'The Pink Tax'

You're assuming women are kept by men. And they make less than men (not always). And that they don't ever pay their own way (really not true).

And even if all of those assumptions are true, conflating dating or marital behavior with the designs of large corporations is rather misplaced. I don't live my life the way Proctor & Gamble wants me to live, and they don't take their marketing and sales cues from me.

Think of it this way: if men are saving money to spend on impressing women, then they are naturally going to buy less for themselves. The result is that companies have to lower prices to sell products to men. Women, on the other hand, seem to be less likely to forego purchases to save money, so the opposite would happen with pricing of women's products.

How about women just start buying less and spending less and see if that doesn't drive down the prices of the products they buy?

It won't happen. We are talking about products which people buy because they basically have to in order to fit into society. People will still buy deodorant, razors, etc. Will more women use lower-priced men's products? Only if they feel they want to.

Advertising is a powerful, multi-billion dollar industry -- because it (often) works like a charm. You and I both know the blue razor and the pink razor are the same except for color -- but the pink razor costs 20% more. Yet women still buy them. It would take a helluva boycott for that to stop.

Awareness helps. So does social media in the sense that we as consumers fight back through, among other things, a ton of ridicule. For people sucked into the idea that buying pink was somehow better, they see a lot more now that others are saying it's not worth it. And most people really want to do things that will make them look better in some fashion or another. If pink razors don't make women look prettier than blue ones (and they don't), then more and more women will turn to the blue because of a different social currency -- that they'll look smarter because they get the better buy. Don't believe me? Check out the Bic Pens for Her backlash.

And what I just wrote about advertising is changing. We live in a world now where we talk back to advertisers in a way we never did before. The conversation is a lot less one-sided and that is to the better. People pay attention to reviews and to what their friends say about products more than ever before. If you tell me the blue razor is better than the pink one, I am more likely to take your word for it because we know each other.

As for what men do, if they are skimping on personal care in order to spend more money on women, they won't have women to spend that money on. Not buying soap or shampoo, or using less of it, won't impress anyone. And buying and using cheaper stuff will only go so far (some of course is great to use but there's also a ton of crap out there where you truly get what you pay for).

And if men are skimping in other areas, that also won't impress potential mates, whether it means not maintaining their cars or getting their clothes dry cleaned.

But the truth is that it's far more likely that the average person who has to scrimp will save money on something like paying off credit card debt or saving for retirement. We live in a need-it-now, get-it-now culture. There's a reason why average American credit card debt is nearly $6400. And for that same reason, about 1/5 of all Americans have nothing saved for retirement.

If people scrimp, it won't be on the stuff they see, smell, taste, show off, or use today. It'll be on how they pay the piper (or not) tomorrow.

Also, your hypothesis doesn't cover the LGBTQ+ market at all.

That's a good point that women don't have to use pink razors instead of blue ones. I think this is actually a moot topic because of all the irrationality in most markets anyway. Plus I noticed this summer that string bikinis were cheaper than men's bathing suits anyway, which is logical because they are less fabric and less complex. Still, I know that won't stop many women from going to more expensive stores and spending more because they want the status recognition that comes with some slight stylistic difference or pattern. What hypocrisy to complain that your products cost more than men's if you are willing to spend extra to distinguish yourself from women who spend less than you at more affordable stores. It's basically fighting sexism to afford more classism.

Well, buying expensive stuff is a different animal. If we buy the designer turtleneck which looks just like the turtleneck from Land's End and we will wear it as much and toss it at about the same time, then that's just so much foolishness. But that's not the pink tax. That's more like what I suppose you could call a status tax.

Maybe the designer version is better made, but that won't matter if you get a coffee stain on the front. And it will cost even more if it needs to be dry cleaned, rather than just thrown in the washer-dryer like the cheaper version.

About the only ways the designer version of such a basic item (I am specifically not talking about a gown which would have a real difference -- I'm trying for as close to apples to apples as possible) could be better are either through color selection or tailoring. But if you buy a black turtleneck from both places, then the color issue is mooted. Now we're just talking about tailoring, and a turtleneck is pretty much never tailored beyond the basic of making sure it fits.

People do a lot of weird things for status. But it's also because that's what matters to them, what they see as social currency. This happens with car purchases, etc. For some people, the tipping point is price (and related things like durability). For others, it's status.

In addition to which, many dry cleaning establishments charge women more for the same item to be cleaned.

Yes, dry cleaners charge more for women’s suits, blouses/shirts, slacks, and forget about gowns.......ok, men usually don’t wear gowns....but when they do the pay a big upcharge.

I forgot to mention taxes, women pay the same property tax, income tax, sometimes a ton more for oil changes and tune ups (do they still call them tune-ups?).

The last time I went to get my legs waxed, I thought I was gonna hafta take out a loan at the bank. The girl called the same place, and they offered her a leg-waxing for a third the price. The mins don't get no respect.

(Interestingly, a century ago, pink was the color for baby boys, and blue was the color for baby girls. Where did we go wrong?)

This blonde gets pulled over by a State trooper, and when the officer comes up to the driver's side window, it's a woman, and also a blonde. She asks to see some ID, the blonde rummages around in her purse, pulls out an open compact and seeing herself in the mirror, hands it over. The trooper looks at it, hands it back, and says:

Oh, I didn't realize you are a police officer. You can go, but take it easy out there, 'K?

Are you saying that women also have to bribe police officers more, unless the officer is a woman, and then that it's unfair that female officers receive smaller bribes for the same corruption that male officers provide when they accept bribes?

you really have no idea.

you might want to do a cost check on what some women spend preparing to go on dates v what men spend. it's not even close to being equal.

weddings and formal events. the bane of my existence in my 20's and 30's. a new dress/outfit for every one. hair appointments. beauty appointments. new shoes/purses/accessories. the guy/s in my life. same suit/tie/shirt for every one. I'd be surprised if they considered new underwear or socks.

bah

yeah

it would be great if it wasn't 1962 anymore

I see your point, and it assumes that women spend money on men by packaging themselves as an object for male consumption. Maybe some men see it that way, but others might just think they're wasting money on unnecessary frills.

What I was referring to is women taking men out to eat or giving them gifts, not dressing themselves up for men's benefit. Would you say when a man buys a nice car and outfit to impress women that he's spending money for women, i.e. to impress them on dates, or on himself?

What I am saying is that there's more bullshit in this thread than one finds in a Kansas feed lot.

Then why participate in it?

To make my opinion of the bullshit known. Do you deny my right to do so?

So, what do you pay for a haircut?

And, how much do you pay if you get them all cut?