“You run like a girl”, “you throw like a girl”, “ stop crying and be a man”, “man up and grow a pair”. Why is gender used as an insult? There are many other gendered insult words that have been completely normalized in our culture today, but being normalized doesn’t mean it is not sexist. This ad by Always changes the insult “like a girl” to a compliment, and raised awareness of sexism in our society.

“You [insert verb] like a girl!! Photo: Twitter

As mentioned in Queeny Tran’s blog, there are many products that incorporate gender into it. From a marketing perspective, I agree with Queeny that this is a brilliant idea. This allows them to target a specific customer and become profitable, as many gender problems help men/ women gain more confidence. Exploiting these gender products in our culture today is considered normal, so if consumers are demanding it, these products should be produced.

“If I look at men, gay thoughts enter my brain and it’s because of all the men so I just want to look at dogs instead so I don’t feel gay. What if people saw me looking at fully clothed men and thought I was gay?” Photo: Twitter

On the other hand, from a social point of view, I also agree with Queeny that these products don’t need to be separated. They are literally the same product, but with a different packaging. Using gender as a way of marketing is sexist, and our society should be better than imposing gender on products.

Work Cited

Bailey, Luke. “27 Gendered Products That Prove Masculinity Is Incredibly Fragile.” BuzzFeed. N.p., 16 June 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Shoaff, Morgan. “‘You Throw like a Girl!’ ‘MythBusters’ Puts the Classic Insult to the Test.” Upworthy. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

#27 Stop Using Gendered Insults.” More Women in Skepticism. N.p., 10 Aug. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Moziah Bridges displays his hand made bow ties. Photo:Memphis Flyer

9-year-old Moziah Bridges-Mo for short- loved dressing sharply. He found a problem when he realized there weren’t any real bowties for kids, only clip-ons. He decided to base his business Mo’s Bows off of this problem, and ended up building himself a $150,000 business. He now has 7 employees including his mom and grandmother, and has been featured on Shark Tank, Vogue, and O Magazine.

Bridges is a social entrepreneur as well because he has created a product that raises funds for charity where “100 percent of the proceeds go to help kids go to summer camp because [he] feel[s] like it’s good to help the community and that’s what [he’s] doing.” The summer camps provide children with a meal and play time.

Moziah Bridges donates $1,600 to the Glenview Summer Camp. Photo: mosbowsmemphis

I admire Bridges for being an inspiring social entrepreneur, and for finding something he’s so passionate about. He’s making a change in the world one bowtie at a time by sending children to summer camp. He’s got it all figured out; he has a wonderful life with business successes, social good, work-school life balance, and sold goals for the future to expand into a business like Ralph Lauren.

Work Cited

Kim, Larry. “This 12-Year-Old CEO Runs a $150,000 Business.” Inc.com. N.p., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Lutz, Ashley. “A 12-Year-Old Started A Bow Tie Company That Already Has $150,000 In Sales And 5 Employees.” Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Martin, Roger L., and Sally R. Osberg. “How Social Entrepreneurs Make Change Happen.” Harvard Business Review. N.p., 14 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Murray, Rheana. “Bow Tie Designer, 11, a Hit in Memphis.” NY Daily News. N.p., 7 Aug. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015

Strauss, Karsten. “The 11-Year-Old Fashion Entrepreneur Behind ‘Mo’s Bows'” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

After reading this article by Cheryl Davenport about the weaknesses of TOM’S one for one business model, I still agree and support the one for one business model. I disagree with Davenport’s first critique where TOM’S buy-one-give-one model does not actually solve a social problem. TOM’S aren’t obligated to solve this social problem; they are just contributing by helping. Davenport makes a mistake by saying that “it’s designed to make western consumers feel good.” I agree with James Poulos and I don’t like this ideology as no product was made to make consumers feel bad. They one-to-one model is raising awareness and are actually helping cure the problem.

TOMS having a one to one model, where they give away a pair of shoes to children in need for each shoes purchased. Photo: shoesvbuy

Although I agree with the one-for-one model, I believe it should be altered to create more shared value. More research should be conducted, as each business should have a different one-for-one model on how their business can aid the economy without causing more harm.

TOMS has also thrived with their one for one system addressing clean water, sight, and other issues. They took the critique and realized their business model is not effective and changed it. The company now value finding long-term solutions and are building a self-sustaining community, instead of short-term benefits of profits for themselves.

Work Cited

“Creating Shared Value.” Harvard Business Review. N.p., 01 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

Davenport, Cheryl. “The Broken”Buy-One, Give-One” Model: 3 Ways To Save Toms Shoes.” Co.Exist. N.p., 10 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

Poulos, James. “Toms Shoes: A Doomed Vanity Project?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

“The One-for-one Business Model: Avoiding Unintended Consequences.” Knowledge@Wharton. N.p., 16 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

Upon learning about entrepreneurship and start-ups in class, I discovered an online lingerie start-up called Adore Me. This company wants a big bite out of Victoria’s Secret’s 35% market share. I believe it is possible for Adore Me, since they utilize strong strategies and offer more than what Victoria’s Secret can.

Adore Me is a fast fashion retailer- with a new collection every month. Photo: Logopond

Adore Me is an online lingerie retailer based in New York. They sell everything that Victoria’s Secret sells, from bras to sleepwear, but for a cheaper price. The company differentiates itself with they its unique value propositions, such as providing a boarder range of sizes, better quality, more comfortable, and fast fashion. They use a direct business model since they are online; therefore they have better customer satisfaction, faster products, and a lower level of inventory. They are also vertically integrated, as their employees have direct contact with the suppliers and customers.

Adore Me has an online style quiz to recommend you collection that best suits your personality. Photo: Adore Me

Everything mentioned above made me believe that Adore Me will continue to grow and possibly exceed Victoria’s Secret one day. Especially after learning about Zappo’s, visual CV, and other e-commerce companies, I believe e-commerce companies will slowly take over the market and surpass storefront companies, as they are so much more convenient and efficient.

Work Cited

Harrington, Cora. “You Get What You Pay For: An Adore Me Lingerie Review.” Lingerie Addict. N.p., 20 June 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

Lutz, Ashley. “How Victoria’s Secret Will Continue To Crush The Competition.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Schlossberg, Mallory. “This Company Determined to Kill Victoria’s Secret Is Becoming a Major Force in the Lingerie Market.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Shontell, Alyson. “Man Raises $8.5 Million For Victoria’s Secret Killer, AdoreMe, Which Sells Half-Price Lingerie.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 9 July 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

“Adore Me – The New Face of Lingerie.” Adore Me. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Companies lowering prices to get more customers. Photo: Simplysavvyliving

Whenever I walk into a retail store, the first thing they say to me is always “Our whole store is 50% off today”, or “ Those shirts are buy one get one free”, and etc. Companies understand that customers only care about price, so the companies often lower prices to stay competitive. Although they get more sales when they lower the price, they are still less profitable than before.

In a blog post by Ian Altman, he suggested three steps so the customers can appreciate value more than price. These three steps are to not focus on the price, recognize the value, and find impact together. I agree with these points, as price isn’t the only reason why a product should be better than their competitors. I believe a company should just use their point of difference to set them apart from their points of parity, such as having better customer service. A company should also recognizes it’s strengths and embrace it. Make the product stand out among the other competitors.

According to Ian, the results are a lot better, and the sale price will have more to do with profit than revenue. Similarly to the saying quantity over quality, I think it should be value over price.

Work Cited

Altman, Ian. “What To Do When Customers Only Care About Price.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

“The Best Way to Win Business on Value Not Price.” Grow My Revenue. N.p., 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.