"Helps block snoring & noise"

Of course these are necessary! Because, you know, all women sleep with men, and all men snore loudly (the pigs! no wonder they don't deserve anything that's silky soft.)

Seriously, though, you're right: this is just too much

I have earplugs like that! Only they are not pink and they didn't come in a feminine package. They are silky soft, though.

Mine are red, came in black and white packs of two, were sold by Caterpillar in bulk and were given to me by Janie, the bulldozer operator.

I don't know if they've dyed the inside of my ears. I'll have to check.

I bought ear plugs a few weeks ago and saw the pink ones at Wal-Greens. I was gobsmacked. I could see marketing them as being smaller, on the assumption that women have smaller ears, but Pepto Bismal pink? Really?

As a girl, I literally can't see things that aren't pink, so I'm all right with these!

I just use the orange earplugs from 3M. *Shrugs*

With things that are valuable (wallet, iPod, cellphone, Nintendo), it's good to have them be an unusual color, so you can find them in a black-lined bag full of white papers, or notice them elsewhere if they fall out (say, in the movie theater). So I always get those in green, turquoise, orange, or pink, or make brightly-colored cases for them, for that reason.

But earplugs like these are sold cheaply and in multipacks because they sort of expect you to lose or dispose of them over time--so that findability value of the bright color isn't a good excuse here.

When I read "Helps Block Snoring," for a second I thought they were also suggested for use up one's nose. :-p

It is very interesting how pink has become the one color associated with femininity, no matter what age, while baby blue only adheres to male-ness (not masculinity) only as so far as the male in question is under 2 years of age. There is no selected masculine color, as any potentially serious color (which really can be any color within the appropriate circumstances) can be seen as masculine, while pink remains the gendered color. There is a bit of a breakdown of the "pink = girly" equation as pink is becoming more acceptable for men to wear, mostly in shirt form (as far as I've observed). Does anyone know the history of this cultural association? Pink wasn't always considered a feminine color, was it?

Enjoy, eggialpha:
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/10/27/a-graphic-history-of-the-color-pink/

The usual story is that pink used to be a male-associated color, as it was seen to be a "light red," and red was so strong a color. And in much of the world, it's still perfectly unremarkable for boys and men to wear pink. It's a quirk of our time and place that Americans color-code so rigidly.

Again, though, with the earplugs the gender association is all in the marketing--there's no reason a man couldn't buy and use these if he wanted to (and no reason a woman couldn't pick up the other colors instead). After you throw away the packaging, there's nothing "pretty" about them. And if somebody knows you well enough to be staring at the color of your earplugs, you're probably beyond worrying what they think of your color choice anyway.

i am sad to say that i bought these.

there are obviously a lot of silly things about this idea/packaging, mostly the concept of having to maintain femininity within your ear, which is not even really visible, and to maintain it while you are sleeping!! (aka not conscious), and while your assumed male partner is sleeping (or maybe he stays awake just to admire your cute and feminine inner ear) ... but what gets to me as well is the "NEW!" branding..as if this product is worth your money for its fresh and progressive nature... "this is new, groundbreaking! how could you resist such clever brilliance??!"

PS, check out the website... it's a hoot

http://sleepinpink.com/index.htm

Also, the only reason women sleep is to be more beautiful, obviously! I guess being capable at my job is secondary.

If I had my way, the government would outlaw selling gendered versions of products that do not need to be gendered- including ear plugs, shampoo, rifles, mace, baby clothes, etc. (all examples I've seen). This insistence on strict gender divides only makes it harder for those of us who deviate from gender norms in any way...

correction: tazers, not mace. although pink mace would be ridiculous, too.

I buy these because they actually block the most decibels out of all of the available choices at longs. I object to the painfully girly marketing, though. Why not say, 'these are the best', whatever colour. I think I do have small ears, but all I want is the quietest night possible. They could have Oakland Raiders emblems on them and I'd load up if they kept me in deamland.

Oh, and no pink ears here, in the a.m.

I saw something recently that might be sociologically interesting. It was an ad for "his and hers" KY Jelly. I would give you a link but I never clicked on it and now can't find it.

