An example of product gendering done right

So today I got this bag from Target. It's made by some brand called Embark and was $25 (which I consider a good price considering the better-than-average build quality).

Girly as fuck right? Damn companies gendering the shit out of things that shouldn't be gendered, right?

Well. Not really.

This is an example of product gendering being done right.

I've been looking for a replacement backpack because my current laptop (a Lenovo Y40) does not fit in the amazing Eagle Creek bag I've been using for the past three years. Unfortunately, it only holds up to a small 13 inch (think MacBook Pro 13 size, so fairly thin), and my current lappy is on the large side for a 14 inch, with almost the exact same footprint as a MBP 15. So I needed a new bag that I could actually fit the computer inside, but I didn't want to spend a whole ton of money on it because I'm not exactly loaded here. The Eagle Creek bag was not cheap; I paid almost $100 for it three years ago and it was worth every last penny. The build quality is ridiculous and I fully intend to keep it until it completely falls apart (which, judging by how much wear it's sustained after three years of almost daily use, will probably take a lot of years).

But I digress. The Y40 just doesn't fit in my favorite bag, so I started looking around at different places and ran across this bag at Target today and found it sufficient for my needs. The branding calls it a "Girls' Jartop Backpack," so yeah, it's gendered. And it's PIIIIIINK (so you know it's sooper fuckin' girly rite?)

But in this case, the gendering is a GOOD thing, and no, I am not talking about the pink flower pattern. I just chose this one because laptop backpacks are almost universally ugly, so I might as well get one that's obnoxious enough to edge into uglycute territory (which this bag does brilliantly). They had solid color and less aggressively girly pattern options in the same model, too, for those who didn't want something so PIIIIIINK.

So... why is the gendering a good thing? Two big points:

One, the straps are curved and cut specifically for a person who has boobs. On men's/unisex backpacks, the straps are more straight, so they tend to press uncomfortably against my chest when loaded down with stuff. This is good because it means I can carry heavier loads more comfortably for longer, so yay for that. The curvature of the straps also mean my boobs don't push the bag off my shoulder when I wear it on one shoulder only (a problem even my favorite Eagle Creek bag has, and it's also a "women's" bag, albeit a lot more subtle in aesthetics).

Two--and this is the really big one for me--the part where the bag makes contact with the small of my back is covered in smooth fabric instead of that meshy stuff. Why is this important? Because the smooth panel DOES NOT GRAB MY SHIRT AND PULL IT UP MY BACK. This shirt-creep is one of my absolute biggest pet peeves when it comes to backpacks of any kind, and this backpack doesn't do it AT ALL. (Bonus: the smooth panel also means the bag doesn't abrade my cotton hoodies and cause them to pill, so that's also nice.)

So yeah. Product gendering is not always bad. Just usually bad. In fact, I'll ding the manufacturer a point for being even more silly with the gendering of the male/unisex variants of the same bag because they only came in "manly" solid dark colors and camo patterns. But the company did good with this bag.