mansize kleenex
By Maya Dusenbery • @mayadusenbery • 10 years ago

The most pointlessly gendered products

mansize kleenex

Because Real Men’s tears are too big and strong for regular tissues.

Sociological Images has pulled together a collection of the most pointlessly gendered products their readers have come across recently.

Of course, most gendered advertising, especially when geared towards kids, is not just pointless but harmful — reinforcing gender stereotypes and limiting imaginations. But when it comes to products like “mansize” Kleenex, it’s really getting absurd. This is the kind of lazy advertising that would earn Don Draper’s withering scorn.

Check out more images — from “men’s bread” to pet shampoo “for him” and “for her” — after the jump. The eggs are my favorite. 

gendered pet shampoo

Because how embarrassed would poor little Rover be if you got him that girlie stuff?

men's bread

Hey, I like pumpkin seeds too…

gendered eggs

I’m assuming the actual eggs are traditional egg-colored on the inside, but, honestly, who knows.

gendered wrist support

And here I thought the wrist was possibly the most androgynous body part.

Maya DusenberyYou seriously couldn’t pay Maya enough to try those sausages.

St. Paul, MN

Maya Dusenbery is executive director in charge of editorial at Feministing. She is the author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick (HarperOne, March 2018). She has been a fellow at Mother Jones magazine and a columnist at Pacific Standard magazine. Her work has appeared in publications like Cosmopolitan.com, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, as well as the anthology The Feminist Utopia Project. Before become a full-time journalist, she worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. A Minnesota native, she received her B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. After living in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Atlanta, she is currently based in the Twin Cities.

Maya Dusenbery is an executive director of Feministing and author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm on sexism in medicine.

Read more about Maya

Join the Conversation