I own pink mace actually. I plan to spray it with my pinky sticking out. A girl's got to maintain her femininity at all times, even while incapacitating a potential robber/rapist/murderer.

late on the draw here, but i just found the website-- I totally use these XD most comfortable earplugs i've ever had. maybe it's ridiculous to gender, but they ARE smaller, and softer, and hurt less than the generic ungendered kind. So idunno, marketing worked to get me to try them! they really stand out on the shelf at the store, among all the tan.

I just saw those flowery tools for sale last weekend. They were in boxes labeled "PRETTY TOOLS" and they had all sorts of different things covered in flowers. Tape measures, pliers, hammers, screw drivers, gardening shears, staplers... and more I'm sure I'm forgetting. At least the gardening tools make some sense being decorated with flowers. And I've seen staplers in all different colors with different designs on them. But really, what a strange gimmick.

A lot of the pink products I see are pink due to the Breast Cancer marketing...but ear plugs?

They just need more color options. I love all my stuff to be colorful and stand out. I just get sick of the fact that it is either pink or blue sometimes red. I need colors! Oh, and why are all girl stuff hellokitty now? I loved her at first but now...Where's the creativity?

I have the hammer-come-screwdriver thing and apart from the pieces-in-your-eye hazard that comes with the chipping of the enamel the first few uses it actually is a darn good, versatile AND pretty piece of equipment!!!

kind of weird airplugs. hahah

I have to point out that the last advert is not pointless.

The colours of the Shoprider's are in relation to the theme colours of the respective charities. Prostate awareness' signature colour is blue, where as The Beast Cancer Foundation is pink. Sure these colours are chosen to be gender specific (even though breast cancer effects men as much as women), but I don't see anything wrong with marketing these colours to an already genderised group of customers (elderly). I might add that prostate and breast cancer awareness promotions and contributions might be the greater evil contrast to genderisation of charitable pensioners.

"Screw them in your ears!" LOL!

The scooters don't make sense. Sure, the proceeds go to Prostate Cancer Canada and the Breast Cancer Society of Canada. Still, one must hope that purchases do not dictate donations - ex. if a man buys a blue scooter, a percentage of the purchase goes towards Prostate Cancer Canada. Think about it - only men can get prostate cancer, but any human can get breast cancer. If you really wanted to be equal in this gendered process, you would fight against ovarian cancer.

" a program supporting one killer of men and one killer of of men"

Obvious typo...sorry.

"a program supporting one killer of women and one killer of of men"

Check out pink domestos - yeah women you can get a coloured bottle too! http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/2499842.jpg

On the scooters. ... Think about it.

Breast cancer research and fun raising took up pink a long time ago. That may have been a gender biased decision, but you cannot blame companies that are promoting breast cancer awareness for making things pink! Blame the initial PR.

It sort of fits that prostate cancer then took blue, no?

So I think the scooters were an inappropriate example.

The screwdriver sets, snort.

I don't care, I am holding onto my LadySmith smith and wesson revolver, (pink handles and a "smaller grip" for daintier hands) until they pry it out of my cold, dead, perfectly manicured hands. LOL

Well, I don't know how many times I've been screwing a bracket into the wall and had to stop right in the middle of the job because I broke a nail and didn't have a manicure set handy. My stud finder doesn't even have a nail file. I got all emotional, and dissolved in a puddle of tears, I did. Quite ruined my make-up, too.

Seriously--why do *they* think that they can sell something to women if it's pink? Or add a fresh vanilla scent? Do they really think we're all vacuous third grade girls, more obsessed with being cutesy-poo than with doing a good job at (for example) building a shed, or changing the oil in our cars?

Idiots.

So am I a bad feminist if I'm not horribly offended by this? Hey, I actually DO have very small hands, a smaller power drill would be kinda snazzy. Half the women I know would buy tape or sandwhich bags or a scooter just because it's pink, and it's their right as women to buy whatever they damned well want with their money.

What I find more offensive is that you're implying someone who buys a hammer with flowers on it, or a pink phone, is somehow less of a strong independent woman. I'm make a living doing stunt work, I have a girlfriend, and I buy Disney princess fruit snacks. That doesn't make me a bad feminist, and a business isn't a bad guy for marketing to a key demographic and making a profit.

So what's the problem here? They make separate sandwich bags for boys and girls? This is that "separate, but equal" thing isn't it; sure they're the same quality now, but in a few years who knows? In a few years the nation's boys will be heading to school cool new Batman lunchboxes while their sisters carry their lunch in a brown lunch bag with a crude drawing of Dora the Explorer? Or what?

