Home » Blogs » Carlin Ross's blog

Pink Used to be the Color for Boys

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 09:00
Submitted by Carlin Ross

The uproar over the J Crew ad where a designer painted her son's toe nails pink was featured on every tv network from Fox News (no big surprise) to CNN (big surprise).  No one said it out right but it was all about fear this little boy will become the unthinkable...a homosexual. 

There's a baby store across the street from me that doesn't have one piece of pink or one shred of baby blue.  Everything is gray, navy blue, burgundy, yellow, orange - gender neutral colors.  I was in there last week buying a gift and I asked them about the conspicuous absence of pink and baby blue.  They prefer a european approach without gender-assigned colors and described how some shoppers freak out and demand to know "where's the pink?"

It got me thinking about the whole-pink-is-for-girls-blue-is-for-boys dichotomy. Jeanne Maglaty explains how baby colors evolved in America. From a Ladies’ Home Journal article in June 1918:

Quote:
The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.

So now we've flipped it: blue is the stronger color; therefore, pink is the weaker color suitable only for girls.  Sounds a bit arbitrary, doesn't it?

Sex, Politics & More Sex

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

What part about gender roles

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 09:51
Forseti

What part about gender roles isn't arbitrary? ;-)

haha omg the pink looks

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 12:12
jexhibitionism

haha omg the pink looks adorable on him. honestly I quite like pink... I'd probably want to buy some pink things for a baby boy OR girl, but I really dig the idea of just not having pink or blue in the whole store. pretty cool, and I gotta agree with forseti - it's all so random and made up!

The stress and upset and

Sat, 04/16/2011 - 17:21
Marisa Black

The stress and upset and pressure around gender is intense. What I took away from the US coverage on this non-issue was not the fear that the boy was (or going to be) homosexual, but rather a massive clucking around gender. Few want to talk about kids' sexuality - the horror! But folks seem really upset around gender and not being "correct" about gender, and reinforcing utterly weird (and yeah, arbitrary!) walls between genders like it's gonna keep us all safe and sound, on the "right" side of the barrier.

Did you see Jon Stewart's take on Toemageddon? http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-13-2011/toemageddon-2011---this-little-piggy-went-to-hell

My only sibling is expecting her first baby this summer. She and her husband refused to buy anything (anything at all!) until they had confirmed the baby's sex. Of course, with my views and experience with gender, I am saddened, alarmed, and silently horrified. Why silently? Because I've made a conscious decision that instead of criticizing my sister and her husband for their (what I consider grotesque) views on genderizing their kid, I will be the aunt who maintains a close relationship with the parents so that I can have an influence and be close to this new baby in our family.

The fear and upset around "de-masculinizing" boys seems so fevered. As the aunt who intends to run interference on the gender agenda, I'm slightly relieved that my sister learned that her baby is female. I have a sense (or bias?) that it will be easier to be subversive with a girl's gendering than a boy's.

And I have to wonder what "real" news in the US media was so dramatically avoiding while pink nail polish was being scrutinized?

let's have a toe painting party!...

Mon, 04/18/2011 - 09:29
dolfun (not verified)

just another way to separate-divide, I have 3 children all girls and all love/loved to play with trucks-cars-making roads-buying hot wheels, and yes occasionally buying boy clothes..and paint their nails too.... OMG they will all be lesbian...and if so who really cares...which is not or should not be the issue....really!! paint the little guys toes pink-purple whatever his little heart desires..let's celebrate a mother and son sharing a beautiful moment!.....

Gender Roles and Pink Nail Polish

Wed, 04/20/2011 - 10:23
Anonymous007 (not verified)

When I used to babysit, the children I would babysit would sometimes ask me if we could do a manicure party (usually the little girls), but invariably, once we got started, the boys would ask if they could paint their nails too.  I always said yes.  Some parents found this to be an issue, but I explained that I was not going to deny any child from participating in an activity that the others were participating in.  That means, if the girls want to do hair and nails, and the boys want to participate, they are going to be allowed to participate-just like girls who wanted to play trucks were welcome to play trucks!  Most parents were accepting after my explanation.  Although, notably some of the boys would show up the next day with the polish still on, while others would note that "Dad made mom take the nail polish off before I went to school today". 
I think often, people's insecurities in their own gender identities influences how they approach their children's gender identities, which is simply not fair.  Children are children are children.  Their curiostiy and creativity should be nurtured, not stifled to fit some arbitrary box.

when/if i get pregnant, i

Sat, 04/23/2011 - 19:26
sillybit

when/if i get pregnant, i plan not to tell anyone the gender.  i want to know, but i don't want to end up with acres of pink or blue from people.  so everyone else can stay in the dark until the baby is born, and all the baby gifts will be green and yellow.  i can buy my own dresses and pink and blue (no matter what gender i get :)

Gender assigned colours/clothes

KornyGirl's picture
Wed, 04/27/2011 - 04:43
KornyGirl

When my Daughter was a toddler I would dress her in my nephew's hand me downs (I also had cars and other "boys" toys), of course I was asked if I actually wanted a son rather than a daughter by my Mother in law. I just thought she looked cute in the little boy clothes with her pretty blonde pig tails :-)

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.