
It's tough
being a woman. We make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. We
pay
higher insurance premiums just because we were born with one of those
pesky uteruses (Hey, I
didn't ask for it!). And, now, it seems that
we pay more for just
about everything else as well, including shaving cream, moisturizer and
pain relievers.
It's
no wonder that
women are 32% more likely to have a sub-prime mortgage -
we're running out of cash!
Consumer Reports compared "male" and "female" versions of six different products
to see who pays more. And, big shocker, women were the losers in this
equation.
Some
of the reasoning is hilarious. For example, A PR rep for Neutrogena
explained the difference between two moisturizers: Ageless Essentials is
a "water-in-oil" emulsion; Hydrating Eye Reviver is an "oil-in-water"
emulsion. "These emulsion technologies have distinct skin feel
attributes resulting in different aesthetics to satisfy demands of
different consumers," Meresman says.
Sounds like a hype-in-BS emulsion to me.
But,
is it really any surprise that we pay more for health and beauty
products? Marketers know that once you throw something in a pretty
pink box and slap the words "age-defying" or "slenderizing" on it,
women are suckers. Women tend to care more about labels and packaging
then men. We tend to be willing to pay more for beauty items. And, we
tend to buy more different types of these products.
For
example, I have one moisturizer that I use for "day" under my makeup
and another "night cream" I use at night. And I'm far more frugal than
the average person. If I have two moisturizers (drug store brand, but
still...), imagine how much someone who isn't as thrifty as I am spends
on their face alone! If someone told my husband that he needed to use
two different types of moisturizer (or, really, any at all), he would
laugh at me.
In all honesty, it probably all stems back to the
fact that there is more pressure on women to look good (young, slim,
sexy, whatever) than there is on men. So, women feel like using more
expensive products gives them an edge. Some probably even think that
looking better helps them earn more. After all, there is some
evidence
that better looking people (especially women) are paid more
so isn't spending more on beauty products an investment in your earning
potential?
Maybe. But, at the same time, if two products are
identical except for packaging, only a fool would pay more for the one
in the pink box. So, I urge everyone reading this to start really
looking at packages and ingredients lists. Don't pay more for
something just because it's in a pretty bottle. Don't let yourself be
"taxed" for being a woman.