All that these products are (or any product for that matter) is an attempt to capture a perceived demand for goods; are they supposed to just stop selling it because you think it's offensive? By the looks of most of these products it doesn't even seem like the people who made them are still in business so what in the world is the big deal?

Seriously, it's articles like this that gives you guys (oh, sorry) gives you girls a bad rap; nobody else gives these products a second glance so don't get your panties in such a bunch!

The earplugs and the screwdriver + manicure set are pretty strange, but I don't mind some objects coming in different patterns, gendered or not, as long as the products are the same quality. Dell making crappy "Della" netbooks and selling them as women's laptops? Idiotic. A good tool set that comes in pink, flowers, stars, whatever? Kinda cool.

I don't want everything in my house to be a neutral gray, and when I buy things I'm going to have for a while, I want to be able to choose how they look. My laptop and phone are a classy, shiny black, but my camera and some of my kitchen appliances were both available in a gorgeous red with the same features as the silver and black ones, so...now I just have more interesting, unique stuff. And you may point out that red isn't the same thing as everything coming in a vapid, bubblegum pink, which is true, but I just feel like things should come with more options, not less, even if one of those options is pink.

I'm a female who would like those skull screws . . .

it's hard to believe the world has come to this. We don't think about it when we go in stores but when you actually see this it's pretty bad.

I own the toolkit for ladies and my little pink hammer has done some serious repairs around the dorm, which the young men residing here could not manage... maybe they should market my flower-power-hammer to the 'stronger sex'.

As for earplugs, there are the best: http://joesearplugs.com/. They're blue but I swear your ears won't reject them.

I could see why women and men need different matresses buying guides, because they have different body types, but I guess the couples one kind of puts a kink in my theory.

I love the snuggies pictures. The boy is playing his Xbox, and the girl is talking on the phone. Because girls don't play video games! Girls like to gossip on the phone all day.

=P

(oh, and they flipped the images, because that's clearly the mirror image of an xbox 360 controller.)

Dear lord, I hope you're kidding. As a gamer I can tell you that the ratio between males and females on most online games is conservatively 50 to 1. Maybe it's the alcohol talking, but feminists piss me off. No, the manufactures of Snuggies are not trying to establish a oppressive system where boys get to play xbox while girls are only allowed to "gossip on the phone all day". All they're doing is observation. If you want to change the perception then girls pick up a stupid video game and cap some fools while Sean gossips to all his gay buddies about how repressive I am.

Trent,
I understand your frustration but here are a few points to consider... first, I do think it's the alcohol because a feminist is really anyone who does not like oppression or does not consider a certain group in society better than another by virtue of some innate quality. Feminism isn't simply a militant attitude towards men, which I don't think was implied here.
Second, you are correct! Statistically speaking, more men play video games than women. But -- why does an electric blanket package has to rely on this statistic? They could have just as simply depicted both genders doing something all kids do: watching TV or (god forbid) reading. Yet, the manufacturers intentionally decided to reinforce a gender divide.
Last, did you ever ask yourself why girls don't usually pick up a 'stupid video game'? Perhaps it is because the games themselves are marketed to men and are made FOR men. Many of them are based on war and violence, many of them are innately racist and many rely on objectified women characters. Trust me, I have played video games in the past but somehow always got turned off my the monotonous spilling of blood and groaning of dying Japanese soldiers.
No one is blaming YOU or men in general for anything... your frustration is actually indicative of an understanding that this entire situation is ridiculous -- an understanding you and I share.
Don't be pissed off at feminists (at least not ALL feminists). And if you're keen on introducing more women to what you love to do, I'm game (pun intended).

Have a wonderful day!
Jenny

"I have played video games in the past but somehow always got turned off my the monotonous spilling of blood and groaning of dying Japanese soldiers." So why are you turned off by that while boys are not? Would we be balancing the gender scales if we somehow encouraged girls to enjoy that kind of activity? Isn't that indicative of males and females being different, so justifying different roles and stereotypes?

No, it's indicative of the socialization of males, from a very young age, to associate their masculinity with violence and use of power. And no, I don't think women should be taught to enjoy that, I think men should be taught differently. There is no innate difference between genders in our ability to enjoy violence, that's a ridiculous claim. Males and females are only different insofar as their biology is different. What video games you enjoy or associate yourself with is not determined by birth.

