In recent years, we've seen outstanding growth in girly trends all over social media and well, everywhere. From "I'm just a girl...", to "The IT Girl" to "Girl Math", women seem to be reclaiming the narrative and are showing the world the beauty of everything female.
We can also identify underlying themes of classism, beauty standards, and consumerism through these trends. This isn't a criticism of the trends, although what is fascinating, is how wide the spectrum of female-oriented products is and how marketing and business corporations equate ‘feminine to profit’.
This isn't revolutionary information, companies have been feeding off this for decades, using a little something called the pink tax. It isn't in correlation to the actual color but instead 'pink products' are products or services aimed at women. The term originated in 1994 in California when an official survey conducted by the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), found that several laundry stores in several cities charged more to wash and clean a woman's blouse compared to a man's buttoned-up shirt.

Image Credit: Christiann Koepke on Unsplash
Let us slide into your dms 🥰
Get notified of top trending articles like this one every week! (we won't spam you)So….What Is The Pink Tax?
To understand how detrimental the pink tax phenomenon is, we must understand its definition. Richa Bhargava best describes the phenomenon in her essay as "the profit-maximizing techniques adopted by companies based on psychological trends, shopping behavior, and interests to promote the sale of products marketed towards female consumers at substantially higher prices than those promoted to male consumers."
These products include shampoo, undergarments, razors, perfumes, lotions, shaving creams, etc. Products men use in their daily routines are charged significantly less than the same kind of products targeted toward women. The tax applies to toys, clothes, shoes, and accessories for little girls, tweens, and female adolescents, where companies charge much higher prices for girls' products than boys'.
The more you actively look out for this, the more disgustingly recurring this is. The hypocrisy in this situation is that products for females are the same if not worse in quality than for males.
Image Credit: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Take the Quiz: Which Squid Game Player Are You?
Ever wondered which player you’d be if you found yourself in the Squid Game universe? Take this quiz to find out which character matches your perso...
The Extent Of The Pink Tax
The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs 2015 study found that women were paying more for many everyday-use goods, such as an average of 48% more for shampoo and conditioner, 13% more for girls’ helmets and pads, 13% more for girls’ shirts and 15% more for supports and, braces. The insanity of this becomes apparent when you discover that the pink tax is not limited to products, it has plagued services as well. A woman's haircut often costs approximately 60%- 70% more than a man's. A 1994 analysis of a proposed and later passed law in California found that “women were paying $1,351 more per year for similar products and services compared to men.”
You have to remember, that the tax isn't government-issued, it's a hidden, non-official, company-imposed extra sum of money that women are burdened to pay. Many brands and companies explain that the reason for higher price disparities is due to different production costs for designs, colors, variety, and, marketing. But that can only be reasoned to a certain extent.
Image Credit: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
In my personal experience, while looking for a birthday present for our family friend's one-year-old daughter, we found two identical rocking chairs, one blue and one pink. What was startling was that the pink one was priced higher than the blue one. There weren't any additional features or differences in design, it was only a variance in color. This is a blatant instance of how pricing inequality is sneakily garnered through the excuse of gender.
How The Pink Tax Can Harm
We truly begin to comprehend the gravitas of the situation when we look at this from the viewpoint of women and children living in poverty. This is something more complex than beauty creams and deodorants, this is concerning basic healthcare, clothing, and birth control.
Tampons and menstrual pads are priced at diabolical prices, making it difficult for girls from poorer sections of society to afford them. Something as basic as menstruation and the means to prevent pregnancy shouldn't be seen as an opportunity for monetization, it's a basic rite of life and women shouldn't have to pay such unfair prices.
A 2010 study by AC Nielsen found that 70% of women in India said their families couldn't afford sanitary napkins. The study also found that only 12% of India's 355 million menstruating women use sanitary napkins. In Kenya, sanitary pads are the second-largest monthly cost for an average family, after bread.
Two-thirds of women and girls in Kenya can't afford them. More than 540,000 women and girls of reproductive age lack access to menstrual products in Gaza.

Image Credit: Sujith Devanagari on Unsplash
How To Voice Your Stance Against The Pink Tax
It is possible to combat the pink tax. No matter what gender you identify as, you can play your part in destroying the cycle.
- Conscious shopping is an integral method of dismissing gender-based pricing. Choose unisex options or any non-gender-specific products that are cheaper.
- The more we feed into corporation's materialistic greed, the more susceptible we are to their scams. Always be weary and don't be afraid to question. It is crucial to be educated about the issue.
- You can also research, and opt for ethical brands without compromising quality.
- You can inform your friends and families about this too. Starting from school or your neighborhood is the easiest way to do this. Use social media to your advantage, awareness is key.

Image Credit: Anna Tarazevich on Unsplash
Once we have a collective voice as a community, we can surely bring about a change not only for the girls of the current generation but also for the ones in the future to come. The Pink Tax is a predatory and pro-capitalistic tactic for companies to gain profit. Something like gender should not be seen as a medium for greedy business people to cash in cheques. Together we can abolish the Pink Tax and end this oppressive practice.