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Stop with the pink, please.

Pink. A colour for the females apparently, and one, which according to many female gadget/technology orientated websites, feel like they have to ambush my eyes with! And to be honest, I’ve had enough.

It’s bad enough that quite a few technology/gadgetry websites and even magazines insist on having half-naked women plastered all over them. I’m not trying to unravel the mysteries of the male mind here, but what ever happened to not being able to multi-task?

Well, over the past couple of days I’ve been visiting, and revisiting a number of websites for gadgetry news and the like, and particularly feminine ones, just so I can see what the different views and news are. But on all the girly ones (which are hard enough to come by), they all have this will to impose pink on me. Then the news section is made up of “look, a Louis Vuitton case for your iPhone!” Why does everyone presume the female kind to be so shallow?

Now, I know I’m not exactly talking about mobiles here, but the same thing applies. I rarely read “Heat”, “Closer”, or any of that other rubbish which tries to qualify itself as news, and interesting. But, when I do, I’m always annoyed. There will be at least one mobile advert (normally), and it angers me.

I’ll give you three guesses the colour of the phone?

I don’t even have to say the answer; I know you know it already. Sometimes though, us female kind are also given the choice of purple or “baby blue” to enlighten our eyes too; that though is still just as bad.

It’s also the technology in such phones that annoys me. I know there is at least one exception to this rule, and that would probably be the pink the Blackberry; but all the others are to put it mildly, crap.

I’ve been into the Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U quite a lot over the past couple of months. I needed a new phone, and I wanted something that was technological, within my budget, and comfortable for me. The sales staff in these shops always ask, “What phone do you have”, and at the time it was a D600 – shock horror face – “that’s a male phone; you can’t have that, let’s find you a nice girly one”. So I go along with this idea, and I get old Motorola’s, or pink Samsungs flung my way. Then, dare I ask, “What about a phone that has a good camera, and some interest going on within it”… “But those are male phones, you’re a girl, stick to girl phones.”

I’ll admit some mobiles are a bit too “blokey” if you get my sense. But still, why does half of the population have to be deprived of quality news, and mobiles, because of this stupidity.

I say it’s stupid because it could be easily solved if more females were heading the campaign companies, and the mobile companies. Instead there are a bunch of middle-aged males, who think that making a phone in a pink version is enough to sell it to the female market. I’m telling you now, you’re wrong.

Not every female likes pink, and I’m the first to put my hands up to this, I hate the colour. There are some who do like pink, and I’m also sure there are some who are happy with their limited choice in over priced mobile telecommunications; but I’m not.

I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers here, and so I’m not going to offer any ideas or suggestions. I want the mobile companies to do that. Next year I want to be surprised by the innovation in the mobile industry, mobile phones that are equally likeable to male and females, and ones which maybe are specifically gender orientated, but don’t use pink to highlight this.

22 COMMENTS

  1. The problem is, the pink ones sell really well. So the pink keeps being pumped out.
    The silliest pink offer I've seen offers a pink Moto U9 with a free bottle of pink champagne!

    There is, for sure, a problem with shop staff trying to sell to a particular demographic. It's easy to say “Woman, under 21, therefore likes pink and wants lots of texts” but, as you point out, it's often false. Don't play along with it. If they say you can only have a girly phone, tell them that you want to speak to their manager and tell him/her that you don't appreciate being treated in such a sexist manner 🙂

    What features / services do you want, as a woman, that you think the mobile industry isn't providing?

  2. Cath Kidston wouldn't sell if there wasn't a ready market for pink/flowery….

    (I'm in touch with my inner Country Life / Urban Mummy design guru)

  3. Pink champagne! Terrible. Quite a few Pay as you Go phones in Carphone have free lip gloss with them, or a chance to win a make-over.

    The odd thing though, it's been done primarily by female staff members. I'll talk to them next time about it, see what the response is.

    It's not what they arn't providing, it's more of what they are providing, but not going about it the right way. As far as mobiles go, I like ones which are small, but not so that I can't use them. They should be practical, look nice, and not pink! My favourite colour phone wise is probably black or white. Then again, I have to say, my favourite mobile I've ever owned is a Nokia 3200; full customisable, and brilliant in all of it's simplicity.

    I asked my Mum a similar question as I was writing the article, and she said something slender, stylish, useful, full of features which are expected on a phone to a good quality.

    I'll see if I can get any better response off my friends.

    Samantha.

  4. Hmmm as a 23 year old girl who loves all things pink and techy I completely disagree – the female kind is shallow…and we heart anything Louis Vuitton and definitetly Pink!!!!!!!

  5. It's called supply and demand – yes there are a lot of women who want pink phones, pink iPods, pink laptops and also read Heat. I know a couple who has his and hers Motorolas, his black, hers was pink. You clearly think yourself so above them… judgemental much? Ok yeah pink is a stereotype but your brand of nuclear feminism is worse.

    I've had a few pink phones in my time, not that I am a 'grown up' I have noticed that the supply for women is limited, unless you want a nasty black, bulky thing. So I have a very nice white and silver phone, with some lovely features. I can't imagine what phone shop you have been into that steered you towards a girly phone because it has never happened to me.

  6. I would also recommend before slagging off Heat and their competitors, you take a look at your own ‘journalism’ abilities, particularly spelling, grammar and the incorrect use of American English punctuation.

