Needlessly gendered things pop up in the weirdest places. Sometimes, this means companies adopting marketing and advertising strategies where they, bizarrely, try to gender products and services for no logical reason whatsoever. Other times, it’s random people showing their antiquated attitudes.
Some folks, upon seeing this, get so frustrated that they snap a photo or take a screenshot and share it online for some public shaming. These pictures end up on the ‘Pointlessly Gendered’ and ‘Unnecessarily Gendered’ online communities, which we’re featuring today. Scroll down for our list of photos of needlessly gendered things that pushed people away.
#1 [gendered]
#2 No Teenagers Are Easy
#3 Pain
Pushing back against pointlessly gendered products and services might be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Consumers wield a lot of power. And rational business owners tend to react to changing market trends and consumer preferences.
So, voting with your wallet is one of the most powerful things you—along with your family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances—can do.
#4 More “Batman Is For Boys” Nonsense — But With A Happy Ending
#5 Low Key Photo From 4chan
#6 True!!
If you think that a product is overpriced, the company’s values don’t match yours, and you suspect that someone’s trying to make a quick profit, don’t reward that business with your money. On top of that, reach out to the company’s representatives about your concerns or share your insights on social media. If the behavior is egregious, reach out to your government representatives. Ask them to take a stand and protect your interests as a consumer.
Your cash, attention, and loyalty mean a lot for the longevity of any company. So, by hitting a business where it hurts (its profits and reputation), you’re forcing them to pivot and adapt.
#7 Cool Actually
#8 Where The Heck Do They Think We Get It From?
#9 Don’t Let The Man-Trash And The Woman Trash Touch Each Other! They Will Make Baby Trash!
Pointlessly gendering products can be problematic when taken to the extreme. What’s more, it can split your potential customer base.
As ‘The Society Pages’ points out, these products can reinforce gender stereotypes, lead to more inequality, and end up costing women more money. Sometimes, you’ll notice that the masculine and feminine versions of the very same product aren’t priced the same.
“When that happens, the one for women is usually the more expensive one. If women aren’t paying attention—or if it matters to them to have the ‘right‘ product—they end up shelling out more money,” ‘The Society Pages’ explains.
#10 Bc Only Boys (And Sabrina Sexton) Will Appreciate This
#11 Felt Like This Belongs Here
#12 God Forbid If Your Child Learned The Wrong Alphabet
According to ‘Popsters,’ some consumers are becoming less receptive to gendered marketing. As such, some companies are taking note and moving toward more neutral advertising. That being said, many businesses still choose to target genders when crafting their marketing strategies.
#13 Gendered Eggs – I Give Up
#14 What The Heck Is Wrong With These People?
#15 Saw This On Instagram And Figured I’ll Share This Here
‘Popsters’ notes that “traditional gender marketing” often focuses on functionality, short formulations, jokes, provocations, and the theme of competition when advertising for men. Meanwhile, advertisements for women typically focus on strength, independence, and the desire to stand out, while avoiding humor.
#16 War Paint Is Eye Concealer
#17 Gendered Baby Brushes – The Exact Same Product, The Exact Same Baby On The Packaging – But The Pink One Costs More
#18 You Mean Humans?
However, advertisements that discriminate, use outdated stereotypes, and use black-and-white thinking tend to cause public outcry and fail. “This is especially true for women’s advertising. Gender marketing requires the dynamic use of changes in laws and social norms,” ‘Popsters’ suggests.
#19 Special Wipes For Dudes! Can’t Have That “Girly” Packaging
#20 Why Do We Need To See Her Bare Shoulder (Barely Can Tell She Is Wearing A Shirt) And Have Her Posing Like That?
#21 Masks Donated To My Work Today
Gender-neutral marketing, however, can help companies expand their target audience and increase brand loyalty. After all, this way, you’re aiming your products and services at the entire population, not just half of it. For instance, instead of labeling the toys you sell by gender, you can do so by age, product category, and brand.
#22 Women Are Incapable Of Standing Normally
#23 Do You Ever Find Your Cotton Swabs Are Too Damn Feminine?
#24 Need A New Account For These Shoes
The ‘Pointlessly Gendered’ subreddit was first created in March of 2015, and it continues to be popular to this very day. At the time of writing, it boasts a whopping 134k weekly visitors, as well as 3k weekly contributions.
Meanwhile, the ‘Unnecessarily Gendered’ community was created in December of that same year, but it is more niche.
#25 Definitely Men
#26 I Can Feel My Estrogen Supplies Dwindling Already
#27 Are You Kidding Me?
Despite the differences in popularity, both online groups focus on the same thing: products that shouldn’t be gendered but are, in the most humorous ways.
As the moderators of ‘Pointlessly Gendered’ point out, their community should focus on humorous posts about gender and needlessly gendered things. Meanwhile, “certain products are gendered for a reason” and shouldn’t be posted.
