Pink and Blue

Tekla · Post by **Tekla** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 1:38 am

"Boys like blue, girls like pink and there isn’t much anybody can do about it, researchers said on Monday in one of the first studies to show scientifically that there are gender-based colour preferences.”

Full article

http://helga.ca/?p=45

CJ · Post by CJ » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:42 am

Hi Tekla,

One can only hope that when peer review kicks in and this piece of hogwash is dragged into the light--pink or blue--Current Biology may revise its standards so as to weed out scientific truthiness from its pages.

Love,
CJ

Caith · Post by **Caith** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 6:23 pm

It seems I recall that long ago red was originally the color for boys because of Mars and agression, and pale blue was for girls because it was softer and more pleasant. I'm too lazy to back this up with any historical references, but FYI, I prefer lavender and mauve, anyway.

Merinda · Post by **Merinda** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:25 am

There is a post I put on this forum some years back staking my claim to the colour purple , however the Cadbury Chocholate company has registered the colour purple as their trade mark.
I didn't know a large company could register ownership of a colour

Read the fine print at the bottom of this page
http://www.cadbury.com.au/sites/cadbury/index.php

JoAnnDallas · Post by **JoAnnDallas** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:11 am

Then WHY do I like PINK. Must be the CDer in me. LOL

Moira · Post by **Moira** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:10 am

there are some really nice tourqoises that are quite feminine

Carla L · Post by **Carla L** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:09 pm

I have as much pink as I have blues. In a pinch, I wear the pink blouses.

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:13 am

I have a strong recollection that when I was a little boy (in the 1940s) pink was for boys and blue for girls. But it got changed sometime since.

When I heard, sometime in the 60s? 70s? that blue was boys, pink for girls, I was like, WHAT? I couldn't believe it. I felt like something important had been stolen from me.

Apparently it really is true that pink was a boy color back then, though I haven't seen any firm documentation. I've certain seen it stated in quite a few different places.

Maybe they changed it just so I could stay happy as I got deeper into girlhood? Because personally, though I like both colors, if I have to choose, gimme pink.

Aha, see? Pink was mine as a child, and now it's mine again. Message from the universe.

Love, Robyn Katie

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:22 am

As a natural blonde I don't think pink suits me. Turquoise does though and as its my favourite colour it does look good on me. As turquoise is a shade of blue I guess you will have to chalk me down for that

Georgia(SO) · Post by **Georgia(SO)** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:32 pm

May I ask Robyn Katie what country you are from? No, I don't mean that as an insult. I can remember into the late 1950s in America and at that point, pink was for girls, etc. So I wonder if your memories are from someplace besides America or if anyone knows what would have triggered the change in the timeframe between your memories and mine...

What curious customs we all have, eh?

-georgia(so)

CJ · Post by CJ » Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:05 pm

Hi all,

The following blog entry (from a site devoted to colour) suggests that red was originally associated with men; Ares--or Mars--the god of war, was linked to the colour red. Hence, pink (red's "baby brother") for boys. Red was considered a "strong" colour in ancient times while blue was thought to be softer, more muted. In the Christian era, blue was associated with the Virgin Mary.

Here's the blog entry: Hue: Why is Blue for Boys and Pink for Girls?

An interesting subject, to be sure.

Love,
CJ

Azurielle · Post by **Azurielle** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:03 pm

Amazing, it's drilled so far into our subconscious that it now spreads through reproduction.

Congratulations world, you made a stereotype to a whole new level of binding.

I always loved pink...

Post by **DonnaT** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:29 pm

According to Jean Heifetz, for centuries, all European children were dressed in blue because the color was associated with the Virgin Mary. The use of pink and blue emerged at the turn of the century, the rule being pink for boys, blue for girls. Since pink was a stronger color it was best suited for boys; blue was more delicate and dainty and best for girls. And in 1921, the Women's Institute for Domestic Science in Pennsylvania endorsed pink for boys, blue for girls. (When Blue Meant Yellow. pp. 20 -21)

http://www.colormatters.com/colors_pink.html

On the other hand, the idea of associating blue with male babies may stem back to ancient times when having a boy was good luck. Blue, the color of the sky where gods and fates lived, held powers to ward off evil, so baby boys where dressed in blue. In Greece a blue eye is still thought to have powers to ward off evil. The idea of pink for girls might come from the European legend that baby girls were born inside delicate pink roses.

Another theory states that the sexual origins can be found in ancient China. At a time when certain dyes were quite rare, pink dye was readily available and therefore inexpensive. Since blues were rare and expensive, it was therefore considered to be more worthwhile to dress your son in blue, because when he married the family would receive a dowry.

Robyn Katie · Post by **Robyn Katie** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:13 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** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:19 am

Wo ho, found it on the first try, looks like I was on the cusp of the change. Wikipedia says:

"Pink in gender

"In Western culture, the practice of assigning pink to an individual gender began in the 1920s[3]. From then until the 1940s, pink was considered appropriate for boys because it was the more masculine and decided color while blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was the more delicate and dainty color[4][5]. Since the 1940s, the societal norm apparently inverted so that pink became appropriate for girls and blue appropriate for boys, a practice that has continued into the 21st century[6].

"Though the color pink has sometimes been associated with gender stereotypes, some feminists have sought to reclaim it."

Wikipedia adds:

"It has been suggested that females prefer pink because of an evolutionary preference for reddish things like ripe fruits and healthy faces.[8][9] This suggestion, however, has been criticized as unsubstantiated"

Following the footnotes will lead to sources for this. Gee, seems I'm not demented after all (at least not about this).

Love, Robyn Katie