Glennon Doyle on Shampoo Packaging

Glennon Doyle’s new read, Untamed, may be the only quarantine pastime that’s slowly surpassing fresh sourdough bread in way of popularity. A title that’s gracing book clubs worldwide, women are scooping it up off the shelves of local book stores across the globe. Only 12 pages in to the book and Doyle’s applied her feminist lens to the science of shampoo packaging, examining the different approaches brands implement when speaking to male and female consumers.

Package copy is powerful. I’ve surely spent ample time writing package copy for leading CPG brands. In my copywriting days, I always thought about how I wanted the consumer to feel when using the product, but Doyle’s observation got me thinking about how brands contribute to the normalization of gender stereotypes and how copy like this reinforces unattainable societal standards.

Off the top of my head, the only personal care brand I can think of that meets women where they’re at is Dove. A brand that’s arguably the leader of the natural beauty conversation, Dove is a pioneer in preaching a message that’s equal parts relatable and authentic. We’ve seen this precedent redefine consumer expectations in recent years, and as consumers continue to gravitate towards messaging that prioritizes an honest reality as opposed to unrealistic perfectionism, it seems to me that Doyle is right on the money. Brands like Dove and lingerie brand ThirdLove are mentor brands who have already activated these types of executions. Who will be next?

And furthermore, what opportunity does this observation create for a brand willing to reimagine a stale approach? What might it look like for a men’s shampoo brand to tailor the language to a narrative that circles around confidence and being your best self instead of using a dated intimidation tactic? How might the conversation around women, beauty, and the pressure of appearances be different if the products we used focused less on who we should be and more of who we are?