Pink was not always the color for girls, Blue was not always the color for boys

July 4, 2009 by  

pink bathoom vintage kohlerReal men DO have pink bathrooms. You see, a university professor, Jo Paoletti of the University of Maryland, actually has done extensive academic research studying how it is that the color pink today has come to be associated with girls and the color blue, with boys. Seems like the shift did not begin until the beginning of the 20th century and even then, it took until after World War II for this yet-another gender distinction to become entrenched. Before that, parents used a variety of colors for their children’s clothing and rooms. So, in the 1930s, when pink bathrooms started to appear, I am surmising that pink did NOT mean girlie or effeminate — it just meant “lovely.” The University of Utah Press will publish Jo Paoletti’s monograph, Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America, in 2010. Ad: Kohler, 1954.

Filed under: pink bathrooms
Tagged:

Comments

One Response to “Pink was not always the color for girls, Blue was not always the color for boys”

  1. Allie on August 24th, 2011 12:47 am

    Did you know that pink was originally associated with boys because it’s closer to red, which is considered a more masculine color? And that blue was originally associated with girls because it evokes the Virgin Mary? Just an interesting fact that I thought pertained to your post!

Leave a Comment -- If you are under 14 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate. Here are the full legal terms of use you agree to by using this comment form..