They forgot one: AND not ever possess anything pink. Unless it’s wrapped in bacon.
The other day I headed into the local sporting goods store to buy some boxing gloves (it’s about time – I’ve been using the public ones at the gym and those smell so badly that I have to put latex gloves on underneath or I’ll smell like skunk for weeks) and as I checked out all the varieties, I noticed something interesting: despite being smaller, all the women’s gloves were more expensive. I couldn’t see any difference between the women’s gloves and the small men’s gloves so I asked a sales associate. His answer? “You’re paying for the pink.” This irritated me, and not just because I don’t love pink and I hate that everything marketed to women has to be pinkpinkpink. I was also irked because I wanted the yellow gloves and those too cost more money.
Some fitness items like sports bras are uniquely female* but having two X chromosomes doesn’t necessarily mean we like everything to be pink. (I don’t hate pink but I also don’t need all my gear pink either. I know I’m a girl and I’m not going to forget it if my jump rope has blue handles.) With so many new fitness products being targeted directly to women, is it worth buying the girly version? Especially if it costs more? As I sit here typing while wearing a pink fitness watch, I try and break it down for you:
Weight Gloves
Men have bigger hands so you’d think their larger weight gloves would cost more but generally the opposite is true. For instance, with the most basic brand a plain black unisex pair costs $9.99 but stamp a cutesy logo on them and turn them pink and now they cost $14.39. This is true even with fancier gloves. One of the most popular brands offers their “pro” men’s gloves for a full $10 cheaper than the pink “pro” women’s variety.
Worth it? Unless you have extremely small hands or just really like pink, there is no advantage to buying the girly version.
Kettlebells
A kettlebell is an iron weight with a handle. It doesn’t get any simpler when it comes to fitness tools. Aside from choosing different weights, there isn’t anything that would be different about a “women’s kettlebell.” And yet one premier kettlebell maker sells a plain black 18-lb bell for $44.95. The pink version? $55.95!
Worth it? Kettlebells are supposed to be hardcore. Rock the black color and save the $11 for a bright workout top!
Heart rate monitor/GPS
Heart rate monitors are designed to measure how fast your heart is beating during exercise so you can monitor how hard you are working. Fancier models do everything from monitor your movement to track your calories to map your run with GPS so they’re definitely a handy tool. Yet the Polar F4 men’s monitor is $66.26 on Amazon but the Polar F4 women’s pink and purple monitor is $71.77. A quick look at the Polar website shows that they offer exactly the same features, functionality and are even the same size. The only difference is the color.
Worth it? Women typically have smaller wrists and rib cages so buying a girly model might make sense if you need the smaller sizing. But in cases like this where the male and female version are the same, you really are just paying for the cute colors. Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting to be cute, I just want you to know exactly what you’re getting.
Protein Powder
At first glance, protein powders customized for women seem like a good idea – boys and girls are different, right? – and they might be if there was any difference in the formulation. However, one popular chain’s best-selling “men’s” protein powder and “women’s” protein powder have exactly the same ingredients and cost exactly the same. The gender difference comes in how much you get for your money with the women’s product weighing less than the men and while the labels show equal numbers of servings per container, the women’s serving size is smaller.
Worth it? Protein is protein, regardless the color of the package. If you are looking for targeted supplements to help you with female issues like extra iron for menstrual bleeding or calcium for bone strength then buy those separately.
Sport Deodorant
While men do sweat more than women, we can still get really drenched and a good deodorant is a necessity for most people. Thankfully there’s now stronger strength “sport” deodorants that come in longer-lasting waterproof varieties. But them women’s versions typically cost $1-$2 more than the men’s for the same size.
Worth it? Scent is a huge factor for me when it comes to deodorant and while men’s and women’s formulations probably work the same, I’m willing to pay the extra cash to smell like flowers instead of cologne. (Sidenote: I’m also willing to pay all the men around me to never, ever wear Axe.) Plus, some deodorants have ingredients to help pit hair grow back slower and thanks to women’s workout tops showing way more skin than men’s this is a definite plus in my book.
Bike Seats
Avid cyclists know that a lot of time in the saddle can cause some, well, saddle sores. Fortunately there are now “anatomic relief” bike seats designed to take the pressure off of your most sensitive areas. But guessing from the price – a man’s saddle is $24.99 and a woman’s saddle of the same brand and model is $39.99 – manufacturers must think our lady bits are way more sensitive.
Worth it? I don’t think anyone would recommend using a seat seat designed for the male anatomy so this is one price differential you’ll probably just have to accept. Or buy the kind with the individual butt pads – they may look dorky but my dad swears they are the most comfy things since the Snuggie.
Sandbags
Lifting unstable weights is one of the hottest new fitness trends but these versatile tools don’t come cheap. Especially if you’re a girl. A basic black sandbag is $99 from one popular retailer but the pink sandbag of the same dimensions is $104.99. It’s not a huge difference but considering the camoflauge option is still only $99, it seems a little unfair to upcharge for a more feminine color.
