It's a boy!
Pink – or should I say light red – was a boy’s color. The lighter, daintier blue was for girls (and the Virgin Mary). Nowadays pink is so synonymous with girly that it is hard to imagine it being any other way. In reality pink wasn’t established as a feminine color until the 1950s.
Here are a few quotes from popular publications circa 1910 dispensing fashion advice…
“The Sunday Sentinal” wrote on March 29, 1914,
“If you like the color note on the little one’s garments, use pink for the boy and blue for the girl, if you are a follower of convention.”
Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department, June, 1918,
“There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
This advice was extremely relevant because gender specific clothing was just starting to become popular around this time. Gender specific clothing took the form of pink, blue and dressing as mini adults (skirts like mommies and pants like daddies). Children commonly wore skirts, dresses, and other generally gender neutral clothing until the 1900s.
baby boy in carriage with toy horse
Photo credit: handmaidenbymaria on Flickr, Library of Congress
My name is Kelly Seiler. I'm an electrical engineer working in the defense industry. I realized that there was an undercurrent of sexism present at work... no one person or attitude seemed to be the culprit. I've decided to learn more about feminism to help me better combat sexism without damaging my reputation. I consider myself an undercover feminist. I'm a feminist, but I avoid pointing things out directly.
An excellent feminist primer! At 118 pages this one is a quick read, but still jam packed with information. It will change your perspective about what feminism is really about compared to the mass media portrayal.
While not a strictly feminist read, this books has lots of good tips to consider in an office environment.
2 Comments
This is SO funny and interesting! Who knew?? Thanks for sharing, Kelly! :)
That’s really interesting! I wonder how the transition/swap occurred. How did they convince everyone that pink was wimpy and girly and blue was strong, when the convention was the opposite before?
It’s amazing to me how the powers that be can totally shape the popular opinion to be… just about anything they want, it seems.