I’m sure most of us have heard of the pink tax, so I won’t cover it but just keep the “women pay more for the same product” thing in the back of your mind.

There’s a few companies creating makeup lines for men, and part of that is branding it and creating packaging that targets men: think like the brand warpaint and stuff. Basically, the product is being made to be more congruent with most men’s sense of masculinity.

Many people (feminists) have criticized this as being a result of misogyny and toxic/fragile masculinity (shocker, I know). The hypocrisy comes when you consider the pink tax: a major part of the idea is how women pay more for the same products (razors, deodorant, etc.) But then that brings up the question: why don’t women just buy the male version if they’re the same?

Is it maybe that women also enjoy gender congruency? That people tend to be drawn to things that affirm their identities and for the majority of people that looks a certain way?

This isn’t the only example of that, and while it’s sort of just annoying with makeup, it starts becoming a problem in other areas like healthcare and mental health.

To me it seems like men are caught in a double bind: they can either buy and use the products and aesthetics that affirm their sense of self, but they’re fragile and less of a man ultimately. Or they can do the opposite but aren’t comfortable with it (though I don’t think most people do this).

Basically: man up but do it our way

What do you guys think?