Jun 09 2009
Pink is For Boys
If my recollection serves me, at a Smithsonian Museum exhibit on fashion years ago I learned that the blue-is-for-boys and pink-is-for-girls custom is less than a century old. Previous to that, it was actually the reverse! What is acquired by culture can seem so natural, but may not be at all.
Certainly, I can reason my way into understanding how pink could be associated with boys. Pink is a diffuse red and red is hotter than blue. Boys tend to be less placid than girls–bingo, a connection.
Pure speculation aside, I recently encountered an article about how facial coloring provides gender cues. It seems that for our kind, the “subtle shading or luminance” around the eyes and mouths of others is key to identifying gender.
So, is a pink coloration more male-like or female-like? Guess.
“Studies have shown that an androgynous face is considered male if the skin complexion is redder, and considered female if the complexion is greener,” says Dupuis-Roy. “However, it is the opposite for the mouth. A woman’s mouth is usually redder. Our brain interprets this characteristic as female.”
Damn. Another complicated answer. While one facial cue to maleness is an overall redder skin complexion, a redder mouth area is likewise a cue to femaleness. Interesting.
As for why it is considered unmanly for me to wear my pink-and-blue striped button-up shirt to the local sports bar–even by me–that likely is all about culture.
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[source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527121049.htm]
