There’s an assumption in the world that women drivers are worse than men. This is more of a joke than it is a genuine suggestion – you’ll find that a decent majority of women would take offense at this notion, a high percentage of which would give most men a run for the their money.
We’re in an age now where there can’t be any distinctions made between sexes when it comes to anything every-day. I think there’s something to be said for the difference in physicality between sexes (there are definitely anomolies) but driving is not something that requires the capability of lifting several hundred pounds in a squat rack to be good at. In terms of intelligence, reaction and common sense, there are no differences that can be fairly drawn.
The line is blurred over many different plains, one of the pillars of which is aesthetics. Women like pretty, men like useful, right? Wrong. There are millions upon millions of artists and varying versions of professions/hobbies that would lead us to believe that men are just as prone to making something aesthetically pleasing as women. ‘Pink and fluffy’ is fast becoming a thing of the past as fashion and artistic tastes between the sexes cross boundaries.
Why then, when you’re writing a post about innovation and design, would you replace research and common belief with presumption and discrimination? “A Rebranding Concept That Could Make Ladies Love Car Accessories” is the name of a post published by fastcodedesign.com in which the writer reviews various bottles of oil and other bits of chaff that take a step away from those normally “geared towards men”. After all, how many women can pick up a bottle if it’s got squared off corners?!
This quote (yes, I’m aware of it’s sarcastic nature) should give you an idea of just what kind of post we’re dealing with:
Which should make sense to precisely no one. Women drive. Some even (gasp!) know how to change their oil. Shouldn’t motor oil — and all auto accessories for that matter — appeal to the fairer sex?
The answer I humbly offer to this writer is: no. No they should not. There is about as much need in the motoring world to make an oil can, that most utalitarian of objects, more aesthetically pleasing as their is to give housebricks protective clothing.
I’m sorry, but there is no more appeal to a box of spanners based on a re-design of it’s packaging. Sorry, that’s ridiculous – of course there is more appeal – the function of packaging design is a multi-billion pound industry, it’d be ignorant of me to dismiss it, but there’s something to be said for the fact that if a woman is going out to buy something for her car, she will be doing so. Putting googley eyes on a screw-driver isn’t going to make anyone more likely to buy it if they weren’t looking for a screwdriver in the first place, regardless of sex!
This Ezine article from late last year shows you just how much women are over-running the driving scene. Insurance is cheaper because they’re expected to be safer [note: better] drivers. Another article makes note of the influx in female van drivers that are hitting the roads. There is no longer a need for driving derision towards females, and there is certainly no need to make things that are DESIGNED FOR EASE OF USE ALONE more aesthetically pleasing. I think I’ll go and engrave some words of encouragement on my saw to make a point. “Keep going sweetheart, you can do it!”.
If you’d like to see the original story, it’s here.