#28 Gender Is Pointlessly Gendered
#29 Water And Water For Women. Different Ph Levels
#30 Candles
Once you’ve finished looking through this list and upvoting the most egregious examples of gendered products, we’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments down below.
Realistically, what do you think it would take for companies to stop with this nonsensical product gendering? What’s the worst, most pointless example of a gendered product that you’ve stumbled upon personally? Let us know.
#31 Ah Yes Because Girl Bug Notebooks Need Eyelashes
#32 Because Only Women Can Change Diapers Apparently
#33 Batteries Are Now Gendered, Too – So You Can Pay Extra For Pink Plastic Wrap That No One Will Ever See
#34 Angry Monkies For Boys Only, But At Least They’re Giving Therapy For Both
#35 Checkout Options
#36 Make Sure You Are Using Your Gender’s Hand Sanitizer!
#37 I Think We Know What The Writer Wanted
#38 Ouija… Just For Her!
#39 They Have Gendered The Bugs. Bugs, People
#40 I Cannot Facepalm Harder
#41 Girl Dogs Need The Same Nutrients In A Pink Bag And Boy Dogs In A Blue Bag!
#42 Because Regular Freshwater Wasn’t Good Enough
#43 Everyone Knows Real Men Have Bald Eyelids
#44 Ladies Can’t Handle Sleeping With These
#45 You’re Not A Woman Unless You Can Do These Things
#46 Be Careful Men, You May Look In A Woman’s Mirror!!
#47 Society
#48 Barbells At The Gym
#49 This One Is Kinda Funny
#50 It’s A Brush And Comb Why Does It Need To Be For Men
#51 Hey Kids! Guess What? You Could Become A Powerful Knight… Or A Pwetty Lickle Pwincess!!
#52 German Parking Disc – “Time Of Arrival” (Blue) vs. “I’m Off Shopping” (Pink)
#53 The Excitement Of Gunfighting Is Clearly Not Something Girls Would Enjoy, But What About Shooting Gossipy Messages At Each Other?
#54 Grow A Girlfriend Has “No Nagging” And Other Phrases While Grow A Boyfriend Just Has Instructions
#55 Just Got This Recommendation On Yt
#56 Guess Girls Can’t Like Playstation
#57 That Is Not How Trauma Works
#58 Power Tools For Women!
#59 Gendered. Pickles
#60 How Else Will People Know You’re A Straight Couple?
#61 Because Women Can’t Hold The Big Tube?
#62 I Want To Know If There’s A Difference Between These But Don’t Want To Buy Them
#63 This Needs To Stop
#64 Not Even The Dragons Are Safe
#65 Women Can’t Feel Lonely, Apparently
#66 No Avocados And Blueberries For Women. They Might Explode, Since This Is Specifically For Men
#67 But Like… They’re Dogs Though
#68 Hey Lady, Get Down From There
#69 Birthday
#70 Cringe In The Wild
#71 The Male Equivalent To Getting Flowers Is Getting Flowers
#72 Masculine Chargers Are Something Else
#73 Gendered. Chocolate
#74 What Is This Meant For Exactly??
#75 Why Are Shirt Buttons On Different Sides For Men And Women???
#76 Don’t Let Your Men Drink This! They Will Become A Woman!
#77 For Books That Girls Can’t Read
#78 Got Some Man Debt?
#79 For Ladies Delicate Ears Only Pink Will Do. And They Only Cost A Little More!
#80 It’s Not That…
#81 Blueprints Are For Men, Birds And Flowers Are For Women
#82 ?? Why
#83 Gendered Changing Rooms For One Person Each
#84 Poems That Make Grown People Cry
#85 I Guess Men Can’t Write, Sorry I Don’t Make The Rules
#86 Safe For All, Thank Goodness
#87 Weird Waste Separation On This Playground
#88 Can’t Even Start Reading Without Being Locked In A Gendered Choice
#89 So Apparently Women Won’t Understand…fried Eggs?
#90 Hmmm
#91 Men’s Reading Glasses
#92 Dinosaur Bubble Wands At Disneyworld
#93 Look What I Found On My Local Facebook Marketplace
#94 Ah Yes, Clearly A Female Elf
#95 These Face Masks
#96 Gendered Towels?
#97 This Is The Definition Of Unnecessarily Gendered
#98 Girl Clothes Only
#99 I Was Playing With The Background On A Web Poll At Work And Found The “Thinking Male” And “Thinking Female” Background Options… Just Why?
#100 Only Fit For Her Ears
#101 Knifes For Women
#102 Couldn’t Eat My Roommates Lettuce, Didn’t Fit The Right Gender
#103 Cod Is For Men, AC Is For Women, Clearly
