Are they kidding — a Pink Tax? While getting ready to hop onto the hamster wheel and get working, I happened to hear a report about the Pink Tax — why women pay more for products than men.
Duh! Of course we do. And why? Because women fall for the crapola that advertisers spin just for our benefit. Have we learned nothing from 92 episodes of “Mad Men?”
I can’t blame the advertisers — selling is their job. And the better they do their job, the more money they get. That’s the name of the game.
Those very talented and devious ad-people get us to buy stuff that we don’t need, don’t want, and yet find an overwhelming need to purchase. We go into shopping with our heads full of visions of smoother skin, pleasant breath, shiny hair, longer nails, and luscious lips. It’s not enough to be clean, we have to be super clean, sterile as a cuckoo. It’s not enough to have nice hair — it has to be shinier, sleeker, and more manageable than anyone else’s. And lets not talk about smelling good — we have to be better scented, and better groomed than any other creature on the planet.
If we don’t buy all this stuff — we won’t measure up to the standards set by the very same ad-people who convince us to buy the stuff in the first place.
Then and only then, after having our brains filled with all that subliminal messaging, do we strap on our fanny packs, lace up our battle gear and go out in droves to pick the shelves clean of every product offered — just for us gals — that we absolutely, without a doubt, must have, need to have, and want.
Bullpucky! Women wake up. If you want shaving gel, buy the men’s brand. Believe me, after years of using my husband’s, I can attest to its efficacy. If you want a decent shampoo, buy Suave® — it does the same job of cleaning your hair and it’s unisex so it’s a fair price. You want to splurge? Do it on healthy food, so your hair, nails, and skin can have a healthy glow from the inside that no make-up, soap, or product can improve on.
If you buy smart, look at labels, and don’t jump on the advertiser’s hamster wheel, you will still have shiny hair, luscious lips, and smooth skin, but your pockets will be a whole lot fuller with the cash you save.
Not for Nuthin,™ but if we fight the urge of subliminal messaging and shop smart, not mesmerized, our skin will be in the pink, our pockets full of green, and the advertisers and manufacturers will get the message when their books are in the red. How’s that for a color wheel?
Follow me on Twitter @JDelBuono.
