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Original poster

The pink used to be for boys notion

39 replies

ALittleBitOfButter · 24/08/2017 19:25

I've just seen on that gender neutral baby clothes thread, once again, that someone has mentioned the oft repeated idea that in the olden days pink was for boys and blue for girls.

While this does reveal and confirm the fickle nature of "gender identity", I wonder how widespread it actually was as an idea? People keep putting up a quote from some 1920s newspaper but this is the only evidence I've ever seen used.

I don't believe it really, based on literature. I.e. Milly Molly Mandy had her candy pink striped dress, Laura Ingalls had pink, Judy in Seven Little Australians had her iconic pink frock.

Does anyone else question it too?

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zeeboo · 24/08/2017 19:48

All your examples are far too late, pink was for boys much earlier than Laura Ingals.

UniteAndProsper · 24/08/2017 19:48

Here is your evidence...... why are you so skeptical?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink#The_19th_century

The picture posted by a user here of the boy in a pink dress is the same one I linked to earlier.

Original poster
ALittleBitOfButter · 24/08/2017 19:48

Perhaps it was different in the colonies.

www.jennifer-wu.net/jenniferwu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/epf-1_the_arbour_fox.jpg

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Birdchangedname · 24/08/2017 19:45

Portrait of a boy from 1840.

It wasn't so much a reversal, but different cultural ideas for acceptable dress.

The pink used to be for boys notion
Manclife · 24/08/2017 19:44

Gender identification by color began in the early 20th century in the Western world. Before this, pink and blue did not hold any gender specific connotations and there are numerous examples of men wearing pink outfits and girls wearing blue; one French author, Xavier de Maistre in his work, A Journey Around My Room published in 1794, even recommended that men choose to paint their rooms pink and white to improve the mood.

Just google 'men and pink' there are tons of examples.

Original poster
ALittleBitOfButter · 24/08/2017 19:44

Well if I look around the NGV there is no evidence. Sure, there's girls in pink but there are no boys in pink. There's a boy in a red sailor suit in a famous Australian impressionist.

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UniteAndProsper · 24/08/2017 19:44

The wikipedia article on pink pigment has a whole section on pink being worn by boys in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and there are several external references you can check in the footnotes if you're still not convinced.

Here is a picture from the page of a boy wearing a pink frock in the 1800s
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink#/media/File:American_School,_Young_Boy_with_Whip,_ca._1840.jpg

grasspigeons · 24/08/2017 19:40

Aah yes, and grace was it had some feather Cape thing in white. Must re read it.
I think all I can say is this pink thing may have been in place for a while but it has hugely intensified during my life

EdithWeston · 24/08/2017 19:36

Look round the National Gallery and the National Portait Gallery and you'll see plenty of example. It's mainly 17-19th century. The swop was well under way by the 20th.

Original poster
ALittleBitOfButter · 24/08/2017 19:34

Yes Laura's hair determined her clothes, but it was never implied she got the masculine option. Carrie had pink too I think.

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Original poster
ALittleBitOfButter · 24/08/2017 19:32

No it's not, but I think that 1920s newspaper snippet that occasionally goes viral on fb from buzzfeed or whatever is not sound evidence either.

I forgot about Anne, too. That settles it.

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grasspigeons · 24/08/2017 19:31

Well Laura wore pink as it went with her brown hair, her sister wore blue as it went with blonde hair
I don't know about historically, but I can remember as a child going to countries where the reverse was true even 25 years ago.

QueenLaBeefah · 24/08/2017 19:30

I think most babies in ye olden days were dressed in white because people didn't have the money for gender type fripperies. It had to be able to be worn by the next baby.

MrsWooster · 24/08/2017 19:28

Ann of Green Gables deperately wanted pink and wasnt allowed because of her red hair... later insisted her (red head) daughters wore pink. God, i loved those books.

I do realise this is not exactly peer referenced academic evidence!

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