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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
Community Member
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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#11

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

Is this a real toy? Is it played as the usual one?

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

For when you wanna conjure up some female demons, or maybe a long dead mother-in-law :D

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Night Owl
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“or maybe a long dead mother-in-law“ so you can kill her (again) *evil grin* ____ (I'm just joking, of course)

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Non-New-Toni-An
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree! However they used to be marketed as a game for all the family in the 50s/60s! I found this out when I saw one made by Waddington's, in my Nan's loft.

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jip 879
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only for good ghosts 😂 that's hilarious. It's like dressing like a Barbie on Halloween

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

One time I saw a video about a guy cutting the power to his sister’s room while she and her friends were using a Ouija board.

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

Even seeing a pink ouija board gives me the heebee-jeebees

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

The one "toy" I would not let any child play with. Never. Ever. Those things are not for joking around. (Believe in spirits or don't - why take a chance, especially with your children?)

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

LOL, now this is just ridiculous! I can imagine the tag line..."When you really wanna ask the dead about your crush at your next slumber party. Get Ouija..For GIRLS!!"

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

Toys-R-Us should've used this before putting it on the shelf: "Should we market this?" "No!"

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

this one is stupid because it has "girls" on it. could have made it just pink

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mermaidgirl960
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooh now I want dat idc what color it is, summon the dead girls night!

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

You never summon death. You can't summon death. You summon ALWAYS demons. Fun for the whole subhuman family.

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Non-New-Toni-An
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Nan had an original Waddington's ouiga board from the 1950s/60s, it w as marketed as a family game.

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

It's not bad enough that this OUIJA is being sold as a toy, but to market it up for girls is outrageous.

clanmorello avatar
Lynn Morello
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not bad enough they are selling a OUIJA as a game, but to specifically doll it up for girls. Not good in anyones language.

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thomasewing avatar
Thomas Ewing
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, the pink planchette scares off the 'real' ghosts! This game gives you Casper.

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Chris Hill
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've used this one. No matter what we asked, it kept talking about stuff from years ago.

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cybermerlin2000
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can you imagine it... Girl: Is there anyone there? Board: YES Girl: Who is it? Board: SATAN Girl: Will you answer any question asked truthfully? Board: YES Girl: Does my bum look big in these shorts? Board: YES Girl: "^"^!*&()"$£^""^%^%$ Board: *very quickly* GOODBYE!

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#12

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Ana B.
Community Member
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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#15

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Terd Fergison
Community Member
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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james_fox1984 avatar
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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#32

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

I have a boy and two girls, and we always buy only "boys" ones because they have cooler toys.

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#33

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

When I played Monopoly ages ago, it had tiny player pieces: a dog, racecar, hat, iron and others. I can't remember playing as a woman ( or man)

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james_fox1984 avatar
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

Where does it say it’s for guys? it says “the Arsenal ultimate grooming set”. Arsenal is another term for an array of services/equipment used for a certain purpose. Nothing to do with gender.

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#40

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

Why do you have to gender edible products, it makes zero sense. I don't think the foods and tastes you like has anything to do with your gender??

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#41

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james_fox1984 avatar
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

There are men and women vitamins and protein powders etc because fact is men and women often have differing nutritional needs.

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#42

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

I hate gendered products. "For her" has extra iron in it. Just label it "with extra iron" - does the same trick. If you don't know why the extra iron would be necessary, the gendered version won't be very appealing to you either!

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