The Curious Case of Pinks and Blues

Pink is for girls and blue is for boys is what they say and tend to practice since a long time. Girls look pretty in pink outfits and it suits them more. Similarly, blue is thought to be a color more suitable for boys. These colors have been attached to both genders as if they were born with it, but they were not.

As soon as the baby is born or even as the sex is revealed before birth, people get to shop for color defined stuff. such as, if it is a baby girl, they would shop for all the possible pinks in the market including the wardrobe, toys, room interior and if there is an event then the celebrations theme would also be pink, do not forget that cake is pink too! Same goes on with the baby boy’s birth with the only difference of color which is blue.

The point I am trying to make here is that defining sexes with colors as blue and pink and more pink and more blue is pointless. I don’t understand how can an entire humankind can just call certain color restrictions as suitabilities for specific genders.

There is a general idea, as per psychology, of pink refers to softness, delicacy, femininity, giving and receiving of nurturing, unconditional love and compassion etc., which limits the pink color, in social paradigm, only for ladies. Just as that, the psyche of blue is as high as sky and as deep and stable as ocean, trust, loyalty, confidence, intelligent, truth, and even heaven. Some, as well, say that blue is considered beneficial for mind and body.

To me, the significance of these colors as mentioned above and believed upon on a large scale, does not make any sense. Pink being affiliated to women and at the same time psychology suggests that pink means nurturing, unconditional love and compassion and blah blah! I mean, how ironic is that? Is this idea proposed because men are humanly incapable of nurturing? or they can not love or show compassion at all? None of that sound realistic or reasonable.

Blue, on the other hand, is thought to be amazingly open color. All the possible positivity is attached to the significance of blue. What can and can not justify that how simply all the strengthening  traits such as confident and intelligent and as pure as heaven could all relate to only one gender which is male, as suggested by the psychology of color blue. I am curious for the specific mindset trying to portray that all the mentioned above attributes could exist in a person only if born as a boy. To my knowledge, women are capable of being as much confident , trusting, loyal, truthful and pure as men can be. I believe, pink can be as refreshing in colors as blue can be. So, why is the balance of pink and blue so unfair and unjustifiable as per psychology or let say society?

It is sad to realize that all the fuss of calling out colors and their meanings to relate with certain genders is nothing else than mere social constructs. There is no argument, as such, which can prove that pink is not for boys or blue would not suit any girl.

I am a woman and I can proudly say that my favorite color is turquoise and that can not make me any less of a woman. Pink is not one of my favorite colors but I think it looks good on many people regardless of male or female.

It pinches me at heart when I see people making fun of men wearing pinks and judging women for their preferences on blues. I witnessed a disappointing event in a gathering where a friend of mine was wearing baby pink collar shirt with black dress pants, a group of ladies who knew him as well from extended family came to him and laughingly pointed him for wearing a girly color on a big event day. They also remarked on him that he looked like a baby girl or converted to transgender because he was wearing pink, my dear friend felt harassed and insulted as they made fun of him with utter confidence as if blue is only sacred color for the men to carry. Really people? Is it sinful to wear pink if you are were born a boy? Hell no I would say!

Unfortunately, in our society and many other regions of the world, these belief systems, that I would rather call stereotypes, are being practiced as if it does not matter at all. Well, for me it matters a lot when I see people judging, bullying, harassing and stereotyping others over nonsensical idea of color perceptions. Seemingly, we have created problems for ourselves, as a society.

It is strange, how doctors willingly tell parents to start shopping for either pink or blue without telling if it is a girl or a boy because it is so well understandable for people to guess that pink would mean a girl and blue would mean a boy. It sounds irritable yet funny at the same time that how stupid are these concepts that we tend to live upon.

Last but not the least, my mother’s favorite color is pink and since I am born she loves to get me everything ‘pink’. I understand that she likes it and when I was little, I can now as well see in my childhood photos, she always dressed me up in a pink dress. I can find my early years pictures in all likely shades of pink. I do not know if it is her obsession with it and her constant will to make me wear pink because she thinks it is pretty for girls, just like everyone else, or if it is only my normal likeness towards turquoise.

“People used to love your clothes when I dressed you in pink when you were little”, she tells me. Now, she would go like ‘What in God’s name would make you like an unusual shade of blue and green’ and I laugh it off, she is a sweetheart. So, it is kind of interesting how such mindsets are deep rooted in our lives. Stereotypes have turned into strong believes that it even makes me doubtful at times as if it is the matter of sin if things go wrong with colors. By the way, that is me in the picture above, wearing pink. 😁

Colors, no doubt, are beautiful. It is definitely one’s own choice to wear whatever color as per choice, but connecting them with narrowing things as discussed above is utter rubbish. Female or male, both are equally capable being humans. Colors do not define intelligence, truthfulness, strength, loyalty, love, compassion etc. but individual personalities do. And all such traits vary from person to person.

I am sorry, world, you have been lead astray by your own selves but no one else. Take a pause. Think. Know Yourself. Know your surroundings. Try and realize what makes sense and what does not. Know if it feels good. Get rid of it if hurts. Make things simpler, for yourself and others. Understand. Live, love and laugh!

Pink is not the only color you should dress your baby daughter on the day of her birth. Dressing your little boy in blue all the time would not guarantee if he grows up as intelligent and as confident as you care to believe.

Cut out all the irrelevancies driving you nuts every now and then and live… live and let live! I hope I was able to make myself clear here as the only thing I am trying to convey is that stereotypes are meaningless, so, do not let them effect you and your dear ones at any level of life. They would only spread negativity, hurtfulness and disturbances all over the society, count on me for that.

Let’s not make mere colors define sex to us. Colors, instead, have meanings as vast as one can imagine.

Cheers! ☺