Sober and now prepared for dialectic. :)

I understand the intended meaning of feminist, but in my own meager experience, I've seen far more nutjobs (for lack of a better word) that call themselves feminists than those I would consider rational (and no the irony of my last comment is not lost on me). My beef with the term is that if feminists are supposed to be more centrist than the extremist feminists, I would expect to hear greater dissent and even disapproval of their actions and beliefs.
To clarify, I've never believed feminists are bra-burners and man-bashers; all that was long before my time. What I do believe is that feminists often take strong stances on topics that don't matter. Sure, the disparity between men's salaries vs women's salaries in a given field is something to rectify, but I don't think criticizing Snuggies for their advertising is the way to do it. As you recognized, in general men play more video games than girls and girls spend more time on the phone. Granted, they don't have to "rely on this statistic", but I just don't see the problem if they do. I didn't need to pick up a Snuggies box to know I liked video games.
Which brings me to your next point; why males like video games better. I believe it is based on natural selection rather than socialization. Men are far more attuned to visual stimulation while women are more attuned to social interaction. This explains why men are more attracted to T&A while women are attracted to a man who is confident or who makes her laugh. But let's assume I'm wrong on this count and that there is a demand for video games marketed to women and young girls. In our free market economy, some developer would recognize the demand and create a niche market to capitalize on it. Said another way, propping up outdated sexism is far less important to video game developers than money.

That's probably not all I had, but that's all I can think of right now. While I don't agree with some of your perceptions and conclusions, I appreciate the maturity and rationality in which they were stated. Especially after responding to a comment that was neither. :)

"There is no innate difference between genders in our ability to enjoy violence, that’s a ridiculous claim."

Would it be a stretch to assume that along with biological differences given to us by natural selection, psychological differences would come as well?

No, it wouldn't be a stretch at all. I don't know enough about psychology to be able to address that intelligently. My hunch (as a Sociologist, or one in training) is to lean towards explanations that rely on the sociocultural aspects of social psychology.
I loved your response. Let's see what I have time to respond to, on this impulsive study break... when I came across feminist theory and philosophy not so long ago, my immediate concern was that the labeling of an individual or group as feminist would create unnecessary divides that could yield conflict. I was later able to see both pros and cons of identifying as feminist but I actually still share your discomfort with some of the ways the movement (or sentiment, and the irony here doesn't escape me either) manifested itself. I do a lot of sexual assault prevention work, more recently with men, and have myself had a lot of trouble wrapping my head around the notion that some seemingly harmless events or messages could be, in the context of the larger system, dangerous.
I'd be lying if I said that I am completely convinced that everything from opening the door for a lady, or packaging an electric blanket in a gendered box, immediately adds to all that's wrong with society. But what I have begun to do is be a little bit more critical and aware of the ways gendered messages are injected into our consciousness.
Do I think that box is 'wrong' or 'harmful'? I don't know. I do believe that creating discussion and, inevitably, debate about it couldn't hurt.
As far as violence and aggression go, that's a field I am more confident in blaming for some of the problems I encounter in my life. There is no doubt that the socialization into masculinity involves a great deal of 'thirst for blood'. Unfortunately, I come from a country in which society itself rests on values of military, war and aggression and have seen my own younger family members become unnecessarily fond of aggression, and each time it has been gendered. A professor in my college did extensive work on masculinity, education and violence, which I'm having a hard time quoting right now... but if you're interested I could look it up.
In short, I think we agree more than disagree and I would really appreciate hearing more of your insights on this. My mind or opinions are never fully set, and I find far more utility in conversing with others than relying on age old prejudices or pretentious militant academic work.

@KD: The few female gamers I've encountered are encouraged in what they do. Heck, if a girl wants to play some Halo with me, I'll encourage it because frankly...that's kind of hot. But seriously, what the heck? You think game stores deny sales based on gender? No offense, but with so many self-titled feminists with views like that, it's tough to give the rational feminists the benefit of the doubt. Unless you're a troll which is what I hope.

@Jenny: Well you have my respect. You remind me a ton of my friend from high school who was the first person to inform me that feminism was intended to be nothing more than fighting for women's rights.

