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What do you look for when you’re choosing a product? Let’s say the product is something essential but banal, for example, a toothbrush. Do you want it to work how it’s supposed to and be comfortable to use? Obviously. Do you want it to be a color you like? Sure. Admittedly not relevant to how it works, but you do see it several times a day, after all. Do you want it to make you feel like a real man or a woman?

Probably not what most of us think of while we’re brushing our teeth every morning, but apparently, advertisers say yes. Here are some products that we don’t think anyone asked for gendered versions of, as found by people on Twitter.

#1

Unnecessarily-Gendered-Products-Thread

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want to make pink binoculars for people who like pink, that's fine! But gendering binoculars is so unnecessary and stupid

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#2

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Sonja
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, the women's one is usually narrower, but has more space in the...breast area. at least the mine one has.

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Nobody is saying that selling things in a variety of designs is bad—people have different likes and dislikes and we would be bored if everything only came in brown. But is it any wonder why so many girls end up resenting pink and floral patterns when that’s the one look that advertisements and toy packaging tell them they should be choosing, while boys are encouraged to play with toys in red, green, black, and pretty much every other color?

For adults, who have had their whole lives to get to know their own preferences, it seems shallow and infantilizing. And when design comes at the expense of functionality, like pink glue or more fragile razors, it goes from uncomfortable to insulting.

#4

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Miłka Chromińska
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Finally a product for me, I've had enough of using men's shampoo, apricots have delicate hair you know. We need specially formulated shampoos :D

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#5

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Sonja
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

well, sometimes it is better to sort is this way. it is because of herbs inside. better than call it "tea-against-menstruation-pain", or "tea-for-those-who-has-prostate-gland-troubles". this is a better version, i think

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#6

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Falcon
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if it's a play on words. Hand and Man. Still makes little sense tho unless it actually explodes...

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Then there’s the opposite phenomenon, when marketers think things should be designated “for men” because apparently it’s not manly in the first place to use soap, eat bread, or have a cup of tea (chili in tea... I didn't know there was something effeminate about drinking things that taste good and don’t hurt.)

#7

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Ed Souza
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can only imagine the outrage if they made this for women... still funny, I would buy this one as a gag gift.

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To be fair, some products are gendered because of average shape and size measurements or nutritional requirements based on sex. Even in those cases, though, what do we get out of labeling them “for men” or “for women” before said sizing or nutritional benefits? That just confuses and embarrasses people whose needs fall outside of those averages, because our proportions and chemistry vary a lot even within the biological categories of male and female. Further polarizing products by putting nuts and bolts or flowers and glitter on the package adds another uncomfortable layer by conflating our personalities and likes with those physical parameters.

#10

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I’m Foxxy and I know it 😉
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one doesn’t specifically say any gender. There is nothing wrong with having a choice of pink plane or blue plane. Some people (whether girl or boy like pink and others like blue).

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#12

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Ana B.
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just an unrelated reminder that when they say "flushable", that doesn't mean you should flush them. You CAN, but it's not considered a good idea.

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The American Marketing Association has observed that younger consumers are beginning to scoff at advertising that leans on gender, and recommends that brands focus on advertising “what a product is for rather than whom it is for.”

They say that brands could learn more about their consumer base’s habits and do better business by removing gendered marketing that could sway consumers away from products not traditionally associated with their gender, and embracing marketing that presents their products in a positive light for any consumer.

#13

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sunshine_20
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, this isn't gendered, this is just two different types of products, with different characters/design.

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#14

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troufaki13
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are just different colors, not gender-oriented. Am I not seeing something?

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CrunChewy McSandybutt
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have to be naive to think that "Sleep Pretty" pink ear plugs aren't marketed toward girls while the "Heroes" blue earplugs are marketed to boys. Just because it doesn't specifically state "boy" and "girl" doesn't mean they aren't gendered.

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Evil Little Thing
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, the pink ones are narrower. Legit sizing difference, and important for those of us with little ears and noisy families.

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OhForSmegSake
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Generic earplugs are made for men. That is, they are made for larger ear canals and can be quite uncomfortable for woman to wear for long periods. Women's earplugs tend to be a little smaller and/or softer and much more comfy!

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Kjorn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i'm not feeling like a hero… have you ever put ear plugs?

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jevais
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Women's ears are usually smaller than thos of men

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Christopher Mayer
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If one is a hermaphrodite/intersexed, then one of each colour will suffice. :-)

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Eulalie Grace
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want to by gender-specific you'll save money, too. A true deal :)

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Cheryle Fuller
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would hope the pink ones are smaller diameter. I bought a headset and the ear tips are HUGE!

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Brandy Grote
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The "Sleep Pretty" earplugs have the same noise reduction rating (NRR) as the Hearos on the left - which are $2 cheaper. But they have the number of plugs as the Hearos on the right which have NRR 1 higher. But women are generally lighter sleepers.

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pebs
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now I understand why Americans annoy the whole world with gender issues that don't exist elsewhere.

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ruht roh
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have tried both, and the pink ones are smaller and softer. I am a man and I wear the pink ones because the blue ones are uncomfortable when I am trying to sleep. I could care less about the color... I am asleep assuming no one is staring at my ear canals.

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GenXandEarnedItAll
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The pink ones would be easier to find in the dark when you're child is screaming for you at 0230 because there is a monster under their bed or they need a drink of water.

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Jo Choto
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So the pink makes you "sleep pretty" but the identical plugs in blue become "xtreme protection". It's quite pathetic.

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Rosanna Jackson
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The sexism does not stem from the consumers assumption that the pink ones (with sleep pretty on them) are marketed for girls. The sexism is in the systemic creation of women being pretty, soft and pink only. Have colours and sizes marketed In a way that allows all people to choose what they like, and what works for them. This marketing also alienates most men, and is clearly meant to do so

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natie marie
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4 years ago

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just different colours. it doesn't say "for girls only" on any of them.. then it would be gendered

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#15

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Terd Fergison
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bible is one of the most misogynistic books on the planet. It states that a women who has a female child is twice as unclean as a woman that has a male child. It says that if a woman is raped and they are found, the rapist must pay the father some shekels and they must be married. I don't know many women that want to marry their rapist. Just a sickening, disgusting anti-woman book. Evil garbage filth.

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#16

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Johane Moller
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This isn't really gendered it's colored. Only if you assign blue to boys and pink to girls can you say it's really gendered. As it doesn't say 'for boys' or 'for girls' on the packaging. I would've probably liked this as a child.

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#18

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now this kind of gendering of products is problematic. Just making a blue and pink product isn't gendering, but this is just really icky and not the way boys and girls should be taught to think about themselves.

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#24

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Avital Pilpel
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, let's just say it's probably because "I went through a whole box of tissues during that movie" means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT for men and women.

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#25

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I’m Foxxy and I know it 😉
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cards against humanity brought out the “for her” set as a jab at the “pink tax”. Maybe have a read up on it.

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#26

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, I don't really think this is gendered...? Some kids like to play with the rockets and planes while others like to play with the astronauts. I think it's really cool that there's a female astronaut doll and nowhere does it say that it's for girls or that the other one is for boys

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#30

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Dirk Daring
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every person who has never found their name printed on a souvenir is really ticked at Eetu right now.

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Note: this post originally had 46 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.