Definition: his and hers
Friday, July 16th, 2010
His and hers is a marketing term to describe a product in two variations each lacking in practical merit by itself, but illustrated as being useful for a specific gender in comparison to the other.
For example, his and hers toilet paper;
‘his toilet paper’ is inexplicably large – too large to fit on a toilet roll holder – and the single sheet paper is so thin, you need to fold it into four to make any reasonable use of it. Its key selling point is that each roll is long enough to wrap around Manhattan.
Meanwhile, ‘her toilet paper’ is triple ply with scented notions and embossed with pretty patterns so deeply that one roll is likely to last for only 1.3 sittings but promises to feel like wiping yourself with a soft fluffy puppy… nice.
Regrettably his and hers products are surprisingly successful thanks to advertising campaigns that offer the illusion of choice. Eg. “his and hers toilet paper. Which one will you choose.” Which of course implies that you would choose either of them.
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