# Is there really a "Pink Tax"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2020, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230 "2020-09-22T10:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/201 "2020-09-23T22:23:03Z")
Yes, I have, and I had to have measurements and alterations when I bought suits. But not when I bought a polo. She does. That’s the “pink tax” in action, and your obdurate refusal to acknowledge it is male privilege in action. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/202 "2020-09-23T22:28:01Z")
Oh please, lol Mens polos are fitted too (unless you’re buying standard fit, crappy ones). Most women don’t want to wear ill fitting clothes, thats the real “problem.” It has nothing to do with male privilege. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/203 "2020-09-23T22:38:16Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > Mens polos are fitted too (unless you’re buying standard fit, crappy ones). Most women don’t want to wear ill fitting clothes, thats the real “problem.” > > It has nothing to do with male privilege. I’m a guy and I’ve never heard of anyone wearing a fitted polo shirt unless they were rich snobs. And I’ve never heard of fitted jeans. Are men actually going to tailors to have them fitted? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/204 "2020-09-23T22:38:23Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > So if women are responsible for the market they drive (and seem to want, as a majority), what’s the problem? That they’re being charged more money for an identical product. I mean, it’s kind of the whole subject of this thread? You should really read it before you ask more questions. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/205 "2020-09-23T22:39:17Z")
And thats their fault, and good marketing…again, not q problem. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/206 "2020-09-23T22:39:52Z")
Yes, men wear fitted clothing. In my field of work it’s nearly expected. For many women, it also goes with their field of work. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/207 "2020-09-23T22:41:11Z")
I can see fitted dress shirts and pants and jackets, but fitted polo shirts? And fitted jeans? Wow! ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/208 "2020-09-23T22:42:13Z")
Yeah, it sucks. And it’s expensive. I understand why people find it annoying, but it’s also a personal choice. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/209 "2020-09-23T22:43:58Z")
Oh yeah, definitely a choice for that. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/210 "2020-09-23T22:50:01Z")
So you’ve bought jeans? Tell me how many inseam sizes you have to choose from. Most men’s jeans have at least 10 or so inseam lengths (sometimes more. I saw one brand that had every quarter inch from 26-34 , a total of 33 lengths.) Most women’s jeans have at most three ( short, average and tall) and the most I ever saw was six- the same company with 33 lengths for men. And I’m not talking about fitted- I’m talking about off the rack. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/211 "2020-09-23T22:51:13Z")
I normally have my jeans tailored. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/212 "2020-09-23T23:05:32Z")
There’s a difference between you wanting to have them tailored because you want them to fit perfectly and me having to have them hemmed because I don’t want them dragging on the ground. I don’t actually care if they’re a half-inch or maybe an inch too long - and I probably wouldn’t have to hem them at all if I had a choice of 10 inseam lengths. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/213 "2020-09-23T23:09:36Z")
Have you ever noticed how a lot of guys jeans drag on the ground, and are way too baggy in the legs? Most men just don’t care about that as women do. And don’t get me wrong, I understand why women DO care, but it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pay more for it. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/214 "2020-09-23T23:29:26Z")
Okay, let me try one more time: it’s not a matter of _fit_, it’s a matter of _size_. I know that Levis aren’t going to fit exactly the way Wranglers or Lees will; they’ll be differences in the hang, or the crotch, or the rise… But I can trust that no matter the brand, a 35" x 30" is going to be the same size. _That’s not true for women’s clothes._ Try this analogy: it’s as if a pair of size 9 Adidas were the same size as a pair of size 10.5 Brooks, size 8 Sauconys, and size 12 Mizunos. Or even, as @doreen pointed out, a 9.5 Nike Jordan One was a 11 in an Nike Airmax. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/215 "2020-09-23T23:32:56Z")
It’s a bad analogy because shoe sizes DO vary like that. And yes, mens clothing in general does vary from brand to brand. I wear a large in some brands and a medium in others. But let’s say you’re right, for the sake of argument. Women are driving _their_ clothing market. Not men. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/216 "2020-09-23T23:33:14Z")
> [@thickpancreas](#): > > Have you ever noticed how a lot of guys jeans drag on the ground, and are way too baggy in the legs? Most men just don’t care about that as women do. Well, men don’t get judged for looking sloppy, by e.g., employers and other professional contacts, anywhere near as much as women do. So why should they care? Like I said, it’s a Catch-22: Women are judged more critically and harshly on their appearance than men are. So women feel more pressure to conform to gender-specific appearance standards about being “well-groomed” and “well-dressed” than men do. So sellers can successfully charge women more than they charge men for the products required to meet those standards. And then women get jeered at for their own “voluntary” acquiescence in being overcharged. Catch-22. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/217 "2020-09-23T23:39:14Z")
That’s not for “fitted clothes”. That’s for everything. Any jeans. Any shirt sold to women. Plain underwear. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/218 "2020-09-23T23:43:43Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > > [@thickpancreas](#): > > > > Mens polos are fitted too (unless you’re buying standard fit, crappy ones). Most women don’t want to wear ill fitting clothes, thats the real “problem.” > > > > It has nothing to do with male privilege. > > I’m a guy and I’ve never heard of anyone wearing a fitted polo shirt unless they were rich snobs. And I’ve never heard of fitted jeans. Are men actually going to tailors to have them fitted? I know a lot of rich snobs. I’ve never heard of anyone buying a fitted polo shirt, nor of having one fitted. ---
**Author:** ![thickpancreas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@thickpancreas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thickpancreas)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/219 "2020-09-23T23:44:56Z")
Men get judged for looking sloppy, all the time. You rarely ever see “succesful” men who don’t care about their appearance. Men who work more “menial” positions, sure they can get away with dressing sloppily. And women who work those jobs can, too. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230/220 "2020-09-23T23:49:14Z")
No, they get judged more harshly than women in more lucrative positions. I don’t have to look hot to get tips. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-pink-tax/921230.md?page=12)