Why is Rome overrun with fuchsia wallets?

In recent days, four squares in Rome were filled with abandoned pink wallets. On the sidewalks of Piazza di Spagna, among the cobblestones of Piazza Navona, near the benches of Piazza Bologna, and in the lively corners of Piazza Testaccio: a few objects left on the ground, no signs, no explanation. Inside, there weren’t real banknotes. Or maybe they were. Strange pink bills worth €8.70 — yet as real as the problem they highlight: women pay up to 13% more than men for the exact same products. Shampoo, razors, deodorants. Not luxury. Everyday life. It’s the work of a group of students from IED Rome, a guerrilla marketing campaign with strong visual and symbolic impact, aimed at shedding light on the economic injustice women face. Because while we rightly discuss the tampon tax, the gender pay gap, and all the thousand other inequalities still to be resolved, there’s one that works silently, more insidiously than all the others: the Pink Tax.

What is the Pink Tax?

Being a woman costs more. And no, it’s not a metaphor. It’s called the Pink Tax, an “invisible tax” that weighs exclusively on women's wallets by inflating the price of consumer goods identical to those marketed to men. Body wash, soap, toys, bicycles, towels: same design, same distribution, same brand, same quality and features — only the color of the packaging changes. And the price skyrockets. It’s a marketing strategy based on outdated gender stereotypes — a mindset from the 1950s, assuming women are passive consumers with time to waste and money to spend.

The "Prezzo Donna" Campaign

The Pink Tax is a problem that, according to recent estimates, can cost women up to €1,300 a year. Yet, it remains largely unspoken. To spark a change, the Prezzo Donna campaign was launched, designed by a group of university students. Their approach? Speak without shouting. They left wallets on the ground containing a gym membership card, a pink €8.70 bill, a receipt showing different prices for men and women, and a handwritten letter by Sara Fabrizi — a fictional character who could be you, your sister, your mother. Sara writes: "If you found this wallet, you also found my story. Every year, I spend up to €1,300 more than a man. Just because I'm a woman. Now that you know, don't ignore it."

Prezzo Donna Continues Online: Change Starts With You

The wallets also contained a business card from a fictional store called Prezzo Donna and a QR code leading to the campaign’s Instagram page, where you can learn more. The campaign continues online, where stories multiply. A wallet left on the ground can change your day. It can spark questions, spread awareness about the Pink Tax, and show how even in something as seemingly insignificant as a pink razor, the long hand of patriarchy is hiding. And now that you know — what will you do? Get informed, share your experience, and become an active part of the change.