Eliminating Stereotypes: The Shift Towards Gender-Neutral Packaging

Gender-neutral packaging, which aims to counter the gendered stereotypes of traditional packaging, is gaining traction quickly. The traditional packaging which follows the statement ‘blue is for boys and pink is for girls’ blindly is now being rejected by individuals who identify as non-binary or genderqueer. This is brought about by the cultural shift led by millennials and Gen Z who refuse to conform to the traditional gender bifurcations and are now raising their voices against product s that seek to conform to the same standards.

It’s important that companies today acknowledge these concerns and design their products and its packaging in a way that does not reinstate the traditional gender binary that seeks to dictate gender roles. In 2019, the idea that things are either masculine or feminine is becoming ancient and its time brands catch on to it. Here’s why the shift toward gender-neutral packaging is important and why companies are slowly embracing it.

Fitting in a box

Millennials don’t like to think inside the box, nor do they like being put in boxes. The fact of the matter is that stereotypical product packaging has been sustaining gender norms since the past few decades. This has deprived a lot of individuals from buying products that they would otherwise have bought had the packaging been done differently. Young boys in toy stores are not allowed to buy dolls because they’re ‘girly’ and pink, similarly young girls are never allowed to buy the big blue trucks that they like.

Others are catching on

The infamous pink tax which is imposed on products that are designed for females is one reason why companies are trying to introduce gender-neutral packaging. The tax enables companies to charge women more for the same product that men would buy for less. In this instance, the design and packaging of the product gave rise to an imbalanced power structure that legitimized a sexist culture. In order to eliminate this, industry giants such as Nike have introduced campaigns to counter the effects of the persistent gender binary.

How to make your packaging gender-neutral?

One way to do that would be to aim for a minimalist packaging design that incorporates a neutral and subdued color palette. Instead of using pink for girls and blue for boys, companies can make use of colors like mint green, teal or black.

Think you’re ready to make the shift? You better decide fast because the world is moving on and you don’t want yourself left behind. Take a look at the wholesale packaging services by Premium Vials and check out our glass jars, barrier bags, pre-roll tubes and more!