Hello friends, I think you must have twin friends, one is a girl and the other is a boy. Let’s say, Jane is the girl and John is the boy. Well, imagine that today we take a peek at their photos from when they were babies. Guess which is a girl and which is a boy? You must be able to guess the color of their shirt right? The girl is in pink, while the guy is in blue. But like our friend’s question on this one, why blue is for boy and pink is for girl? Do they have their favorite colors since birth?
The History
After the war, the stereotypes of pink girls and blue guys turned out to be from the United States after World War II. A TIME magazine survey of various shopping malls in the United States in 1927 showed that no color was associated with a particular gender.
According to historian Jo Paoletti’s study, even baby clothes in the United States were not gender-differentiated. Not only is it the same color as white, but it’s also the same shape and even the same skirt!
In short, pink started to become a trend among girls when Mamie Eisenhower’s mother often appeared in pink. Most women at that time used to wear dark clothes because they had to work in a factory. While men were sent to the battlefield.
Didn’t stop there, the pink color became more attached to girls. Because it was popularized by the media in that era. For example, the song Think Pink in the movie Funny Face starring the 50s star, Audrey Hepburn.
However, the most responsible party for pink versus blue stereotypes is not Mamie Eisenhower, Audrey Hepburn. But the massive marketing carried out by various types of industry, especially clothing. The reason is simple: so that people can buy more items.
So, What Could We Do Now?
If John and Jane were twins in 1900, their parents would just buy some white clothes that could be used instead. But if John and Jane were born in the 21st century like today, their parents would have to buy different clothes and accessories for John and Jane, according to their respective gender.
Especially after the advent of ultrasound technology that allows parents to find out whether the baby is a girl or a boy, even long before birth. Don’t you want to, it would be more wasteful to waste money.
Worse, pink and blue stereotypes don’t stop just at clothes, but also other items such as shoes, toys, and various other knickknacks. There have been no ads, movies, or soap operas, until the stickers of chat apps that make the idea of pink girls and blue guys more sticky in our brains now.
The fact that babies can’t choose their favorite color until they’re around 2 years old! So, if we see a parent who’s dizzy shopping for pink or blue clothes, don’t blame the baby! So, how about you? I want to hear your opinion, why blue is for boy and pink is for girl? Thanks.
