3 ms·

I remember when I first heard the term "pink tax." It seems particularly relevant on clothing. There are a lot of basic essentials (see pockets) that equivalen

I remember when I first heard the term "pink tax." It seems particularly relevant on clothing. There are a lot of basic essentials (see pockets) that equivalent women's garments simply do not have. And it seems to be more related to the manufacturers than consumers, because it is literally a meme for a girl to be excited about having pockets. And most of the women I know do share info abut which brands have pockets, etc. It seems that women will buy good quality stuff, but I agree that mountains of clothes are being made that don't seem like they were made with any humans in mind that might wear them? That said, I am incredibly grateful to live in a century where clothes are not a very large portion of my budget, yet I still am warm and covered.

Kalium 3y ago
Pockets are one of those niches where expressed and revealed preferences collide in ways that defy memeification. The popular imagination holds the idea that basically any garment can have good, functional, high-quality pockets added to it without consequence. Unfortunately, that's not true. For a common example, you can't just slap good pockets on close-fitting women's jeans. Good pockets need lining and room in the cut to expand. These in turn mean extra cloth. a looser fit, and lots of extra stitching, likely coupled with a higher price. Some of this can be mitigated by using more elastic-heavy material, which comes with a major drop in durability. How many women are looking to pay a higher price for a baggy butt in exchange for pockets? For those that are, the products exist today. Carhartt happily offers such items for $50-$70. Meanwhile, Shein sells their pieces for $10-$15. Bear in mind the Carhartts will almost certainly last longer than four or five Shein pieces. I can think of several very high quality denim brands that do work more fashionable than Carhartt. Of course, they charge more than $50 a pair. In its simplest DIY expression, you can sew a patch pocket on a dress. If you're not very careful in both dress cut and pocket location, the first time you put your phone in your new pocket you will completely wreck the lines of the dress. Of course, when you're paying $15 a piece you don't expect it to last long. So you buy several. This, I suspect, is where a lot of the pink tax in clothing lies.
csdvrx 3y ago
> I remember when I first heard the term "pink tax." It's not that. > There are a lot of basic essentials (see pockets) that equivalent women's garments simply do not have. And it seems to be more related to the manufacturers than consumers, because it is literally a meme for a girl to be excited about having pockets. And most of the women I know do share info abut which brands have pockets, etc. It seems that women will buy good quality stuff, but I agree that mountains of clothes are being made that don't seem like they were made with any humans in mind that might wear them? No, the market works. You are just misunderstanding it, so you might be surprised by my lifehack: when I need pants with pockets, I buy them either from a sport store (most outdoor wear has pockets) or from the men's section (who would've thought about that one lolol) It's just a lifehack, because they are rarely needed for me. And it's not just for me: it's reflected at the market level, so there are fewer options that provide pockets Maybe you like some specific kind of neckties (or something else men wear), or have specific preferences (a man purse to carry your electronics?) so you share info with your friends who have similar preference, but it's not male/female specific.

Kalium 3y ago

Pockets are one of those niches where expressed and revealed preferences collide in ways that defy memeification. The popular imagination holds the idea that basically any garment can have good, functional, high-quality pockets added to it without consequence. Unfortunately, that's not true. For a common example, you can't just slap good pockets on close-fitting women's jeans. Good pockets need lining and room in the cut to expand. These in turn mean extra cloth. a looser fit, and lots of extra stitching, likely coupled with a higher price. Some of this can be mitigated by using more elastic-heavy material, which comes with a major drop in durability. How many women are looking to pay a higher price for a baggy butt in exchange for pockets? For those that are, the products exist today. Carhartt happily offers such items for $50-$70. Meanwhile, Shein sells their pieces for $10-$15. Bear in mind the Carhartts will almost certainly last longer than four or five Shein pieces. I can think of several very high quality denim brands that do work more fashionable than Carhartt. Of course, they charge more than $50 a pair. In its simplest DIY expression, you can sew a patch pocket on a dress. If you're not very careful in both dress cut and pocket location, the first time you put your phone in your new pocket you will completely wreck the lines of the dress. Of course, when you're paying $15 a piece you don't expect it to last long. So you buy several. This, I suspect, is where a lot of the pink tax in clothing lies.

csdvrx 3y ago

> I remember when I first heard the term "pink tax." It's not that. > There are a lot of basic essentials (see pockets) that equivalent women's garments simply do not have. And it seems to be more related to the manufacturers than consumers, because it is literally a meme for a girl to be excited about having pockets. And most of the women I know do share info abut which brands have pockets, etc. It seems that women will buy good quality stuff, but I agree that mountains of clothes are being made that don't seem like they were made with any humans in mind that might wear them? No, the market works. You are just misunderstanding it, so you might be surprised by my lifehack: when I need pants with pockets, I buy them either from a sport store (most outdoor wear has pockets) or from the men's section (who would've thought about that one lolol) It's just a lifehack, because they are rarely needed for me. And it's not just for me: it's reflected at the market level, so there are fewer options that provide pockets Maybe you like some specific kind of neckties (or something else men wear), or have specific preferences (a man purse to carry your electronics?) so you share info with your friends who have similar preference, but it's not male/female specific.