The Pink Tax in Kink
October is here, the pink lights are lighting the way through the pink streets with the pink tools being used to garden in the pink yards…
What it meant is not what it has become. And the ‘Save The Boobies’ mantra does not make it better.
As a Female Dominant, I have had both an uphill battle and an easy glide through the levels of the Kink community over the years. There is a pressured need to prove, physically, emotionally, and especially in the role-play, with potential submissives. The need to have The Image from the first time I am seen, and continue that throughout a session, or relationship. And that Image is easy to hide behind, but hard to pull away from. It is tiring.
Don’t get me wrong, I love leather. And lace. And rope. And most things that are not of the main stream. But it is also a form of pidgin holing that has been consistent even as other things in the Kink community becomes more open. And Equal.
And less dipped in Black Leather.
A selection of pink kinky implements, including a pink polka dot paddle, pink handcuffs and a pink star shaped crop.
I am sitting down to write this because I was going through my session bag. It is always good to examine things, clean things, replace batteries… And as I was doing so, I noticed that one of my favorite pair of handcuffs is in need of cleaning. This isn’t a big deal, but they are from a ‘tactical shop’, and I wanted to make sure I used the appropriate cleaning items to be able to keep them working for years to come. I popped over to their website and…
Holy Fucking Goddess.
Ahem.
The pair of handcuffs in my hand, that I bought from them several years ago, still had a model available on the website, in my favorite pink. For almost twice the price of the same in black or lime green. That stunned me for a moment. Before I sifted through the website and saw that, because the items were pink, many things off this website were far more expensive. And this was a place that marketed to LEO and police-adjacent people.
Which got me thinking. Always a dangerous thing.
I went to a few online retailers to see what things, directly and indirectly Kinky, were available in pink. It may be the time of year that has pushed this to the forefront, but it seems that, if it is available in pink, it is more expensive than the other colors in the items’ spectrum. From crops to paddles to hempen rope, EVERYTHING I could find in a shade that would be considered Pink was more expensive.
I am used to things being designed and made for the Average White Male. It is just a standard in this current society, until we can get designers and engineers into the workforce with a more varied background. The things that are supposed to be designed for those not AWM still have that taint, because the AWM gaze controls everything. If it has a whiff of femininity, it is… unusual. That unusualness makes it exotic, which in turn makes it a candidate for the Pink Tax.
I was not expecting to be so apparent in the Alternate Society in which I am a part.
I am hoping that the Pink Tax will lessen in the coming years. Being able to gather things to make a session with a client or paypig worthy of my time has become more expensive. I will still maintain what I have, but those who are at my feet will need to give just that much more in service and tribute to keep things at a level to which it is expected.
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