Pink or Blue - Which color are you?

I went to a neighborhood park with my daughter. She was insisting on me riding the slide, while she would wait on the bench. I was trying to convince her that it should be the other way around. During our heated discussion, a man walked in with a cute baby in a stroller.

I whispered to my daughter "Look, a Baby!" 

My daughter, on top of her voice: "Baby, Where?" and then on noticing the man and the baby, she added: "Ohhhhhhhhh!"

The man smiled and I asked casually "a girl or a boy?"

He looked offended and snapped "Hey, look he is wearing blue! Obviously, he is a boy!" 

I was embarrassed. In that few seconds, I didn't notice what the baby was wearing. I flashed my apologetic smile and asked: "How old is he?" He replied sternly, "Almost a month now!" I beamed and took my daughter to the slide. The conversation ended in a few seconds but a thought lingered in my mind: "Why is it so obvious?" 

That's a girl and she is wearing Blue!

I  never noticed this color discrimination until my daughter was born. My childhood was colorful like a rainbow. I wore all the colors and I love Colors. I never knew that a girl has to like shades of pink and a boy means blue. There were no branded stores or media to put that idea in my mind. But when my daughter was born, I stepped into a popular branded baby store and I was surprised. The shop was divided into three sections - pink on one side, blue on the other side and a few white and yellow in the center. The soft shades of pink and blue looked exquisite. But, "Where are all the colors?" I wondered. 

Now, my daughter is three years old. I see pink everywhere - her clothes, jackets, shoes, bag, her tricycle, her car everything is either pink or purple. Even, she had asked for a pink cake on her Birthday. How did that happen? I didn't plan for this.I am just a victim of the color-gender pairing that is dominating the market and even people's mind. I bought so many blue rompers for her when she was a baby. I had to pick that from the boy's section.  I used to look for any color other than Pink. If it is Blue, so be it. I wonder, what she would have told me if she could speak at that age!

"Mamma, I am a GIRL and I like Pink"

My choices are limited now. Besides, I can no more pick from the boy's rack. Most importantly, I have to dress up my daughter for school every morning. So, I try to play it safe and do not experiment much with her dress when she believes Pink is her favorite color. A three-year-old's judgment is clouded and I will try to help her see through it. But what about those parents, who believe that too much of pink can change a boy's sexual orientation. Honestly, I have never seen a baby boy dressed in a pink suit. If you see a baby wrapped in a soft cuddly pink blanket, what would be your guess about that baby's gender? How would you react if your son declares his favorite color is Pink?
I am worried how deep it is routed. How would parents let their child make their own choices when they are biased? How would a child express his/her likes and dislikes if those are not approved by their own parents?

I don't see a reason behind this gender stereotyping. I like Pink! But I like a Blue too. I do wear Blue all the time. And I believe most of the women wear different shades of blue. But I hardly see men wearing a nice pastel shade of Pink. Even, I have never gifted my husband a pink shirt, nor my dad. What's wrong with us? How can a man's manhood be challenged, just wearing a color? It's core inside the man and it can't be dictated by the color they wear or the car they drive or the sports they watch or the drink they prefer.

So, wake up moms! Dress your girl in a blue shirt with a cute little dinosaur or a car. You don't have to buy the princess diaper every time. Let her explore the car diaper, it is equally effective. And for the boys' mamma, it is okay if your boy does like Pink or a fairy. The last thing that you can buy in a store is a man's manhood! So, Why do you bother?

Posted in: MyBabbles