Worth it? If swinging something pink motivates you more to workout then it’s worth the five bucks. Otherwise, stick to black and show off your new shoes with a pop of neon.
Do you buy any fitness gear (besides clothing) that is specifically made for women? Have you ever paid more for something just because it’s pink?
*I do have a couple of guy runner friends who swear that wearing a sports bra under their t-shirts prevents nipple chaffing on long runs. Of course they don’t call them “sports bras”, they call them cropped tank tops or something, but it’s basically a sports bra….
I buy pink workout clothes and pink weightlifting gloves, but not equipment. Weird that they upcharge. But, considering the fact that my husband will workout in grungy Hanes shirts and shorts until they are falling apart and I have to stealthily trash them when he’s not looking while I replace my gear any chance it get, I could understand that those companies have to make money somewhere. Also? I should win an award for longest sentence ever.
I think I buy everything targeted towards men just out of principle. My coach manages a supplement store and he told me to never buy anything branded “women’s”. The best example he gave were multivitamins – they cost twice the price for women, but contain half the nutrients! It’s much better to just stick with the generic vitamin. As for protein powder targeted towards women, no way! Besides, I don’t want to “lean and tone”. Haha
I’m not a big fan of pink, but I’m even more not a fan of gender-specific marketing for, well, just about anything. Best tip: if the women’s version is too pink and the men’s version is too big, go with the biggest children’s size. It’s normally the same size as women’s, but cheaper and in interesting colours.
I like pink. I like wearing pink. I love my pink/lime green running shoes. I like running and strength training in pink. I find myself digging deep-down and pushing harder during my workouts. It’s like I want to prove that you can wear girly pink and still be strong. I feel like I’m breaking some gender stereo-type.
Yes, I’m willing to pay a bit more on some items because they appeal to my girly side.
Besides the fact that pink is pretty much my least favorite color, I find that boys’/men’s gear is often made BETTER than the women’s. The fabrics are thicker, the elastic is stronger, seams are reinforced better, etc. Whatever I’m getting, I always check out the Boy’s Department first. (Added bonus: boy’s large t-shirts are shorter than women’s small, so I don’t need to hem them up!)
I’m a redhead. I grew up being told that pink is not my color. And honestly, I don’t like the color pink that much (I like greens & blues). So I generally look for not-pink.
I often purchase protein powder. Since, it is good to the body I make sure to have a stock on it.
Body Glide makes a “women’s” version. The only difference? It’s a smaller container and the lid is pink. Seriously.
Not a fan of pink. I have a couple of things with fuschia in/on them, but usually because there weren’t any other choices that I liked better. I’d personally love to see more in bright blue! But pay more for pink, no.
Trust me- if you do a lot of biking, the women’s seat is worth it! Not only to men have extra bits, but they have much more narrow hips. The most important thing in a comfortable bike seat is having one that is wide enough for your butt! If one or both sit bones is hangng off the side of the seat, then instead of sitting on the bones you are supposed to sit on, you will be sitting directly on your lady bits, and the soft parts of your bum!
Other things that are important to buy women’s in:
– Ski boots. Women’s calves start lower than men’s, so most men’s ski boots will be too tight on your calf
But my sister has messed up feet and buys men’s shoes, because they tend to be wider than women’s.
Oh- and one last money-saving tip. I don’t know about weight gloves, but I know Mountain Biking gloves in general are pretty expensive. But mechanic gloves (which have padding!) or gardening gloves from your local hardware store are not!
Oh, I regularly pay more for pink equipment, and do so knowingly. I actually just bought my first pair of boxing gloves a month or so ago in hot pink! But well, I like pink, and using pink equipment makes me happy and keeps me motivated. But Kat’s idea of having more bright blue equipment? I could definitely get on board with that!
Also, it’s very upsetting to hear that the only difference in men’s and women’s protein powder is the volume…
I’m surprised to hear that women’s deodorant is more expensive. I do sometimes buy unscented men’s deodorant but I never noticed a price difference.
I’m a fan of cheap, in whatever color LOL
But I have a tangent comment about the deodorant… waterproof, really? The residue left behind by commercial deodorant builds up and is malodorous! Making it harder to completely wash off sounds like a genius marketing ploy :/
Mulan is still my favorite Disney princess. Rapunzel’s a very close second. And I can honestly say that I’ve never bought a piece of fitness gear specifically designed for a woman. But that’s just me.
First of all, I 100% agree with you about Axe! If we had truth in advertising, the Axe commercials would show women NOT ripping the guy’s clothes off, but tearing him limb from limb. That stuff is NASTY!!!!