  7. Hi Kiz,

    I'm fully aware of the rules of supply and demand; and I'm fully aware that some women want Pink phones, I even said that. Fair enough, but for the rest of us, who are female, but do not like pink, or do not like it enough to have it as your mobile phone colour, there isn't much choice unless you go with the obviously “male” phones.

    What I'm trying to point out, is that as you say you have, a nice mobile which is subtle, and feminine in a way that doesn't require it to be pink. But on top of that, mobile phones that match the specs, of their male orientated counterparts. I don't want a bulky thing, I was a nice sleek mobile, but still possesses the qualities of those bulky phones in the form of features.

    Thanks for reading,
    Samantha.

  8. It's a wrong connotation that anything that's Pink are for girls…well NOT! Lately, because of some factors, for instance- a person's music preference, guys are fond of wearing Pink specially if he is an “Emo” guy. For GenY-ers, Pink became a universal color.

    However, it is no fair for women when most companies come up with gadgets with lesser features and functions. We appreciate the nice designs, but like man, we are after the functionality. For instance, mobile phones, we want more than just texting and calling. We also want to surf the net, play mobile games, listen to music using our mobile phones. We are no brainers! It's just so happened that women got logical and soft side.

    What I'm trying to say here is, like how GenY-ers view Pink as a universal color now, intended for any gender, we hope that manufacturing companies (gadgets, phones, etc..) will do the same when they design their products.

  9. The problem is, the pink ones sell really well. So the pink keeps being pumped out.
    The silliest pink offer I've seen offers a pink Moto U9 with a free bottle of pink champagne!

    There is, for sure, a problem with shop staff trying to sell to a particular demographic. It's easy to say “Woman, under 21, therefore likes pink and wants lots of texts” but, as you point out, it's often false. Don't play along with it. If they say you can only have a girly phone, tell them that you want to speak to their manager and tell him/her that you don't appreciate being treated in such a sexist manner 🙂

    What features / services do you want, as a woman, that you think the mobile industry isn't providing?

  10. Cath Kidston wouldn't sell if there wasn't a ready market for pink/flowery….

    (I'm in touch with my inner Country Life / Urban Mummy design guru)

  11. Pink champagne! Terrible. Quite a few Pay as you Go phones in Carphone have free lip gloss with them, or a chance to win a make-over.

    The odd thing though, it's been done primarily by female staff members. I'll talk to them next time about it, see what the response is.

    It's not what they arn't providing, it's more of what they are providing, but not going about it the right way. As far as mobiles go, I like ones which are small, but not so that I can't use them. They should be practical, look nice, and not pink! My favourite colour phone wise is probably black or white. Then again, I have to say, my favourite mobile I've ever owned is a Nokia 3200; full customisable, and brilliant in all of it's simplicity.

    I asked my Mum a similar question as I was writing the article, and she said something slender, stylish, useful, full of features which are expected on a phone to a good quality.

    I'll see if I can get any better response off my friends.

    Samantha.

  12. It's called supply and demand – yes there are a lot of women who want pink phones, pink iPods, pink laptops and also read Heat. I know a couple who has his and hers Motorolas, his black, hers was pink. You clearly think yourself so above them… judgemental much? Ok yeah pink is a stereotype but your brand of nuclear feminism is worse.

    I've had a few pink phones in my time, not that I am a 'grown up' I have noticed that the supply for women is limited, unless you want a nasty black, bulky thing. So I have a very nice white and silver phone, with some lovely features. I can't imagine what phone shop you have been into that steered you towards a girly phone because it has never happened to me.

  13. Hi Kiz,

    I'm fully aware of the rules of supply and demand; and I'm fully aware that some women want Pink phones, I even said that. Fair enough, but for the rest of us, who are female, but do not like pink, or do not like it enough to have it as your mobile phone colour, there isn't much choice unless you go with the obviously “male” phones.

    What I'm trying to point out, is that as you say you have, a nice mobile which is subtle, and feminine in a way that doesn't require it to be pink. But on top of that, mobile phones that match the specs, of their male orientated counterparts. I don't want a bulky thing, I was a nice sleek mobile, but still possesses the qualities of those bulky phones in the form of features.

    Thanks for reading,
    Samantha.

  14. I think that the injection of pink into the mobile industry isn’t to excite girls; it’s merely to make them feel more welcome. So are you saying you would turn down a free bottle of pink champagne especially if you were looking to buy that handset anyways? The industry has seen a gap in the market and are filling it well, (it must be working as many more handsets are now available in a pink).

    I do love the pink however found a handset that suited my needs, I recently got the Samsung Tocco. It has a great camera, great specs, it’s not bulky or heavy, it is very sleek and is extremely easy to use and finally it is not PINK.

    You only have to look at blogs like Shiny Shiny to see that there is a market out there for girls who want to be girly but also love technology.

  15. It's a wrong connotation that anything that's Pink are for girls…well NOT! Lately, because of some factors, for instance- a person's music preference, guys are fond of wearing Pink specially if he is an “Emo” guy. For GenY-ers, Pink became a universal color.

    However, it is no fair for women when most companies come up with gadgets with lesser features and functions. We appreciate the nice designs, but like man, we are after the functionality. For instance, mobile phones, we want more than just texting and calling. We also want to surf the net, play mobile games, listen to music using our mobile phones. We are no brainers! It's just so happened that women got logical and soft side.

    What I'm trying to say here is, like how GenY-ers view Pink as a universal color now, intended for any gender, we hope that manufacturing companies (gadgets, phones, etc..) will do the same when they design their products.

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