Color wars

May 08, 2013 13:00

It is sometimes dismaying to me and sometimes amusing to me to think about how much significance we as a culture have invested in the colors pink and blueFor example, I was reading a little bit yesterday about the speculation about the sex of Kate Middleton's baby. Apparently she was seen pushing a blue stoller in a store, and the blogosphere was ( Read more... )

idiocy, miscellaneous

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Comments 9

eofs May 9 2013, 00:18:27 UTC
Historically, this country has done very well under queens. Three of our longest reigning monarchs have been queens and they've all reigned over strong periods for the country. (Yes, there's been a decline in our world status under Elizabeth II, but that was started under her father and grandfather, and she has reigned over 60 years of peace.) So I'm pro-girl, even though I'm likely to be very old before she would come to the throne - and she'd be so old that she wouldn't be likely to manage many years ( ... )

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queen_of_kithia May 9 2013, 00:55:22 UTC
When I was quite a little girl, I internalized the whole "pink=girl" thing completely and pretty early on. Like, my favorite color was pink (or so I convinced myself), and my favorite ice cream flavor was strawberry, because it was pink, and my favorite fruit was strawberries because strawberry ice cream was pink, etc.*

But as I got older, I came to know myself a little better and realized that I actually preferred blue or purple as colors, and chocolate ice cream, and enjoyed many, many fruits just as much, or more, than I liked strawberries.

I think the ideal--though probably unrealistic--scenario is just to provide a variety of toys, clothes, books, movies, etc. and let the kids pick which ones they like once they are old enough to do so, without editorializing or making judgments. And if they do start to gravitate toward stereotypically gendered interests, just open up a dialogue about why rather than trying to discourage them.

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*Also, for the first five or six years of my life I wanted more than ( ... )

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eofs May 9 2013, 02:07:37 UTC
I can distinctly remember deciding "my favourite colour is brown" as a rebellion against having been told my favourite colours were pink and yellow. Now I imagine that I actually had shown a preference for those colours, but in my 5-year-old brain they had simply been thrust upon.

If our son wants to play with cars or our daughter wants to play with dolls I certainly won't stop them*. What I want to try to prevent is the one-sided exposure. I'm also really frustrated by this trend of making two versions of all the baby/toddler toys - one in bright, primary colours, another in pastel pink and purple. Makes me want to scream. Why must everything be pink. I'd actually be less offended if they were producing a blue one and a pink one ( ... )

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queen_of_kithia May 9 2013, 05:56:05 UTC
I guess I don't object to having pastels alongside primary colors; I would just prefer that all the color variations be marketed equally to boys and girls. If that's what you're getting at, then I agree with you entirely.

Awhile ago, as I was browsing online for Sesame Street toys, I noticed that Hasbro categorizes most (though, sadly, not all) of its Abby Cadabby toys as gender neutral, a small but encouraging step. I find it encouraging, anyway.

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the_red_i May 9 2013, 19:12:05 UTC
It's interesting to note that it actually used to be reversed. Blue for girls, red for boys. If I ever have kids, there's a part of me that thinks it might be fun to dress them in that color scheme and if anybody asks why, say " because I'm old fashioned" just to see people's reactions.
-Jeremy

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bluealoe May 17 2013, 14:58:33 UTC
I don't envy Kate and William's positions at all. It's stressful enough being pregnant and having a child without the whole world scrutinizing every single step you make. I love your idea of them trying to mess with people by looking at different colors. :)

My sister found out the sex of her children before they were born, just because she wanted to know. But she didn't buy color-specific items for them...right now my older nephew's favorite color is definitely red, and my younger nephew doesn't seem to have a preference.

My favorite color has always been blue, and I will defend it as not being a "boy's color" as long as I live. Colors don't have gender, and it really ticks me off that society has decided they do.

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queen_of_kithia May 21 2013, 21:55:42 UTC
I don't envy Kate and William's positions at all.

Boy, neither do I. I have tremendous respect for Kate (or Catherine, whichever) because I'm not sure that I could live in that atmosphere of constant public scrutiny. Granted, being married to William would compensate for a lot, but I don't know if it would be enough for me.

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