Do you thik boys/girls instinctively like the colours blue/pink?

[Consuelaa]

Or is it just society that drums that into them?

I was wondering when recently my 2 year old nephew was drinking out of a pink cup. He didn't seem to care at all what colour the cup was but my sister/his mother came up and was all like "no no he can't drink out of a pink cup" and changed his cup.

Before that happened he would have seen pink in a neutral light? But after that he now sees pink as a colour not to associate with?

[FarloWearsAGoldRibbon]

They certainly don't all. DD loved all things blue from a very young age. She only prefers pink over blue now she is at school and the peer pressure has got to her (although she still has phases when she goes back to blue). I believe it is societal, after all it is a modern custom to have pink for girls and blue for boys. If it was innate I would have expected it to have been a prevalent custom for a long time across cultures.

[IHeartKingThistle]

Entirely conditioned, I think. Didn't the Victorians have it the other way round?

Makes me mad when parents won't let their child have anything with the 'wrong' colour.

It's been interesting watching the preferences of my DC. DD went through the pink thing and is now 6 and vehemently anti-pink (partly because some of her friends are!). DS became aware of colours when DD was in the pink phase and because she wanted the pink cup, bowl etc, so did he. His favourite colour is still pink and I wonder whether this will change when he starts school. I couldn't give a monkeys - all I have ever said on the subject (OK, admittedly, many, many times) is that boys and girls can like whatever they want.

I quite like pink as a colour. But the use of it to show 'this is for girls' makes me feel queasy.

[peanutMD]

My 6yo DS' favourite colour has always been pink despite my DP's side constantly telling him pink is for girls or 'poofs'

I've never went along with the blue/pink thing though on the most part I try to go for a more unisex colour (any other apparently) and dont agree with Lego for example getting multi coloured for boys and pink for girls, a toy is a toy!

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Not at all. I know a lot of pre-school boys who like pink. I think that it's an attractive colour to young children and that it is encouraged in girls and discouraged in boys.

[BeeBee12]

I believe most nursery aged children are drawn to that hot pink colour as most kids fight over it as they want to be the one to have it.

[EatsBrainsAndLeaves]

Yes pink used to be seen as a boys colour in the UK and blue for girls. Entirely conditioned.

Peanut that is awful that your DH tells your DS pink is for poofs. It sounds like you object. Does he just refuse to stop saying it?

[DoodleAlley]

DS likes green. Dark green. He's stubborn as a mule a decidedly specific chap!

At just four he is aware of what he would call "girls" or "boys" colours though we have tried to reinforce that a colour is just a colour. He certainly went through a phase of liking bright pink and has always been ambivalent at best about blue.

Can't blame the chap!

[Alurkatsoftplay]

DS (4) loves pink but dd (3) prefers yellow. They don't know about boys/ girls colours but I spect that will change now DS starting school.

[Himalaya]

I think both boys and girls instinctively tend to like pink.

Then boys are told they are not supposed to.

[Longtalljosie]

The pressure for girls to like pink is everywhere. Not only is it practically the only clothing colour available - especially when it comes to shoes (Clarks do pink and purple with one red shoe style which ends up being impractical because it clashes with all the pink stuff your DD will have been bought by other relatives)

I work to make sure my DD has as many non-pink clothes as possible but it's a constant effort - like you're fighting against the tide. And people tell her she should like pink all the time "which one do you want? The pink one? Of course you do!" She told her pre-school worker her new room was pink because she was asked if it was. It isn't, actually, it's got pale blue walls and pink bunting. She does actually really like pale blue. But it's as if she's not "allowed" to. With all that pressure on them to like pink, girls do. And then people say it's "natural" that they do. But it's really not the case at all.

I remember one time in a department store DD (then about 18 months) was attracted to some cartoon character towels which were hanging up. She went to the orange one, then the blue one, then the pink one. And then DH said "Did you see? She's gone towards the pink one!" People see what they expect to see.

[peanutMD]

Brains sorry its not DP its members of his side of the family, not all but some.

thankfully we live 300 kilts from them so not really much of an issue when it dies occur though DS has my full permission to answer back with 'grow up or shut up"

[EatsBrainsAndLeaves]

peanut - Glad to hear that it isnt your DP and that you dont need to have much to do with these relatives. They sound awful.

[Thedoctrineofennis]

Of course it's not instinctive.

DS2 likes pink best. DS1 picked a large pink outdoor toy... But still talks about pink and our

[Thedoctrineofennis]

Of course it's not instinctive.

DS2 likes pink best. DS1 picked a large pink outdoor toy... But still talks about pink and purple as girls' colours.

[grimbletart]

Of course it's not instinctive. That question could only be asked in the last couple of decades. It would not even have been asked when my 'children' - now in their 40s - were small because pinkification as a marketing device was unknown.

100% market and stereotype driven.

[honoraglossop]

not instinctive. DS3 is 3 yrs old and currently sporting a bright pink plaster cast- he thought it was the nicest(?brightest) colour there.
By the time he is 8 he will probably be like his older brother who asked why he had a "girls" cast on.

[Mominatrix]

Definitely not instinctive. Both my sons love colours in the red, pink, purple family. I have always colours in the blue family and despised pink (despite being personally described as "girly").

[drjohnsonscat]

Of course it's not innate.

But since our babies are gendered by colour even before they are born (people buy you blue or pink stuff, depending on what you tell them) they quickly catch on. If from day one of your life you slept on pink sheets, wore nappies with pink flowers, were given pink clothes to wear and pink toys to wear and were never, ever allowed blue, you would soon get the message.

Sad that your sister did that. What else is she going to stop him from doing because it's not what boys do?

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

Definitely not instinctive. Neither is being a 'girly girl' IMO.

[5madthings]

god no, not innate at all!

all of my boys have liked pink and purple, at age 7, ds3 still does. they just see it as a colour.

ds4 who is just 4is the only one who sees pink as for 'girls' and i think he got this from pre-school as we have never said certain colours are for girls/boys and i actively avoid stereotyping in this way!

i also think its rather crap that your sister did that tbh.

[minipie]

Of course they don't.

But I bet if you posted this outside Feminism you'd get numerous tales of how it must be innate because "my DD loves pink and my DS loves blue". Sigh.

[Kewcumber]

Of course they don't. There are plenty of cultures even today who don't do this ridiculous pink/blue thing - I have plenty of photos of DS as a baby kitted out totally in pink.

IME most very young children gravitate towards pale pink.

[drjohnsonscat]

you are right minipie. We have a lot of work to do out there

[Empusa]

"IME most very young children gravitate towards pale pink."

I'd always assumed they'd have been more drawn to bright colours? Funny the things you assume