"Lady fitness" is a hilarious phrase. Some things you don't even have to make fun of, they're basically already a parody of themselves!

While I deplore the whole pink breast cancer thing, how many of us know when Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is, as opposed to Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

More men have prostate cancer in the US than women who have breast cancer, and the death rate is almost as high. But public awareness, and I dare say, public sympathy for those who have it is much lower.

Men get breast cancer extremely rarely, so they logically care less (especially if they are single) - as said above, about the same as women care about prostate cancer :-)

Are women more likely than men to choose one product over a similar one if the first purports to promote some sort of Important Cause?

I see the pink seal claims "Contributes to Breast Cancer Research." How? Through what organization? How much money from each sale goes directly to research? Are researchers short on funding? Are the researchers good at what they do? How do we know?

It seems as if putting a pink ribbon on any product "for women" is just a trick to sell more products. Is there any accountability?

Why on earth are we using the baby-talk diminutive "boobies"?

Isn't this completely backwards?
Using a ribbon to raise awareness for a charity is fairly standard, at least in the uk, and was popularised by the red ribbon for aids awareness. Since breast cancer predominantly affects women, selecting a pink ribbon is a natural choice. The pink theme of many products which promote breast cancer is an extension of this pink ribbon rather than an attempt to exclude men, and I'd say more an example of branding than an extension of the feminism of pinkness.

The weird difference is that the pink one also says "Lady Fitness" explicitly. They both offer the same items for the same "lady-type" exercises: yoga, pilates, strength training, and aerobics. It's not that men can't or don't do those exercises, but they are very popular exercise regimens among women as yogurt and salad are foods. I can't help but think the green one is for women also, but less exclusively so, and that if the pink one gives at all to breast cancer research, that gives it an excuse to sell the same items in pink. Unfortunately, I think most people who buy the breast cancer stuff only buy it because it does come in pink, and helping a disease makes them feel less shallow or self-conscious for liking pink.

I would love to read more about the breast cancer awareness movement and how much money they raise tying into products to get them manufactured in pink to sell to women who might otherwise buy nothing. I've seen articles here and elsewhere pertaining to "lady-style" items, not just kitchen stuff but predominantly "man" items that encourage women, like tools and gadgets, etc., that might not otherwise appeal to them at all. I realize I'm stepping all over the place with my writing, but some women adhere to a non-handy stereotype and actually get excited if they can have something like a power drill in pink, or a set of screwdrivers. Then there is the "marketing" imagery we get for "lady fitness" that emphasizes that it's for women - when I think both of the selections are for women... the "neutral" choice exists for women who don't like pink and men who do Pilates don't have to get the pink one. The only problem with the neutral, non-pink version is that if you care about breast cancer (like a lot of people do) but do not care to accumulate every item you can buy in pink, you might feel like you are making the uncaring choice. I have a bigger problem that it doesn't just come in pink or green, but that one of the boxes says "Lady Fitness".

I tend to think the pink items do more for women to have items that come in pink that they wouldn't ordinarily be attracted to buying, may be good for the economy and not just breast cancer awareness.

I love the distinct lack of trans* people in relation to this article. /sarcasm