Pink and Blue

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:24 am

Hi Georgia,

I grew up on Venus ... it was so HOT there. -- just kidding, honest!

I'm from the eastern US, and spent nearly my whole life here ... grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, later moved to New England.

You mention the pink-for-girls custom as dating at least back to the 50s. No doubt I simply missed the changeover through simply not hearing of it until the 70s ... after all I wasn't coming in contact with the blue-and-pink distinction. It's not something that gets talked about a lot apart from baby showers.

This pink and blue thing seems so solidly rooted nowadays, it often makes me doubt my memories. But I do remember pink = boys, blue = girls, from my childhood in the 40s. Wish I could point to a source for it. I'm going to try some research and see if I can come up with anything.

Or I could just go for purple, as has been suggested here.

Love, Robyn Katie

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:16 am

Hi again sisters - found something new on the subject of pink vs. blue, and this takes us back into the 19th century.

I've been reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, published in two parts in 1868 and 1869. In the 1869 part occurs the following, spoken by the second sister, Jo, about the twins recently born to the first sister, Meg:

"'Amy put a blue ribbon on the boy and a pink on the girl, French fashion, so you can always tell." [i.e. which is which]

Thoughts:

1. The assignment of blue to boys, pink to girls, now has a history in America stretching back to Civil War times.

2. It is "French fashion." Indicating perhaps that the custom of assigning colors to kids' genders wasn't all that well established in America at that time? Or could it imply that the French did it opposite from us? (less likely, I think.)

3. Seems to indicate that my "pink = boys, blue = girls" experience reported above from the 1940s and confirmed earlier in this thread was a temporary exception ... maybe due to some rebellion in the flapper era?

4. Sounds like pink for girls, blue for boys is the long-term reality. Darn! I'd hoped otherwise.

Love, Robyn Katie

Amelie-Laveau · Post by **Amelie-Laveau** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:40 pm

All this color stuff is moot if the kid is color blind.

Lisa D (SO) · Post by **Lisa D (SO)** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:24 pm

The heck with pink and blue. I like green!

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:50 am

I agree. In practice? Multicolor!

Besides, who cares, when the really important thing is that sugar and spice and everything nice is so much a better life plan than snakes and snails and puppydog tails.

Love, Robyn Katie

Sandra Jane · Post by **Sandra Jane** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:26 am

Colour is not as inportant these days but I like pink much better than blue

Michelle Miller · Post by **Michelle Miller** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:39 am

I'll just blame the Republicans for this whole 'Color-Gate' scandal.

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:49 pm

Michelle, Wasn't it the Republicans who were always accusing others of being Pinko?

You notice nobody ever accuses anybody of being Blue-O, except in the blues of course, but that's a music of another color.

Obviously pink is the champeen.

Love, Robyn Katie