Pink: Aerosmith likes it...and they're all dudes

Pink. Real men wear pink? Not really. Pink has and always will be a feminine color. Blog author Breedermama attempts to dispel this notion and I must say, I agree with her. The blog post is called “Pink, it’s a loaded color…” and it explains all the reasons why it should not be. After having her first son she decided not to impose the so-called societal norms that men must possess: “Men are tough, men do not cry, men are strong, men like sports, men are stupid (when it comes to relating to others), men are smart (when it comes to business), men do not do housework, men are the breadwinners, men never ask for directions.” [Breedermama 1] Society dictates that boys must own anything blue and nothing pink and toys must be action figures and sports heroes. Of course this seemed ridiculous and Breedermama bought an action figure along with a doll, a toy truck and a toy oven. But nothing was blue or pink. Neutral colors only. She “discussed gay marriage, transgendered individuals, and on and on.” [Breedermama 1] But then came a second son and the dilemma became reality. Out shopping for reusable diapers she had two choices: white and pink. White would stain. So pink it was.
Now this is a very feminine article but it had me wondering; why is pink defined as just a feminine color? Breedermama asks the question of what color boys have. There is no one masculine color. The blog delivers the perfect reasoning of why boys shouldn’t be banned from pink. In an attempt to proselytize the gender-dividers to a world of gender equality Breedermama delivers a soliloquy that makes complete sense:
“Was I really going to not buy something we need because of a societal norm? I stood there for a moment, looking at that little diaper. Can I really assign a color to a gender? It’s a hue, no different than orange or green. I wondered why pink was chosen to be the color that represents the feminine. I wondered why little girls could parade in every color of the rainbow, sporting all the cool blues and vibrant reds that boys wear … but pink is their color alone? Females hold the world’s supply of a specific color?
Suddenly I was struck by how ridiculous it was.
Flowers are pink, are men not supposed to enjoy the wonders of nature? My own baby was born pink himself.”

Frankly, I couldn’t agree any more than I do. Of course, since I had been conditioned by society I would never wear pink even if it’s becoming more acceptable. That’s just me. The argument Breedermama presents though brings up another question. When did pink become feminine? Well, originally it wasn’t. "If you like the color note on the little one's garments, use pink for the boy and blue for the girl, if you are a follower of convention." [The Sunday Sentinal, March 29, 1914.] This furthers the argument of color for genders. If color is so interchangeable within gender, why use a shade to define the difference in sex? Why use anything to define difference between men and women?
Blue is for baby boys. Does this then mean girls cannot enjoy the color blue? Can girls not play with action figures? I’ve known tomboys in the past. It doesn’t mean the girls suddenly surge with testosterone and begin pressing 400 pounds. And if a baby boy happens to play with a doll he won’t fill with estrogen and have his “special lady time” once a month going into a feminine rage over every little thing. (sorry…most offensive blog ever remember?) It just seems ridiculous that toys and colors are off limits because every parent wants an archetypical child modeled in the vein of everything “right” with their gender.
I grew up with blue in my room. But many of my friends were girls. Hell, I’m not ashamed to admit I had played dress-up (come on, a guy will do anything for a girl even at a young age). I’m still heterosexual and a guy (not that anything is wrong with homosexuality). Breedermama “did not define toys based on the gender of the child who would play with them. There is a play kitchen and broom, baby dolls and a doll house, dress up clothes of all varieties, books with girls as the main characters which blend seamlessly with the trucks and trains, superheros and team sports accessories. I never defined jobs per gender. We have discussed gay marriage, transgendered individuals, and on and on.” She was attempting to neutralize her child to make him accepting of anything and everything, which in the society we live in now is different. That is why, when reading the article for the first time, that one chunk of text doesn’t seem right. It feels like abuse. It’s as if Breedermama is abusing her child by going against the grain for the sake of giving her child unbiased opinions not implanted by upbringing.
Pink. Real men wear pink? Anyone can wear pink. It’s a color. I wore a somewhat pink shirt to prom. (Albeit I was attempting to match my date’s hot pink dress) Breedermama says it’s a color also. And if it’s just a color to the blogosphere it should be just a color to the rest of the sphere we live on. If the world can realize color is color (color isn’t gender, color isn’t superiority of race), we’re one step closer to equality.