I have no children, do you? Girls? And if so, do you worry about pink or do you simply accept it? And if you’re in opposition, how do you cope with the fact that shops almost force you to buy girls’ clothes in pink? How do you cope with peer-pressure on your girls?
Or do you just give in and buy Kitty bags? Is it even worth opposing the pinkifcation of our girls?
Cedric, yes, I admit that the choice of pink is a cultural and a temporary phenomenon, but what matters is the strict division along gender lines. That and the role models are what I consider unhealthy. It's not that I consider men and women equal in all aspects, there are certainly differences, but I don't think that girls are only capable of playing with pink ponies, while boys are creative technicians, politicians and scientists. The cultural division goes deeper and it reaches into education again, preparing children for their role in a conservative society. It's that what worries me. I've seen it change rapidly and I don't like it.
Cedric Canard (2015-09-01)
The pink-for-girls-blue-for-boys idea is nothing more than a cultural thing. It only came about around the 1940s. In the early 1900s culture dictated that it was pink for boys and blue for girls because back then blue was seen as more feminine and pink (a light shade of red) was seen as more agressive. In China, pink (or any shade of red) is preferred for both sexes because it's considered lucky. My great-grandfather only ever wore pink shirts, because they were the mark of a man. I have a daughter and I've never cared one way or the other on the subject but have always felt a little bemused at people who make a huge deal about it and go to great lengths to ensure they don't instil any colour biases in their children. As if there aren't better things to think about. What's equally funny however, at least in my experience, is that the people who bitch about hating pink for girls are often the ones who see nothing but pink for girls in shops. Whereas people like me who have absolutely no preference, see just about any colour available for girls. Some time ago there was a so-called scientific study done which concluded that girls do in fact prefer pink. The study was even published by Time Magazine but the entire process was completely bogus and as far as I am concerned, totally embarrassing, The simple fact remains that this is nothing more than a cultural thing. Parents can adopt it, reject it or do whatever, in the end I really don't think it matters.
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