Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Were Designed For One Sex But Are Predominantly Used By The Other

People Break Down Which Things Were Designed For One Sex But Are Predominantly Used By The Other
pair of red pump shoes
Photo by Gábor Szűts on Unsplash

Gender marketing has gradually become yesterday's news and was often criticized for its sexism due to an increased awareness of consumers refusing to be categorized.

While pink and blue products are the colors often associated with girls and boys respectively, a variety of manufacturers have begun to shun this outdated perception by embracing neutrality.


We still have a ways to go.

But did you realize that certain products that are specifically designed for use by one gender didn't always start that way?

For example, high heels were originally designed for men.

We have become socialized to only expect seeing female models – and the finest drag queens – high-stepping in their stilettos. However, its origins can be traced back to 15th century Persia when soldiers wore them to secure their footing in stirrups.

That and other interesting bit of trivia came to surface when Redditor hodgepodge282 asked:

"What's something that was designed for the use of one sex but is now predominantly used by the other?"

Old Spice

"Old Spice was launched by Shulton Inc. in 1937. William Lightfoot Schultz was inspired by his mother's potpourri and as a result, the first Old Spice product in 1937 was a woman's scent called Early American Old Spice. The product was received well, and therefore followed with Old Spice for men in 1938."

just-an-uber-driver

"I LOVE OLD SPICE (and I am female). My husband and i share deodorants. I'm hoping one day Old Spice will make a line for women (Sea Hag, Forest Witch, something tough and not floofy like Lavender Flower Blossom or something)"

"I didn't know Old Spice used to be for women. RECLAIM OLD SPICE."

FlyingCatLady

Tissue

"I remember reading somewhere that Kleenex was made for ladies to remove their makeup, but their husbands were blowing their noses in them. And now we all blow our noses in them."

chicken_and_toast

Marlboro

"Filtered cigarettes in general, but Marlboro made the biggest leap in terms of gendered marketing. Once that whole conspiracy theory came out that like cigarettes are idk bad for you or something and more people switched to filtered cigarettes (it's filtered, that means it's good for you!) was around the time the the salt of the earth classic American Marlboro Man came into existence, trying to distance the brand from its previously woman focused advertisements."

grundlebiter

Stirrups

"Those leg stirrups they use at the gynocologist were invented for removing kidney bladder stones in men. They used to cut from below the testicles and cut right through the prostate. It had a very low survival rate and was not approved by the medical profession."

"The original hippocratic oath had a section on 'not cutting for stone' meaning they swore not to surgically remove the stones because of it. They later removed that section of the oath, otherwise a bunch of urologists would be out of a job."

Winterplatypus

Heels

"Heels if i remember correctly."

boompewkablam

"That's correct; high heels were originally made for butchers to wear (who were mostly men) so that they could keep their feet clean of any blood from slaughtering animals."

Vinny_Lam

"The Ford Mustang. It was supposed to be a car with a big trunk to you could fit all the groceries in it. There was even an ad or article stating that you can own a mustang that matches the color of your lipstick. Makes sense why a lot of old mustangs are red."

Hey_I_Work_Here

"Victoria's Secret was originally supposed to be a place for men to buy lingerie for their wives and not feel embarrassed, but now it's almost exclusively shopped at by women."

Shuckles116

"Croptops. A football thing, initially."

callyjohnwell

"Like young Johnny Depp in Nightmare on Elms?"

mulledfox

"Skirts/dresses used to be for both men and women since they're much easier to make than pants. It didn't really switch from being for one gender to the other, one gender just stopped using them."

ben_g0



More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Bowen Yang
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Bowen Yang Gets Candid About Why He Decided To Leave 'SNL' After His Sudden Exit

Bowen Yang, who's well-known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his role in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, stepped off of the SNL stage for the last time, mid-season, after being a writer and performer for the past eight seasons.

During his final skit, Yang starred opposite Ariana Grande, with the couple playing a married couple. Grande was waiting for Bowen to come from after his final shift before retiring from working at an airport.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle Rittenhouse
Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Kyle Rittenhouse Blasted Over Sociopathic Post Following ICE Shooting In Minneapolis

Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse sparked outrage after he offered to travel to Minnesota following ICE's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.” But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back against this narrative considering witnesses described seeing Good in the vehicle trying to flee officers when she was shot.

Keep ReadingShow less
LEGO's 'SMART Brick'
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Lego Just Unveiled Their New Tech-Heavy 'Smart Brick'—But Not Everyone Is Excited About It

LEGO has long been known for its fostering of creativity, independent play, and imaginative designs, both in their LEGO sets and free-form bricks.

Parents have long hailed LEGO as a viable option for fostering creativity and critical thinking, even when faced with the frustrations of children not cleaning up all of the pieces and the pains of potentially stepping on them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams
Bryan Bedder/Athlos/Getty Images

Serena Williams' Husband Just Stepped In To Defend Her From Accusations That She's Lightening Her Skin

When the Williams family burst onto the scene in the tennis world as juniors, an inordinate amount of discourse focused on Venus and Serena's appearance. The Williams sisters weren't the first Black people—men or women—to play tennis at an international level, but they quickly achieved heights that set them on the path to legendary status.

The heightened attention brought with it a lot of racist and colorist comments about their hair, their skin, and their bodies—especially Serena's more muscular and curvy body.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Roasted After Berating Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer For Making Him Look 'Heavy'

On Tuesday as MAGA Republican President Donald Trump addressed House Republicans at the Kennedy Center, he gave a special shout out to one of the press photographers present.

Trump pointed out New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning Doug Mills.

Keep ReadingShow less