I don’t pay more for pink, unless hose extra proceeds go to breast cancer research or something similar. Heck, we already have to pay more for health insurance, why are we overcharged for everything else? We’re the ones who earn less for the same work, WE should get the discount!
Or, even better, just charge the same for both, and forget the pink, already.
I don’t really remember much about my microeconomics class, but there might be a couple of factors at work here. First, of course, the manufacturers/retailers may be increasing the price on the girl stuff because they know they can upsell the cute colors to girls. Second, though, for things like boxing gloves, weight gloves and other items that might be purchased more frequently by men than women, they might be able to order the materials to manufacture the items in bulk at cheaper costs, and pass those savings onto the ultimate consumer. As noted here, a lot of women buy the non-pink stuff too, so I’m sure those are selling way more than the pink stuff.
That doesn’t explain everything, of course, but the whole supply/demand/cost of materials issue may be influencing some of hat.
Yeah that’s exactly what I was thinking. Possibly not with all the products mentioned in the post, but I’m sure in the fitness world there’s quite a few things which are bought by a lot more men than women, and so the manufacturers can price things down on larger bulk purchases.
I wanted to buy men’s hiking boots, because they were cheaper than the women’s. But I have thinner feet, even for a woman, so I couldn’t do that. Paid an extra 10 bucks. Everything costs more for women.
There’s a much smaller market for women’s boxing gloves, therefore the fixed expenses of their manufacture have to be recovered over fewer item sales, hence higher prices. People buy pink items to make a statement. People willing to pay to make a statement will pay higher prices. Sellers try to price their products accordingly. It’s not some anti-woman conspiracy , it’s Econ 101.
The only times I’ve paid more for something pink/girly were because the extra money all went to a breast cancer charity. Course, since the controversy over Komen not donating to Planned Parenthood led to information coming out about just HOW much Komen paid their CEO, and percentages spent on things like research or prevention as opposed to salaries and travel… that doesn’t happen often anymore.
Sometimes the irony of pink is worth the price. But not often.
I wear men’s weight lifting gloves because THEY MAKE THEM BETTER & LAST LONGER. I don’t really buy women specific – I buy me specific. 🙂
Hello. Guy here, and quite hetero, thank you very much, despite my name–was named after my great uncle, btw. That said, I’ve lived long enough to feel like I’ve earned the privilege of liking pink and purple. Fact is I’ve ALWAYS liked purple/lavender, hot pink/fuschia, and lime/chartreuse. And while it does irritate me that given items in “girly” colors cost more, it irritates me more that I frequently cannot find them in sizes that fit me. When I can afford it, I will preferably buy something in pink. As an example–I spent $80 for a 700 Watt “Hello Kitty” microwave at Target a couple months ago, when I COULD have settled for an arguably more useful 900 Watt RED Emerson model for $60–because I decided the “cuteness” factor was worth it, to me. I suspect manufacturers are well aware of this, and price their merchandise accordingly.
Guilty! I am one of those sucked in consumers who fall for the pink and consequently pay extra. Can’t help it! It’s just so pretty 😉 Haha have I girly-girled you all out now?
I possess pink sneakers and even a pink t-shirt. Which means I probably failed my male compadres.
I avoid buying “women’s” products as much as possible and detest pink items.
I have one pair of 6oz gloves that are pink, but that was because I needed them immediately and the only pair in my size was pink. Waiting for the black or blue pair in size S would have necessitated waiting 3-4 weeks. I held my nose and bought the pink.
99% of my workout t-shirts are men’s: better quality, less expensive. I also don’t care for the skimpier cut of many athletic tops made for women.
The other place where the gender tax rears its ugly head is personal care items: the 3in1 bath product (body wash + shampoo + conditioner) I buy at my local dept. store is labeled as being “for men” or “for kids”. Women are expected to waste money to buy multiple products and tote multiple bottles to the gym.
I agree with you on everything! My hubby buys the 3-in-1 wash/shampoo/conditioner but women can only get 2-in-1? WTH? I want in and out asap! I use his all the time 🙂
I usually buy the grey, black, red, blue, but have bought pink clothing occassionally if it’s been on sale 😉 I can’t resist a sale! Just got a reebok jacket for $12 in pink, but I bought the teal version too!
I tend to buy men’s products for many reasons, including not liking pink. Try to find warm women’s boots! I bought boy’s Rocky boots years ago, and when they wear out, I’ll cry. I buy men’s deodorant, since a lot of women’s stink to me, men’s fragrances are usually less over the top. I think the pink thing might be simple economics- greater volume = lower price.
Whoa, does it mean that the color pink is basically more expensive than the basic color schemes?!lols When it comes to fitness gear, I try to pick the reasonably priced that offers the right features.
Me too. When I purchased for fitness gear I usually choose the affordable price.
would definitely not pay extra for pink items, i am a dude though. although i have definitely paid more for items before (other than) fitness gear to get a particular color