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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU about colour coding children

36 replies

StoneBaby · 16/12/2011 20:47

What I mean is that seems that lots of people are using pink for girls and blue for boys!

As an example, I just saw the following exchange on a local FB page:

A woman is looking for a little weight pushchair.
Other woman said 'I got one'
1st woman: 'which colour'
2nd woman: 'blue'
1st woman: 'oh no, it's for a girl'

Since when girls can't be in a blue pushchair?!?

I have a boy and he has never been waering baby blue clothes!!

OP posts:

Crabapple99 · 16/12/2011 20:49

There was some research done a few years ago which found evidence that girls diffrentiate more shades of red/pink than boys, and get more pleasure form looking at it.

WorraLiberty · 16/12/2011 20:49

You've just noticed this?

People have used pink for girls and blue for boys since Noah's Ark was submitted for planning permission.

Original poster

StoneBaby · 16/12/2011 20:52

No I have notice this before but it's just the stupidity comment which got me to jump!

OP posts:

troisgarcons · 16/12/2011 20:53

Actually pink used to be a boys colour - a muted form of red and there fore masculine, blue used to be the colour for girls as it was considered 'dainty'.

Its only since the 1940's that the colours reversed to blue for a boy and pink for a girl. No idea why. I assume American film influence.

LineRunnerCrouchingReindeer · 16/12/2011 20:54

There are different cultural and historical attachments to colour and gender and all sorts of variables.

Growlithe · 16/12/2011 20:55

Just out of interest, would you buy your boy a pink pushchair?

SixFeetUnder · 16/12/2011 20:56

It's obviously because 'pink to make the boys wink' - or whatever that means!

Original poster

StoneBaby · 16/12/2011 20:59

Not a pink pushchair but he's got pink shirts. His pushchair is lime green

OP posts:

Crabapple99 · 16/12/2011 21:00

It has varied over time, I understand the victorians switched the convention to what it curentkly is ( but not sure on thet) Before hand, it was the other way around for a few centuries, and before that, which colours you wore were determined by law, and before that, supposedly, it was pink/red for females, and blue for males - thee is supposed to be some sort of evolutionary link about females looking at the colour of fruit, and men watching the sky line whike hunting. Like I said earlier, there does seem to be a greater resolution in perceiving the reds in a female brain, which may be linked to judging the ripeness of fruit. I am not aware of any actual reasearch that shows men see a greater range of blues, but have heard the theory that prehistoically men would have watch ed the sky with more attention, while huinting.

You might expect though, that if women like looking at pink, it might be more logical for men to be the ones traditionally wearing it!

Trills · 16/12/2011 21:00

A pushchair to push the child in, or a toy pushchair?

Not that it matters, really. Especially if someone is offering to give you one.

cantspel · 16/12/2011 21:02

Shops tend to sell what people want to buy. Hence why the spend a bloody fortune on market reaseach.
I wouldn't want a pink pram for either a boy or a girl but then i wouldn't want a lime green one either. But plenty do.

WorraLiberty · 16/12/2011 21:03

Not a pink pushchair but he's got pink shirts. His pushchair is lime green

Why wouldn't you buy your DS a pink pushchair then just out of interest?

ExquisiteChristmasCake · 16/12/2011 21:04

Trills ha ha ha!

CalmDownDearItsOnlyALikeButton · 16/12/2011 21:05

probably because she knows people will take the piss worra doesn't mean she thinks its right

troisgarcons · 16/12/2011 21:06

I wouldnt buy pink for a boy or a girl on the grounds its an hideous colour

WorraLiberty · 16/12/2011 21:08

Exactly Calm so I'm just wondering what the difference between that and the story in the OP is IYSWIM

LikeAnAdventCandleButNotQuite · 16/12/2011 21:09

I can;t abide the pale pink / pale blue extremities, there is a shop in a Centre near me that youy look in the door and the left is awash with pale blue and the right pale pink. Makes me want to vomit. Cant even bring myself to go in to see if they are actually nice clothes - could be for all I know, but the wash of pastel makes me ill. Its like being inside a candyfloss machine.

What annoys me even more, possibly the most, is when the same item is made in gender neutral primary colours and then an identical one in pink. So, boys (and girls) can have a red/blue/yellow cash register, but theres a pink one too, just for girls. I even saw a Globe in pink (wtaf).....pink land, pink ocean etc etc.

Original poster

StoneBaby · 16/12/2011 21:10

It's a real pushchair iyswim.
I won't buy him a pink pushchair as I don't really like the colour to be honest but also because most shades of pink will look dirty quicker that darker colour (in our case anyway)

OP posts:

CalmDownDearItsOnlyALikeButton · 16/12/2011 21:20

fair point- but generally i dont think anyone blinks at girls in blue.. boys cant get away with pink as easily.

too bad though

Growlithe · 16/12/2011 21:21

I wouldn't buy a pink pushchair for any child because I've always thought they wouldn't stand out so much to motorists. I wouldn't buy a silver car for the same reason. But I wouldn't have a go at anyone who wanted to surround their baby DD in pink. I have two DDs who have been brought up to play with all sorts of toys, both traditionally male and female, and both have gone through a 'pink phase'. Get over yourself, its a colour, they are small children. It's not shaping their life forever - my strong minded 8 year old old now wouldn't be seen dead in it!

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 16/12/2011 21:25

I got DC5 a lovely pink stroller with tiny shabby chic roses on it.

The scandal it caused

I am now known as the weird woman who bought a pink pram for a boy

But its soooooo purty.

scottishmummy · 16/12/2011 21:26

had pink covers for my fleet of bugaboos
matched my eyes

Teaandchristmascakeplease · 16/12/2011 21:30

I wasn't sure what this thread would be about, when I saw colour coding

Slightly off topic, but I found it rather amusing this morning at the pre school party, when a boy waiting to have his face painted asked for a butterfly. His mum kept trying to change his mind by showing him pirate pictures etc. He was adamant he wanted the butterfly. I thought it was rather funny. She then insisted on boy colours for it.

My son has painted toe nails right now, as he wanted to be like his sister and wears her tutu and fairy wings from time to time. Meh.

But I admit to loving pink, my bedroom is pink and my daughter loves pink too.

thepeoplesprincess · 16/12/2011 21:33

This thread is so like five years old.

I dress my girls in pink as a post-post-modern statement.

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 16/12/2011 21:33

tea I love pink. My house has a pink front door, pink walls, pink furniture and a beautiful pink range cooker.

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