world in there...
What can you do?
Well, for starters, don't buy the more expensive items! Buy that blue razor, pack of pens, and men's deodorant (if the differing scents do not bother you). Purchasing items intended for women is submitting to the unfair taxation of products targeting a specific audience. It is outright ridiculous and insulting that women are expected to buy gendered products while men can buy normal, average products. Are women abnormal? Who knows what advertising companies are thinking? All I can emphasize is to do your part and refuse female targeted products that you can live without. No, I'm not talking about makeup or perfume. I am talking about a damn pack of pink pens that are supposed to appeal to a woman's femininity.