My biggest problem with the modern feminist movement is its obsession with advertising. The thing about criticizing advertising is that the ad isn't there to shape the world or socialize anyone; it's there to turn a profit. Any socialization that happens as a result is circumstantial. A demand from a small interest group on corporations to alter gender rolls in their advertising will fall on mostly deaf ears. Unless there is a legitimate shift in demand it would be absurd for a company shift it's marketing strategy.

As a warning, this is kind of going back to my Freshman Comp class where we had to analyze food ads for gender roles. According to the author of the lame article we read (and my teacher) if we show women eating giant whoppers and men eating Dove chocolate bars then that's how it'll be. Or something. I don't know, I hated that class.

So basically my thesis is that companies can't be expected to go against what sells. For video games that's a strong emphasis on games targeted at males (though exceptions exist such as Guitar Hero which is gender-neutral and WiiFit which I would argue is targeted at middle-aged women). For food that's using large portions for men (and possibly Megan Fox) and using small, succulent morsels for women.

Man alive Jenny, you sure have a way with words. :)

In addition to KD, I'd like to apologize to anyone I've insulted here. I forget often that my views, though logical in my own mind, are limited by my own lack of exposure to some ugliness in the world. I hope I haven't turned anyone off from debate and will be less cynical in the future.

One last response before I turn in for a bit.

"Patience and tolerance as key here, not an ability to argue a logical point."

I feel I'm fairly good at the logic aspect, but I fear I'm not as good at patience and tolerance as I'd hoped. I'll work on it. This whole discussion has given me a lot to think about so I thank you all for that.

I read an article in a consumer's advocate magazine that talked about this.

They pointed out that products that are essentially the same, but with labels for each gender are often priced differently.

Wow, learnt more from the post-article comments/debate than what was presented to begin with!

I think looking at advertising as an example of engendering people is kind of a chicken or egg situation. The advertisers aren't thinking "how can we greater divide the genders?" They are thinking "how can we make more money by expanding our consumer base?" In order to do this, they try to depict familiar images in their advertising. The Snuggie is a perfect example. Boy sees boy on box playing video game --> boy thinks "He's like me" --> boy thinks Snuggie is a product he might like. If the boy on the box were reading a book (and that IS in a small picture on the cover, but I mean the main picture) the boy might think "That's just for nerds". I don't think it's quite as true for the girl people are generally more open to the idea of girls "crossing gender lines" than boys.

It ultimately comes down to consumers. If gender neutral items sold well in the stores, the advertising would be more gender neutral, too. Unfortunately, advertising and product design is driven by what sells, not what's best. One activity that I do with my students in English class is to have them create ads for the same product but with different audiences. I have a few examples that I use, such as ads for theme parks geared towards kids, teens and parents...same place, but very different messages. I remember when the movie Titanic was in theatres, there were different styles of ads depending upon which channel you were watching, some focusing on the romance and some focusing on the action.

In our consumer based society the dollar casts the only vote that counts. If the gender neutral advertising flops and the targeted advertising succeeds, you know what we'll be seeing more of.

hey there guys, i have an essay assignment where i've got to compare 2 gendered objects. any advice on what objects i could maybe use and interesting points i could talk about, would be appreciated!

So by the way, those scooters aren't gendered marketing. The blue one is for Prostate Cancer awareness, and the pink one is for Breast Cancer awareness. It's just the color of the ribbon, in the same way that yellow ribbons symbolize waiting for someone to return from war. Hope that clears things up a bit.

okay so with many of the products, they were made for men and women because of their different needs

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the CAT5 cable at the end doesn't seem to be particularly "gendered." On the packaging I see what LOOKS like the top of what might be a breast cancer-awareness ribbon, but other than that, I see no indicators that it is exclusively for females. "BLING" is not a gender-specific word. Calling this is a gendered product seems to me to be the result of the submitter's, and the poster's interpretation based on the color of the cables. In my office right now I have blue, yellow and gray CAT5 cables. Why not pink?

Yes, but why is pink associated with breast cancer and blue with prostate cancer?

At Yogurtland, a chain of fro-yo places here in California, they always hand women a pink spoon and men a green spoon. I thought it was just a fluke until I noticed it at several locations -- I would get a pink spoon, and the males with me would get green ones. As I hate pink as well as pointlessly gendered things, this really grates on me.

