Pink! Why does it have to be pink!?

[whitesphere]

I feel somewhat silly posting this, but it's been gnawing at me for a few days now. Itty bitty brain worms nibbling in my subconscious and I happily go on with my life until I see the one thing that triggers it again and my brain goes, RAR this is not right!

[Rant Warning]

That trigger? I'm quite happy to tell people I'm female, but when the time comes to set gender in your Profile, I immediately notice that I get a pink icon. PINK. Boys get Blue! Girls get Pink! Why ARGH why? 

I don't count myself a feminist, and I'm a bit puzzled myself because I am not the type to soul search, but there's something in me that twitches hard when I see mothers dress up their pretty little girl babies all in pink. That twitch occurs again when I trot along supermarket toy aisles and see all the princess tiaras and dresses in pink. (I do see the occasional purple dress, and I go Huzzah!)

I have happily declared to one and all that I am a tomboy and hate the colour pink, when secretly I've played with Barbie dolls *cough*, own things that are coloured "light red" and even today, stare mesmerised at My Little Pony figures (hush you, they are collectibles). 

But when it comes to this, forcing my finger to do that one little thing and switch your gender from Not Telling to Female... I just can't do it. I reserve the right to refuse!    

Am I being silly? ;P

This is a completely cultural thing and even changes significantly over time.  100 years ago, pink was the typical masculine color.

I don't think you're being silly.  I just think you're saying "I don't fit clearly defined gender roles, thank you very much."

Although blue is my favorite color, in quite a few other ways I don't fit the typical male roles, either.  Like the "Of course you're a guy so you're mechanically inclined/don't express your feelings/etc"  

As for high heels:

Ginger Rogers did exactly what Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels.  So who was the better dancer, hmmmm?

 

[whitesphere]

 

Take the test!

Like whichever colour you want. I am proud to like pink, and no one is allowed to shame or ridicule me for liking a shade of the rainbow spectrum.

By that definition, I am a feminist.  But, in my opinion, isn't feminism about transcending any and all gender roles and labels, so men and women both are free to choose their lives as they see fit, free from any judgment because of your biological gender?

I find it rather amusing to have a "free from labels" belief itself become a label.

 

[Caitlin]

It is interesting to note that historical that back in the 1900s, and so, pink was considered a boy color, while blue was considered a girl color.  Other people considered it hte other way around...Bathroom used to be pink.  Boys & girls used to wear white 'dresses' until about five years old, apparently.  I have no problems with pink, but would be nice to chose between blue, pink, white, or black.  I just thought that people could use a laugh at the irony of our dim ancestors thought one thing and it is the opposite today. 

 

[slimmmeiske2]

I heard when I was younger that the colour for a girl was blue and for a boy pink in Belgium. Though that's not often the case anymore because of the influence from other countries.