I’m guessing we have all seen products labeled “For men” and “For women”, but what does that really mean? Is it that, if a woman uses “For men” product, she would get hideous hives and be sent to the ER? Maybe if a man would use a product labeled “For women”, he would be smelling of flowers instead of “manly” smells like musk or something?

This idea of products being more aimed to the male/female segment is outdated and only shows how fragile and pointless the idea of what gender is. There are exceptions as always, but the idea of having a toothpaste with “For men” text on it just sounds very strange and baffling. What is it (exactly) that makes the product “For men” or “For women”?

My guess is that, stereotypically “women’s products” have lighter scents, more graceful packages and are advertised as delicate and using beauty related terms. Whereas “mens products” have more earthly scents and are advertised as being more sporty and long lasting, so to speak. I would like to continue the mind play and think that gender aimed products are targeted for people who want to portray a certain image of themselves. There might be men who wouldn’t be seen in a t-shirt from the women\’s section, even if the shirt would be a perfect fit.

For example, take car advertising. For decades, the man was seen as the driver of the vehicle and the woman (most likely a wife, indicating heterosexuality) with kids more as a passenger. This has changed, in my opinion. Now, there’s a lot of car commercials with women driving themselves and the advertising terms being used are more gender neutral. This is because women are independent and moreover have the capacity and need to do their own purchases and decisions – in short,to be taken more seriously in an area where a male was considered the norm.

There is no need for women\’s/mens sections. There are only products. In the future I would like to see a blind study being made, where the labels would be switched and then the test person asked if they liked the product in question. This would give my guess a scientific validation either for or against it. Hopefully, this will happen as we live in a time of history where the gender roles are more and more in conversation.