Here’s a Tip: Use Men’s Products
When an individual uses a razor, the individual should likely have body hair, right? Commercials love to depict women shaving their skin cells off rather than body hair. Why you ask? Because companies hate to depict women with real body hair — oh the horror.
It has taken until 2018 (a bizarre time for everyone) for a commercial with real leg hair — never mind that some of men’s razor ads have some totally Game of Thronesstyle facial hair.
Billie a feminine razor company has been one of the most recent companies to advertise with real body hair. Not only are they accurate with how, what and when women shave, the company goes farther to say “if you ever” to show that they don’t need to shave if they do not wish to. This company has used the Agenda-Setting Theory to bring this issue to light. All of the sudden people are reviving this frustration all because Billie decided to make an accurate razor commercial. An issue with this commercial, though, is the music that they set it to. Billie used a song by Princess Nokia called “Tomboy” which draws a concern that women are going to see the body hair and think that “that girl is a tomboy” exactly like the song says. Will this commercial have a negative impact because they created a new definition of “tomboy”?
Women have been told for most of their lives that body hair is bad by the media and that any chance of beauty comes from smooth legs. Posters, commercials, newspaper ads and magazines have all led to the hairless crusade. Now, if it wasn’t already sexist enough, not only are women led to the conclusion that they are not attractive if not completely shaven, women have to pay steep prices for razors and shaving cream. Hygiene companies generally produce both products — typically the exact same product, but with different accessories. Women’s razors usually have feminine colors such as purple or pink, while men’s razors are typically darker — manlier colors. Bet you can’t guess which one costs more! Shaving cream is the exact same way too, in fact many other hygiene purchases are this way as well. For other products, a men’s package and a women’s package might cost the same, but men’s may have more quantity. Many women think that because is says “For Women,” they have to purchase that one.
This 2015 study in New York found that women spent $1,531 annually in extra costs for similar products bought by men. This is a significant financial burden that women will endure during their lives.
Their findings:
· 7 percent more for toys and accessories
· 4 percent more for children’s clothing
· 8 percent more for adult clothing
· 13 percent more for personal care products
· 8 percent more for senior/home health care products
Even though this information is readily accessible, women still buy the items marked “for women” purely because they think that is what they are supposed to do. If women suddenly started buying men’s razors and shaving cream, would companies realize the position that they have been putting women in for years?
