Are Colors Gender Specific?
Is color gender specific or gender free? Is pink a feminine color? Was blue always a masculine color or it is being ingrained in us right after our birth or even before we are born that certain colors are better off with a certain gender or look good only on girls or boys.
When a baby is about to be born, people invariably assign pink for baby girls and blue for baby boys. In fact most of the baby items I have are pink in color. So was just wondering is it really a figment of our imagination that pinks are meant for baby girls and blue for baby boys?
But if this is true how come many a times I have observed that the guys of all ages don’t mind putting on pink shirts or tees more often. This got me thinking isn’t pink supposed to be a feminine color? This question kept bugging me for quite some time and hence I thought of digging up a little to know the truth.
If color is gender specific, what colors men and women should stick to? Why is pink classed as feminine color? Is there some logic behind it? Some folklore, some story?
Pink wasn’t always considered womanly and blue wasn’t always manly. As per my research, the trend of assigning colors as feminine and masculine dates backs to 20th century. In 1920s, people in the Western culture started to think that pink be used as a masculine color and blue as a feminine color. Blue depicts serenity, looks more natural and dainty just like women are, and hence it was decided blue to be a feminine color. Pink, which is derived from red, also known as pale red, is supposed to represent power, vigor, strength, and supremacy, which is all associated with men, hence more applicable to the boys. However, this notion did undergo a change in the 1940s and is still followed.
But as mentioned earlier, things have undergone a sea change and no particular color is considered suitable for any specific gender. Everyone is free to choose any color as per their preference. It is now up to us whether we wish to continue with this age old tradition or come out of it.
When dressing is a personal choice, so should be the color. If you have any thoughts on whether colors should be gender specific or not please do share.
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