I'm sure no one will ever see this comment because this article is really old, but I just stumbled here and laughed out loud to see the pink ear plugs I always buy from the local supermarket. My girlfriend and I laugh at how ridiculous the packaging is, but on the other hand, they're by far the cheapest ones in the store - and they work well, too! I wonder if the reason why they're cheaper is actually because you have a lot of guys walking in who refuse to buy them, and instead stick with the gender-neutral packs...

Do men ever stop trolling? Seriously, stop flaunting your privilege, and try some punctuation other than a question mark.

I'll just leave this here, http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/ . It's great for when you can't be bothered to argue the basics with someone.

Thia stuff is unbelievable. Actually, it's not unbelievable, sadly. It's ridiculous and annoying.

We are different from men. There is no doubt about that. The problem here is that people are left without options. For example, check the target gift cards. Why should the store choose a gift regardless of what the kid wants? Society tries to culturalize us to the point we are left without options? Why do you think there are more male videogamers? Because girls are told that's for boys. I know a load of women who play, buy and love videogames: they just don't admit it.
Men are also limited by the patriarchal model. They lose their freedom to be the way the want to be, and are forced into behavioural patterns that sometimes don't fit them.
Feminism is not about hating men: it's about fighting the injustice of patriarchy. It's wanting freedom to choose blue or pink, despite the fact you are a woman or a man.

Okay, for all the video game talk: I'm a girl and I play Mortal Kombat with the blood on high.

Anywaaaay, I don't think gender has anything to with what you actually like. I believe it has to do with how you were brought up and what you were exposed to. My parents never set a gender specific lifestyle for me and so I was never oppressed by it. I think if more parents were like that, there would be less children thinking that they needed to like a certain thing to be accepted.

Though, I do still think that it is easier for girls to like "boy things" than it is for boys to like "girl things".

Comments on the pictures:

The scooters, Find it and Cat5 cables are cancer awareness items, so why shouldn't they go with the ribbon color (the issue of the color should be with the color given to Breast Cancer awareness in these cases).

The gift cards just seem to be baby-shower gifts that follow the "It's a boy/girl!" theme. I wonder if they have any gender neutral ones though, especially since more and more people are turning away fromt the idea of pink and blue parties.

The different colored deodorant could come in handy if you shared a bathroom with another person (no worries about accidently using their product), but I don't see the point in setting a gender in the store label.

Find It (the game shown with a glitz & glamour edition and sports edition) usually comes in a rainbow of colors, but there are a variety of themes. Besides the Breast Cancer edition (glitz & glamour) I haven't found one for a particular gender.

The pink and blue easter bunnies don't seem to have "girl" or "boy" written on them, and are typical colors used in Easter decorations. Sure, I don't think I would give a boy the pink (because most little boys don't like pink), but I would get a little girl whatever color she wanted (I keep meeting more and more little girls who like blue more than pink, so I would probably ask).

My Question:
I noticed candy and snack bags being labeled as for "boys" or for "girls." Is this because children desire to define themselves by their gender (like, do girls get folders with "Girl Power!" on them because they like being a girl and think boys/ boy things are yucky) or do we teach children to define themselves by their gender by marketing them as two different groups?

I thought the gendered mattress guides sort of made sense before I looked at them. It wasn't a "here's common issues women suffer because of hips/breasts while sleeping" vs "here's common issues men suffer because of penis/shoulders while sleeping" which are the biggest PHYSICAL differences and would make sense as a sex thing rather than a gender thing. No, it's essentially the same guide but playing up to stereotypical personalities of the genders. Big thumbs down.

The pink ear plugs suck because they're pink (which I hate) but a lot are a smaller than standard size, which is great for people with smaller ear canals (like me), which is a physical trait linked mostly to the female sex. I'd love for them to just be sold as "small" ear plugs in a neutral colour.

I always giggle when people ask if our dogs have their colours because of gender (boy wears blue, girl wears red). I find it ridiculous, but people really do gender even their pet animals! For us, it's because my favourite colour is blue and the boy is "my" dog and my boyfriend's favourite colour is red and the girl is "his" dog (as chosen by the dogs). They wear essentially the same things (collars & coats), just coloured differently so we know whose is whose as they wear different sizes. No girly prints for her and boyish prints for him, just nice neutral gold/white paisley print.

I have those pink earplugs. I bought them because they were cheaper, but they don't work very well. my ears never turned pink, though.

Guessing none of these products are actually different except the packaging.

