It’s Time to Re-evaluate Gender-specific Pricing

One of the great things about the present world is that we are becoming more and more aware of discrepancies among certain populations. Whether it is race or gender, the increased attention on equality has been refreshing. That said, quite a bit of variance still exists, and beauty in particular, could use a nudge in the right direction.

I recently was at a local drugstore to pick up odds and ends when I noticed something that caught my eye. They had a generic minoxidil available, both at the same concentration and volume of product, in two different boxes. The box for men was priced at $47.99 and the one for women was priced at $54.99. Same medication, different prices. Why could that be?

I turned the situation into an Instagram post, more to highlight but not realizing that it was a much larger problem than most realized. Two-hundred-thousand views and hundreds of comments later, it’s apparent that this is still a widespread issue, not just here in the United States, but also globally. The so-called “pink tax” is real, and extends to everything from skincare creams to haircare products and even essentials like razors. It’s jarring to realize that here, in 2021, this is still “a thing,” but with increasing conversation, hope is around the corner.

Can an Instagram post change the marketing tactics of billion-dollar brands? Probably not. But hopefully this sparks action to at least bring attention to the discrepancies. The more we bring issues to the surface, the more we realize what is and what isn’t right. And the more we are willing to challenge the accepted norms, the more progress we will have. I encourage all of you, especially those who serve as advisors for many of these brands, to start advocating for increased equity, across all demographics. It’s time.