Pink is for girls and blue for boys; the age old gender stereotype that haunts so many of us, quite literally since the day we are born. Yes. You’re either sugar and spice, and everything nice, or frogs and snails and puppy dog tails. And it sticks with us. Birthing a plethora of needlessly gendered products, from tooth brushes, to tea bags, from lip balm, to back packs… razors, energy bars, trail mix, breakfast cereal, bars of soap… and I could go on, and on. Sadly we all struggle to wriggle free from the antiquated ideas of marketers, product designers and advertisers, who foist absurd, needless and often expensive gendered alternatives upon each of us. I think we all find it patronising. But where the difference lies, is how we respond. A pink razor? Well that’s the patriarchy hammering down oppressive gender expectations onto women and girls – trapping them inside a prison of frilly and fluffy pink tat. But a rugged blue yoghurt for men, well that’s a sign of so called #fragilemasculinty. Men are soooooo pathetic they can’t eat normal yogurt? Ha. What a joke. Men! No. It is not the advertising nitwits that draw the ire of the public, but men themselves (as per usual). These men are not seen as the same recipients of the same idiotic gendered nonsense, instead it’s – “Poor widdle men, and their big manly yogurt. Awww how cute #masculinitysofragile’ It’s yet another glaring double standard, with yet another sassy hashtag to go with it. So have you noticed this too? ~ Image by Kiwi Hug, Mong Bui, Hisu Lee, and Gradienta. #menaregood #mensissues #masculinity

2023-04-18