Long ago I used to really dislike the color pink. Red was my favorite color, but its pink sister was not welcome into my home. As my nieces came into the world, my distaste for pink started to fade and I even began to wear pink myself. But now, nearly a decade later and nine months after Munchkin's arrival, I've realized I'm really in the pink hot seat.
A quick look in Munchkin's closet shows a lot of purple, green, orange and blue, with a fair share of pink, which is fine. However, my real fear of pink lies in toys and, specifically, the rows and rows of pink toys at the store. I worry that as Munchkin grows, she will feel that call to pink that is heavily influenced by marketers and cultural stereotypes. Pink is a perfectly nice color, but does every single toy for girls have to be 100% pink, save for splashes of purple? I appreciate toy makers (by "appreciate" I mean my very gracious word for the low bar they've set for women's aspirations) making veterinarian offices and laptops instead of only shopping tableaus and beauty salons, but if toys are supposed to mimic real life, I have seen few pink cars, no pink doctor's office, grocery stores, or even--gasp!--pink kitchens or hair salons in my lifetime. There is nothing wrong with being a beautician, but there is something wrong with indicating it's one of the few things a girl should be. There is also nothing wrong with being feminine, but there are dozens of other feminine colors that, well, aren't pink.
It's hard to tell which came first--girl's preferences or marketers shaping girl's preferences. If you read articles about Lego's creation of their Lego Friends series targeting girls, they'll tell you they created what girls wanted. I understand that girls like to tell a story, but can't they accomplish that with green Legos? I would not have wanted to play with primarily pink and purple blocks and I'm not sure my three nieces would either. In fact, there is a study that proves both genders both prefer blue. Back in the 1900s, boys were supposed to wear pink, and girls blue.
Clearly times have changed. It is entirely possible my daughter will love pink and I will feel compelled to add a lot more pink to her toy collection and closet. However, I am crossing my fingers that she like every color and have interest in a wide variety of careers not limited to those affecting her external appearance.
A quick look in Munchkin's closet shows a lot of purple, green, orange and blue, with a fair share of pink, which is fine. However, my real fear of pink lies in toys and, specifically, the rows and rows of pink toys at the store. I worry that as Munchkin grows, she will feel that call to pink that is heavily influenced by marketers and cultural stereotypes. Pink is a perfectly nice color, but does every single toy for girls have to be 100% pink, save for splashes of purple? I appreciate toy makers (by "appreciate" I mean my very gracious word for the low bar they've set for women's aspirations) making veterinarian offices and laptops instead of only shopping tableaus and beauty salons, but if toys are supposed to mimic real life, I have seen few pink cars, no pink doctor's office, grocery stores, or even--gasp!--pink kitchens or hair salons in my lifetime. There is nothing wrong with being a beautician, but there is something wrong with indicating it's one of the few things a girl should be. There is also nothing wrong with being feminine, but there are dozens of other feminine colors that, well, aren't pink.
It's hard to tell which came first--girl's preferences or marketers shaping girl's preferences. If you read articles about Lego's creation of their Lego Friends series targeting girls, they'll tell you they created what girls wanted. I understand that girls like to tell a story, but can't they accomplish that with green Legos? I would not have wanted to play with primarily pink and purple blocks and I'm not sure my three nieces would either. In fact, there is a study that proves both genders both prefer blue. Back in the 1900s, boys were supposed to wear pink, and girls blue.
Clearly times have changed. It is entirely possible my daughter will love pink and I will feel compelled to add a lot more pink to her toy collection and closet. However, I am crossing my fingers that she like every color and have interest in a wide variety of careers not limited to those affecting her external appearance.
How do you feel about toy-makers insistence on making everything pink? Love it or hate it? Add you good and bad thoughts below.
RSS Feed
