As the saying goes, “There’s a lot of things in life that aren’t fair.” But one things for sure, your gender shouldn’t dictate an unnecessary price gauge in everyday items. The Pink Tax, which is a discrepancy in pricing, came to light as part of a 2015 study conducted by The New York City Department of Consumer Affair. After hundreds of products were researched and exposed, it became overwhelmingly obvious that products targeted towards female consumers are priced, on average, seven percent higher—that’s about $1,351 more than what a man would pay. In the wake of the #metoo and Time’s Up movements, it’s pretty ludicrous that a female product-focused price hike is even topic of discussion.
Given its name because of the pink color of products that are marketed towards girls and women, the disparity in price was established as a way for brands to gauge female consumers. Items that are pink in color or marketed directly towards women, like personal care and beauty products, namely tampons, deodorant, razors, hair products and body washes and lotion, are priced substantially higher.
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Companies like European Wax Center and Billie, a femalecentric razor company in the form of a subscription box, are taking a stand against the Pink Tax and have deployed campaigns to make consumers aware of what is really going on. “Unfortunately, in 2018, there are many issues that negatively impact women like gender pay disparity, Time’s Up and taxes on tampons,” says Sherry Baker, President, Marketing and Development for European Wax Center. “This is something we have a shot at impacting sooner rather than later, and the way we can make an impact about the Pink Tax is through really strong awareness.”
European Wax Center is taking a hard stance with a campaign called “Ax the Pink Tax” to raise mindfulness on the unnecessary charges and encourage women to voice their thoughts and opinions on the matter. The initiative also inspires women to go bold and post a #axthepinktax selfie on social media sporting pink brows (any European Wax Center will ‘pinkify’ them for free) to “level the playing field” and “raise a brow” against the tax. “Visuals, at times, are expressive and communicate beyond what you can say. The goal of the pink brows is to spark a conversation about why a guest may have them and what they are all about. It’s a strong awareness play,” says Baker. During the month of April, European Wax Center will also offer all guests, regardless of gender, 13.51 percent off any one service or product.
Like European Wax Center, the female-friendly razor company Billie has priced its model sans the Pink Tax, making the line competitive with what a man would pay for a razor. They, too, are making headway in the Pink Tax arena and recently introduced their Pink Tax Rebate, a reimbursement that repays women for overspending on pink razors. Simple to redeem, the rebate is set up on the Billie website where credits, later to be used towards purchases, are given to consumers for referring the link with friends.
The easiest way to avoid the pink tax is to purchase items marketed towards men. Or, do even better—way better—and support a brand that’s paving the way to make a difference for the future of women everywhere.