The "Skull Screws" are an interesting example of a product that does not seem to say anything about gender but even the poster of this article assumes they are for men. I guess this just goes to show even more how ingrained gender norms are in our society! Also they are pretty hilarious!

I kinda get the gendered cables. It's passive-aggressive stereotype resistance to buy them in pink - I'd do it.

I remember being a kid and being incredibly embarrassed asking for the "boy toy" at McDonald's. Even if there's nothing wrong with wanting a pink drill, there is something wrong with suggesting that is a characteristic that women should possess and/or that is unique to women. 

I'm confused: Several of the pictures listed simply show things that are available in pink and in blue, without any clear gendering of those choices: What makes 'Skull Screws Ear Plugs' gendered, except the audience? The GK-10 scooter, available in either of two colors, contributes to two cancer organizations. Where does that ad SAY 'for him' or 'for her'?

Also, why is a pink bulldog with a hardhat, blue clothing, blue spots, and high heels conforming to any kind of gender?

I have that finishing hammer (the one with the flowers and the nested screwdrivers). It was a present from my boyfriend's mom, and at first I thought, "Really?! A flowery hammer?"  But, other than the flowers wearing away on the head from nailing, it is a great tool to have around. The little hammer is perfect for finishing nails, the screw drivers are great for smaller jobs, and the whole package is small enough to sit in a mug with my pens and such. I use it much more often than my larger, packed-away-in-a-closet set of "manly" tools.

So, sometimes the "girly" design (smaller, nested tools) actually provides function as well as aesthetics.

Just this week, I was much annoyed by a pink power drill labeled "Girly Edition" being sold by Lidl here in Germany. It's available only from the online store, not in local shops (where the regular green/orange version is being sold). I took a picture of the ad: http://instagr.am/p/RO1x0/?ref=nf

Flowers aside though, I thought the hammer was great when I bought it. Much better than the one we had at the time, and with the extra tools in the space of one! That said, the screwdrivers don't seem to be adapted for sizes of actual screws.

The cables are not only pink, but bedecked with jewels!

My son has had one of the flowered hammers since he was small enough that it was a decent size and weight.  He's never used the hammer much, but as a teenager he still finds the screwdriver set in the handle handy.

Not all of this stuff is gendered because it comes in pink. There IS a market for people who like cutesy things. myself included and it's not because i feel I have to fall into any particular stereotype of a female either.

makes a huge statement of the pointlessly consuming society too, I would add

This is one of my favorite gendered products that i found in the knitting sections at my local craft store
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48279097@N03/5265611558/
they are stress relieving gloves for crocheting  ..... for men

Some of these seem only to be gendered on the sale sticker that the store made, and I wonder then if the store is to blame or the product. I'm more keen to blame the store. The black camera, blue camera, and purple camera with flowers are all in similar packaging makes no claim what gender the cameras are for, but maybe the store decided to market them towards gender. 

The one I think is interesting is the crystal deodorant, which notice also that nowhere on the package (that we can see) does it say for men or women, it's just the sign saying that, and of course the fact that they're pink and blue. I love that deodorant, and I remember looking at the two packages and being confused what the difference was in the two colors. The fact is there is no difference! 

I almost feel like the deodorant company would feel pressured to put two colors to ensure sales to both genders, as people are so used to and comfortable with buying deodorant that's strictly for men or for women. Using a crystal deodorant with no fragrance may seem strange enough to some people, so perhaps they assumed or tested to find that customers were more comfortable with it having two colors so it didn't seem like a unisex product. I can't think of any deodorant that I've seen in the US marketed as unisex, it's a very segregated market. 

When it comes to colors and genders anyone who knows me knows i find it highly stupid and pointless , but we all seem to of forgotten, YES they may make these things pink and blue or say its just for men or just for women but we dont have to buy them..or if your a women, you dont have to get the girly pink one. i know plently of women who dont like the color pink, at all. Also take the new dr pepper for example, it says NOT FOR WOMEN but i bet you women are drinking it. If we keep feeding into this and making everything about gender nothing will ever change ; esp with the kids. "boy toys" " lil girl toys " smh it makes me sick. My daughter would prefer and has asked for a train set vs princes's toys for her birthday, and thats exactly what she's getting.

About the "gendered disposable cameras" , where does it say the purple one is for females? it doesnt say anything gender related on it, its purple with flowers, not what most would think is "manly" but again it isnt saything men cant or should buy it or that its for a woman..

