Why “Shrink It & Pink It” Doesn’t Work

We’ve all heard it: Women are the fastest-growing demographic of gun owners. Marketing campaigns and sales efforts have responded accordingly. 

Unfortunately, they haven’t all been on target. Some manufacturers and retailers have taken the easy approach and used simplistic assumptions about what attracts women to traditionally male products like guns. 

The most common? “Shrink it and pink it.” After all, women are generally smaller than men, and they must like the most feminine of colors, right? Well … maybe not so much.

“Shrink It” Is A Generalization

Let’s start with the “shrink it” idea. On average, women are expected to have smaller hands, less strength, lower weight and a more petite stature than men. Reducing the size and caliber of a gun, therefore, seems like a good first step to making it more accessible to women. It’s often done by simply pointing a shrink ray at a “normal” gun. 

If done right, the end result is a firearm that’s easier to handle and shoot. Done wrong, it will make for an unpleasant — or even painful — experience. And there are so many ways to do it wrong.

A miniaturized version of a gun in the same caliber as the original will have more felt recoil. It may be lighter to carry around or hold up, and it may seem to perfectly fit a customer’s hand, but it can rapidly become uncomfortable once they start shooting. 

It may be the right choice for an experienced shooter looking for a concealed carry option, but perhaps less so for a new shooter.

Many women have significant time behind firearms and can make an informed decision to buy a tiny gun. Many don’t, however, and will have a bad time if you recommend a small gun because it seems less intimidating. If they take that adorable little gun to the range and hate shooting it, they’re not likely to keep trying to find something more appropriate.

Besides, just as some men are slight, some women are not. Some men have smaller hands and shorter arms, some women have larger hands and longer arms and those measurements don’t always match up to the stature of the people they’re attached to.

Instead of assuming a woman must need a smaller grip on a handgun or a shorter stock on a rifle or shotgun, try working with her as a unique individual to be fitted with a firearm just for her. Make suggestions based on her, not on the stereotypical generic female customer you have in mind. I promise she’ll appreciate not being Female Shopper Number 42.

“Pink It” Is Not Serious

Then there’s the “pink it” strategy. The theory starts with black being too intimidating, too tactical, too male and not to mention, too boring. It’s a strange one in a world where little black dresses, basic black pumps and classic black trousers are wardrobe staples in many women’s closets. Black is neutral; it’s simple and clean. It’s the perfect base for colorful accessories and the perfect accessory for a sleek monochrome look. 

Black is serious. It’s exactly what some women are looking for because they view firearms with the gravity owed to a dangerous tool. Guns aren’t for fun to them, so they don’t want their guns colored like toys.

That said, some women do appreciate bling in the form of colorful guns. Pink might even be their favorite color. Which pink? Well, that’s a longer conversation, and a reason why simply slapping pink paint on a gun isn’t the best way to make it attractive to women. She might love hot pink and turn up her nose at that pastel rose shade. Or she might be into delicate blush pinks and shudder at the idea of a gun the same color as bubble gum. That’s assuming she likes pink at all, which so very many women don’t. 

A Nuanced Approach

A more nuanced approach is better. Think of “shrink it and pink it” as shorthand (and perhaps only on the inside).

Instead of shrinking down an entire firearm, or simply marketing a compact, subcompact or youth version at women, consider the parts that are more likely to make a difference. Two examples: Grips with a narrower circumference and controls that are easier to access or manipulate.

A pistol may be perfectly suited to a woman’s smaller hands if she can easily wrap her palm around the grip and take advantage of a shorter trigger reach. She may be able to pump a shotgun just fine if only the stock were shorter so that she could reach the forend more comfortably. She may be able to use more of the strength she has to rack a slide or work a charging handle if only they were larger or more textured.

These more targeted changes have the advantage of making all firearms more ergonomic for all shooters.

Then, since some particular shade of pink might not be to the taste of every potential woman customer (imagine that), an array of colors and finishes might be offered. Start with the standards: black and silver are classic for a reason, and there’s no cause to start with the assumption a woman will want otherwise.

If they do want something more colorful, many popular firearms come in a variety of purples, robin’s egg blues and other shades along with pink. A lucky shopper might find a glittered gun in their local shop, or one with engraved art or wild patterns. She might also find inspiration online, whether in the form of a special edition or personalizing through a custom paint job.

Manufacturers and distributors may not be able to make a dream come true, but a retailer has an opportunity to make almost anything possible. They can recommend and coordinate getting a gun to a specialty finish provider or even provide custom paint or hydro-dipping services in-house. 

Remember This …

The key to finding the perfect gun for a women is to remember she is an individual.

A gun is a woman’s gun because she can enjoy shooting it and she likes how it looks. Assuming a particular size, caliber, model or color is appropriate might work for some customers, but you run the risk of getting it wrong for others.

It might be a simple failure to offer a workable solution, so the customer doesn’t find the right gun for her requirements and needs to come back and try again. It might be worse: A customer so offended at being offered a “girl” gun without consideration of her unique circumstances that you risk both losing the customer and losing a new participant in the shooting sports. 

It’s helpful to understand the factors in play, from fit issues to use cases to style choices. Knowing the broad generalities of what different demographics might need and prefer is only a starting point. You’ll need to learn more and become something of a firearms concierge to make the best recommendations among a wide selection of options. The best part? All customers will benefit from the person behind the counter being familiar with how different options fit different individuals. 

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