How Social Stigmas Influence Taboo Purchases
Taboo products and services are widely available and can be purchased entirely online from the privacy of your own home. Yet, women are uncomfortable purchasing them and telling others they use these products and services. Why?
Social stigmas are a powerful force in the product and service world, serving as a literal wall between women and their communities. However, brands are uniquely positioned to take that wall down, brick by brick, making it easier for women to talk about products and services that benefit them.
Social stigmas that impact women’s purchasing habits
So let’s talk stigmas. Stigmas exert their influence in sometimes obvious and oftentimes insidious ways. Unfortunately, a slew of stigmas still impacts women’s purchasing habits in 2023. Below are common stigmas that take products and services from just another purchase to a taboo that requires careful consideration and navigation on her end.
Women are supposed to drink fruity, sweet drinks—cosmo, sex on the beach, or a strawberry daiquiri. And it’s a no-win. If she orders a cosmo, she’s a living stereotype, even if she just likes the drink. Heaven forbid she order a scotch on the rocks. At the same time, it’s socially sanctioned to toss back three glasses of wine at dinner in the name of wine o’clock.
How many times have you heard that women are bad with numbers and financially incompetent?
Is she expressing emotions? She must be hysterical, especially if she shows anger or frustration. How many times have you seen somebody call a woman crazy for sharing how she feels, showing a big emotion, or acting assertively?
If she smokes weed, she’s not professional, intelligent, or responsible. Let’s not even start on her parenting skills if she indulges in the occasional gummy.
Once women age, they’re no longer useful to society. Employers may assume middle-aged women have less energy or ambition than their male counterparts. Media representation drops then dwindles to nearly nothing once women reach 60. Not to mention, according to society, a woman over 40 is no longer a sexual being. Women functionally disappear at a certain age.
If she takes power in her pleasure, she’s over-sexed and not a “nice girl.” If she has no sex drive, she’s cold, a failure, and don’t you dare talk publicly about it. Women can only have sex with one partner, typically male, and if they diverge, they’ve betrayed what it means to fulfill their socially-obligated role as a woman.
What’s really behind her discomfort?
Stigmas hurt all of us, and it shows. Women are reluctant to share taboo purchases with others, and the brands that sell them miss out big time on the power of word of mouth. But dismantling outdated systems means ripping them up by the roots—you have to know what’s underneath. For many women, concerns about how their purchases will impact others are behind the secrecy.
Many women are concerned about making others uncomfortable with their taboo purchases, so they keep them to themselves. Starting with the taboo purchases they’re most reluctant to share with others because it might make them uncomfortable, here’s what our research shows.
50% didn’t share they purchased cannabis products.
38% didn’t share they purchased sex products.
34% didn’t share they purchased mental health services.
22% didn’t share they purchased aging products.
21% didn’t share they purchased financial advising services.
17% didn’t share they purchased alcohol products.
We see similar results when we look at the percentage of women who don’t share taboo purchases with others because it might change how someone views them. In this case, mental health services overtake sex products as a purchase women worry will alter others’ perceptions of them.
49% didn’t share they purchased cannabis products.
39% didn’t share they purchased mental health services.
29% didn’t share they purchased sex products.
25% didn’t share they purchased aging products.
24% didn’t share they purchased financial advising services.
18% didn’t share they purchased alcohol products.
If women can overcome their concerns that others feel uncomfortable they see a therapist, for example, and can trust they won’t be perceived differently because of it, it opens the purchasing floodgates. Brands, as social gatekeepers, have the power to let women into open dialogues about taboo purchases.
Bust stigmas one ad at a time
Putting a stop to stigmas can seem like a tall order, but in reality, brands have a lot of power to alter social trends and perceptions. We recommend three steps to eliminate the social barriers women face in sharing taboo purchases with others.
Keep the stereotypes out of your advertising. It’s that simple. Show women as individuals, not monoliths. Empower rather than oppress. Show content that reflects the complex lives women live. Always do a bias check on your ad content, ask a woman on your team what she thinks, and show women’s lived experiences.
Present evidence-based education about your products. Women want and deserve accurate product information. Share what’s relevant and what’s based in reality, not on a stigma or stereotype. Get your facts straight before you publish any product advertisements.
Normalize the normal. Recognize and amplify the reality of the life she’s living. Remind her she’s not alone. And be proud of your product or service and the way it fits into her life.
A well-crafted ad should meet all three of these recommendations, and Fancy’s team can do that lift for you. Email us for more information, and if you want to learn more about our research, check out our executive summary.
