Healthy Mama Magazine SPECIAL RED Edition - Feb 2015 | Page 68

When
did

pink

By Jo Paoletti, Associate Professor in the American
Studies Department at the University of Maryland

become a

feminine color?

Well into the late 1800’s all
infant boys wore white
dresses until the age of 6 or 7.
White was easy to bleach and
considered a gender neutral
color. There was nothing
unusual about seeing a little
boy toddle around in a frock.

Here goes:
1800's

1900's

1800s to early 1900s. Pastel colors were
considered "youthful" and were used more often to flatter
the complexion, not to denote gender. Pink was considered
more flattering for brown-eyed, brown-haired
people, blue for blue-eyed blonds and green
and yellow were preferred for red-heads
regardless of the gender of the child.

1900s and 1940s. There was a movement towards
more gender distinction in clothing for children using pink and
blue. There was however quite a bit of confusion among clothing
manufacturers and retailers about which was which, as they tried
to settle on one rule for the entire country.

1940's

1980's

“The generally accepted rule
is pink for the boys, blue
for the girls. The reason is
that pink, being a more decided
strong color, is more suitable for
the boy, while blue, which is
more delicate and dainty, is
prettier for the girl”

1940s to mid-1980s. The pink=girl, blue=boy convention

June 1918 issue of
Earnshaw's Infants’
Department, a trade
publication.

was taking form but was still variable by region in the United States. There
were German Catholic areas in Nebraska which used blue for girls as late
as the early 1980s, and I have seen pink clothes for boys from the deep
South from the 1970s. In addition, it was not
yet the very rigid use of pink we've seen
Mass marketing has a lot to do with the gendered
recently. Pink was an option for girls, and it was
quite possible to avoid it.
nature of pink and blue. Take a look at a 1970s toy

catalog compared to a more recent one:

What has changed
since the 1980s? First, pink became so strongly associated with

now

femininity, that when a boy or man wears it is is no longer "just a color", but an act
of defiance or personal expression beyond the aesthetic. Second, it eventually
crowded out other colors in the options for babies and little girls. Finally, pink
has been adopted by manufacturers of thousands of products as a way to
differentiate their wares and sell more items, especially for children.

Pink is not the only color...
In recent times both kids, parents and companies have turned the tables
on toy manufacturers and marketing behemoths that have created the massive
divide between boys and girls playtime.

photo credit:

.org.uk

lettoysbetoys

From a four year old girl letting loose in the ‘pink’ aisle
of the toy store, to LEGO launching a women’s scientist
kit after a successful online campaign to toy company
Goldiblox snapping up the prime ad spot during the
Super Bowl with their groundbreaking commercial and
innovative product. Even the UK government chimed in
on the debate accusing toy companies of “aggressive
gender segregation” through marketing.

Seems that the girls of the world want their princesses
with a bit of grit and a whole lotta super powers.
Finally, the marketers are starting to listen.

HEALTHY MAMA MAGAZINE
68