BY ANJALI SINGH

Did you unlearn the lesson “Pink is for girls and blue is for boys”? A color never said I’m too girly or manly, we made it. We brought sexism even in colors. This is one of the many examples which is holding everyone back from their true selves. 

Do you still believe blue is meant to make you feel laddish or pink is about being too girly? If yes, then please keep reading ! Allow me to challenge those age old views.

For years, I believed in this ludicrous line until I unlearned it. Every time I see a boy or a man wearing pink, I’d point to that person and say, hey! Look at that man, he is wearing pink. I remember seeing my father in a pink shirt and thinking why is he wearing pink? I felt ashamed now of this mentality I had back then.

Even today many people find pink to be “too girly”. On the other hand, blue is found to be the most popular color among adults. Society has been stereotyping for all these years and we’re just being ignorant. Nobody cares to know how this color rule is impacting all of us. Let me bust this gender stereotype for you.

History Behind Pink-Blue Phenomenon

Are you aware of how this theory of Blue-Pink came into existence? Do you know what history says? Well, it’s the opposite of what we’ve been taught. Some quoted articles from the 19th century said pink should be for boys as it appears stronger whereas blue is for girls as it’s more delicate and dainty. In the 1940s these colors swapped their genders. Many thought pinks are more like a feminine and romantic color so they should be assigned to girls. Assigning colors to gender is never right as it influences the mind and behavior of an individual.

Gendering Of Toys

This stereotyping was not just limited to colors. People started gendering toys. Even today we can see the room of a girl child is painted all pink and filled with toys like barbies, dolls, or kitchen sets. On the other hand, toys for boys include cars, robots, or video games. On birthdays, people buy toys as gifts according to the gender of a child. How is it affecting anyone? It’s influencing the right to make a choice. Also suppressing the interests and dreams. So what if it’s pink or blue shouldn’t we all be neutral ? Where is the end of this gender based stereotyping that has been inked into our DNA by ancestors who shunned gender fluidity.

Gender-Reveal Parties

In the 1960-70s, feminist movements took place and gender-neutral colors became popular successfully. This ended the gendering of toys by around 70%. But this didn’t last long. What brought us back to square one? 

When a child is born, what is the first thing you want to know? Gender, right? To reveal whether it’s a girl or boy, “gender reveal parties” started happening. The popularity of gender-reveal parties made the pink-blue rule more prevalent. In today’s time, it has become a trend and people are getting more creative with it. Pink is for girls and blue is for boys, this idea has now been established to reveal the sex of a child. Isn’t it cute? Why are we making a big deal out of it?

So here’s the deal, this idea is enforcing the belief that only two genders exist. It’s also promoting gender discrimination. It is assuming the gender identity of the baby before the world becomes their oyster.

It’s too girly and if you like pink you’re not manly enough. Why are we stopping men from showing their vulnerability? Blue denotes strength, boldness, power, etc and these nouns aren’t meant for females. Why can’t females be called strong?

Allow men to cry, allow women to feel powerful!

This gendering of colors, toys, clothes has to be stopped. We want a world with every color in it. We want a world filled with equal opportunities for every gender. Let us not let blue and pink define who we are or should be. 

PINK IS FOR EVERYONE AND SO IS BLUE!