Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall …

I just read a hilarious post by Calvin Warr. You see, our friend was screaming that all the liposuction and slimming ads were discriminating against the guys. The communications – from graphics to text – do not talk to big fellows with a “spare tire around my middle that is interfering with my tying of shoe laces”. His appeal to the wellness centres were:

Here is a message for all slimming clinics – talk to us! We are sometimes shy to walk into a slimming joint because all the posters and images seem to tell us that we, the guys, are not supposed to be there. How about that? A ready, willing (desperate even) customer who is actually given a message that this is not the place for him. So sad.

His post was funny but the situation is very real, and could be very sad, for the guys. Is it sex discrimination or is this business sense (or cents) at work? Women are willing to spend lots of money to look good – from clothings, jewelery, cosmetics and skincare to expensive wellness programs including plastic surgery, botox etc. Most men will not dream of spending so much money to look good. They would usually dismiss it with “I don’t need to make money with my face” type of statement. The law of Pareto or 80/20 makes it a logical business decision to target the women. There are many women who will do the “mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all” routine everyday.

It may not seem fair that men has less choice for fashion or wellness programs, but until there are more sensitive new age men or the likes of David Beckham who groom themselves immaculately, most business owners would rather target the women customers in the wellness arena than to create a niche for the “big guys”. Most business owners prefer not to face the “risk” of targeting a niche business.

[tags]sex discrimination in ads[/tags]