Mom shows startling differences between boys' and girls' clothes: 'Pink tax starts so early'

In a now-viral TikTok, user Naptown_thrifts conducted an in-depth analysis of the clothes available for boys and girls at Target. As a mom who thrifts whatever possible, she had several complaints about how the clothes for boys seemed far more durable and made for comfort in comparison to the clothes for girls. From overpriced too-short shorts with no pockets to thin leggings, the girls appeared to receive the short end of the stick. The TikTok user highlighted how the pink tax, a price discrepancy between products marketed to women over those marketed to men, starts far too early, Bored Panda reports.

"Target, if you're listening, I need to ask you a question," she says in the TikTok video. "My daughter needed some new pants for school. So, you know, in the girls' section, we've got these nice stretchy, very thin leggings. Now let's look at what the boys have." After displaying the flimsy leggings, she holds up a pair of sweatpants made with visibly thicker, lasting fabric. She continues, "These are durable [and] have reinforced knees so they don't fall apart every month. My three-year-old needed some pants too. So, oh, yes, she can wear some nice little jeggings. That's nice."

However, in comparison, boys had vastly different options. Naptown_thrifts states, "What could the boys wear? Yay, more reinforced knees. Ah, these aren't even skin-tight. And I can tighten them with drawstrings." Her next targets were pairs of shorts. Laying a shorter pair on top of a longer one, she asks her viewers which she picked out from the girls' section. "I don't have to tell you which pair was made for girls and which pair was designed for boys," she correctly points out. "Just look at the legs, the tiny little pockets. As if girls don't have things they put in their pockets, as if girls don't collect things. This matters because who's going to get dress-coded? Who's going to be told that the shorts are too short?"

On top of all this, user Naptown_thrifts highlights how the boys' clothes all tend to be cheaper. She explains, "Look how many pockets and extra fabric the boys' shorts have versus the girls'. And yet the boys' are somehow cheaper. The toddler section, same deal. These longer shorts with pockets are somehow $6 compared to these barely functioning $8 shorts for girls." Typically, the mother thrifts what she needs. But this is not always possible, especially when her kids' school asks them to wear a specific uniform. "You guys know I thrift everything, but if I can't find their size or a color they need for a uniform, I'm going to buy it new. I have to buy it new. And this is what's local. This is what I can afford. And these are my options."

Therefore, the TikTok user asks what the alternative is. She affirms, "Don't just tell me to shop in the boys' section. That's not what this is about... The issue is not that I cannot buy her boys' pants. The problem is that the clothes that are available for girls are not as durable, functional, or practical as the boys' clothes are." She calls for more options for girls that are not just skintight leggings. Fellow users on the platform agreed. One user commented, "The pink tax starts so early." Another added, "Adult womens' clothes are like that too. Like just give me a t-shirt with a normal sleeve length."