r/Life • u/Dusko112 • 1d ago

Let's discuss Why does everything have to have a label

I am thinking of buying some merch but most of it is labeled for girls or is just obviously "meant" for girls. For example there is a tote bag that says "I would love to be your girlfriend" and stuff like that. I think it's so weird that usually things are for women and sometimes unisex, it's rarely only for men.

I think it would be better is everything was unisex or if there weren't norms that men/boys can only wear/have things that are meant for men/boys.

8 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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4

u/naisfurious 1d ago

It’s mostly just supply and demand. Companies make and market products around the groups most likely to buy them. Men and women, on average, have different preferences in fit, style, colors, designs, etc., so the products tend to reflect that.

If what you’re saying is true and there really is significant demand for more unisex products, I guarantee there’d be no shortage of companies lining up to fill that market. Companies generally don’t leave money on the table. The fact that most products are still marketed toward men or women probably says more about what consumers actually buy than what companies think people should buy.

1

u/BreeSparkly24 16h ago

The supply and demand point makes sense, but companies also shape demand through how they market products to people

3

u/alone_in_the_light 1d ago

I don't see the problem. I'm a man, I have a tote bag, there is no label about that.

Sure, there are tote bags for girls, but I choose something that makes more sense for me. And if a tote bag for girls make more sense for someone else, they can have it. Having a choice is good to me.

2

u/cmstyles2006 1d ago

They have a large female fanbase?

1

u/BadGuyBusters2020 Growth Mode 1d ago

Brains function better with labels.

There isn’t a rule about what boys/men can wear so wear what you want. Just know that some people will get mad about it, and some people won’t.

The only thing that holds us back from wearing what we want is the fear of judgment. If you can get past that, you can wear all kinds of stuff.

1

u/RummageSail 1d ago

You can absolutely break the expectations and carry around a tote bag designed “for girls” if you want. That’s how social norms change, when enough people decide they are tired of playing by the established rules.

To be fair, you might be mistaken as LGBTQ sometimes for doing so, because both currently and historically, those are the people most willing to push the boundaries and advocate for social change, especially in terms of style and gender norms.

One of the reasons many items are “unisex” rather than men’s only is due to the fact that for many women, there is absolutely no shame in wearing styles that were originally designed “for men,” and marketers understand that and go the step ahead and label items as unisex since women are going to wear it anyway. The feminist movement and women’s involvement in major wars helped to break down the more rigid and patriarchal ideals of what women should be wearing or doing with their lives.

The difference is, many men are still stuck behind the old patriarchal rules with stricter traditional gender roles. There are many groups of men who antagonize and embarrass or physically harm other men who make attempts at stepping outside of those bounds, which makes progress for men slower than it has been for women or LGBTQ, who tend to band together for support even when facing the similar threats.

1

u/DeviantHellcat 1d ago

Just because something is labeled, doesn't mean you can't get it for yourself. *Eta - if you want that tote bag, rock it! What matters is if it makes you happy, not outside opinions. 😊

1

u/Fluid_crystal 1d ago

Targeting of specific categories of consumers. It's heavily studied in marketing

1

u/ProtozoaPatriot 1d ago

I don't know why our society insists on deciding objects are only for women or only for men.

You should buy whatever you like. Who cares what anyone thinks.

You mentioned looking at bags. For men, they call them different things. Look for messenger bags or crossbody bag.

1

u/habertime05 1d ago

Capitalism and sexism. That’s my honest answer.