Some of these are things that bother me when I look at them. Others seem to point out the bias in the writers mind.

The "Glitz and Glamour" or "sports" theme? Sports are more than not going to have colors resembling those in the game. "Glitzy" things are more often than not going to be sparkly and relate to fancy items. It was the author who decided that "sports" are for boys and "Glitz" is for girls. Boys may like cats, sunglasses, even dresses if they want. And pink IS the color chosen for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so that you will have to take up with them if you hate pink being seen as a "girl" color.

The "bling" computer cables? Why are those "girls"? Again, because they are pink and have sparkles???? Or because they support Breast Cancer Awareness funds? Again the author is using her own bias to decide that these are "for girls". Are you  saying that pink is a "girl" color and BCA is a "girl" charity? It does not say they are for girls in the photo. The writer on Boing Boing makes a joke about this, but again, why are we saying that boys can't have these, and that they are "gendered" to girls??? They have blue versions of this cable, and silver and gold, by the way. Are those "boy" ones, even if they have bling????  I even went on sites that sell these. NONE of them say "for her" or "GIRLS" cables. They just say they are pretty...which they are.

The "boy" and "girl" chocolate bunnies are the same way. They say "blue cage" and "pink cage. The author decided these are for boys and girls, not the manufacturer. They put out a product in two different colors. If you look at them, both bunnies have "eyelashes" giving them a look that is usually reserved to distinguish items as "girls". So we have two "girl" bunnies, but it's offensive because they used blue and pink colors??

I think the thing that offended me personally were the supposed "gendered" ear plugs...the Skull and Screw. The AUTHOR decided that they are for "working class men". Nowhere that I see do they say they are "male" "for men" or anything relating to BEING for men. The AUTHOR has decided that skulls and screws are for guys, and that us women would not buy or own something with flames, skulls, or that look like screws. Personally, I think they are great and hilarious. The author obviously does not include those of us who are feminine, yet collect skull and flame merchandise. My skull necklace must be for a "working class man" since it's not meant for me.

Seriously, I want equality and I want to be able to like what I like. But lumping things in to pad your article, or letting your own bias and prejudice determine the very attitudes you are claiming to try to change just makes this issue seem like someone bitching because things aren't the way THEY want to dictate. Why should things change just so YOUR biases can be put in place instead?

I have to be honest; I like the pink scooter.

I'm not a big lover of the colour pink but occasionally pink can come in handy. If you own pink tools, linen etc it will stop your brothers from "borrowing" them

The blue "Hearos" ear plugs are not gendered. At all. They are simply blue. They make a neon orange set too. The colors signify the strength/rating of noise blocking. 

I saw those earplugs just the other day and took a picture to send in, I'm glad I'm not the only one who found them absolutely ridiculous.

One aspect of gendered packaging is its use as an economic strategy -- two different boxes translates into twice the store shelf space, even if the products inside those boxes are identical.   Presumably there is a relationship between sales $$ and the amount of retail real estate a product occupies.

A lot of people are being really stupid about this. The author isn't being biased. Whether you choose to believe it or not, sexism and consumerism go hand in hand. The author didn't decide that pink is for girls and blue is for boys, and is not a "biased" for showing these images as examples. They are all valid. It is common in marketing, to the point of being the standard, to think of blues and cool neutral colors as being for boys, and pink and warm colors as being for girls. This is not a display of the author being "biased," in fact, he is pointing out the biases of these manufacturers. The truth of the matter is, if it really was just about giving color options, there would be more choices than blue, pink and purple. Furthermore, the warm colors are almost always associated with something more "glitzy," or what we might consider to be feminine as the last image shows, whereas the darker, cool colors are associated with what one might consider as being more masculine. The author is not perpetuating stereotypes by posting this. She is simply bringing to your attention that, yes, gender typing occurs in many products, even in something as simple as a set of earplugs. I you took any offense to this article, I can only guess it is because you don't really understand the point of it.

"Girls' guitar strings"

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11928510

Check out these pink moustaches "for girls." http://www.frenzyuniverse.com/products/4-stylish-moustaches-for-girls.aspx

Gendered earplugs are everywhere (the package doesn't say "for girls", but the price tag makes sure we know they are "WMNS" )

https://unfemthat.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/hello-world/

Again, pretty does it. whatever is more appealing to the eye is what the customer will buy.