how did pink become a "girly" color? 💞🌸🩰

“pink is for girls and blue is for boys” is something we all grew up hearing, but did you know that this “rule” is relatively recent? only becoming common practice in the united states in the mid20th century, in today’s video decided to take a look at the rise of gendered colors and the feminization of the color pink
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[@Domon0310]

The Sleeping Beauty's "blue vs pink" subplot was also connected to the real life debate that was happening about these colours at the time of the film's creation.

[@danielzhou2972]

I was thinking exactly that!

[@WishfulThinkingArt]

Makes sense! I believe the animators themselves were also fighting about what color to make Aurora’s dress, and they thought it made for excellent comedy, so they put it in.

[@jlo803]

Genius piece of Info, thanks !

[@crazydude1197]

Oh I heard of that too! How the character designers were in a constant fight about what color suited Aurora the best, so they added that "bickering" into the film... We know nowadays the answer to that is clearly both, c'mon. Funny enough, I believe i like the color pink nowadays because of Auroras's pink version of the gown. I don't know what is the name of that exact name of the shade found in the film, but I find it so lovely. Of course, the blue one is amazing too...buuut I like the pink one a tad more heh.

[@cookiemocher388]

Was that intentional?

[@meghana.2.11]

the colour pink has been scrutinised so much for being 'too feminine' so thanks for touching on the topic

[@chaaaargh]

imo that conversation is changing nowadays, so it's not really scrutinized anymore as much...

[@meghana.2.11]

@@chaaaargh yes definitely! with people like harry styles and timothee endorsing the colour, the outlook on something as basic as the color pink is changing however i wish it was seen more as a gender neutral color everywhere yk

[@meghana.2.11]

this is why middle school girls thought it was 'cool' to hate the colour pink

[@HistoricElevator]

they still do 💀😭

[@djungelskog132]

I hate that i was that girl

[@human_wreckage]

Also why I'm still trying to unlearn hating pink

[@chrystianaw8256]

Pink is one of the best colours

[@joaninha1051]

I was that girl 💀 Thank god I grew out of that

[@melmeron7843]

I always hate when people associate Femininity with Weakness. You can be strong while also loving the color Pink and being Feminine overall!!

[@cocoaorange1]

So true.

[@andiflores4638]

Yes exactly 💗

[@scattered9brain]

Legally blonde

[@sunnythehedgehog5026]

True.

[@chiffondollsweet]

@@scattered9brain or P!nk

[@sweaterweather9119]

in my country, "gender reveals" aren't allowed, like doctors aren't allowed to disclose the sex of the child to the parents because female infanticide has very high levels so during baby showers a lot of different color gifts including pink and blue and parents rarely throw the gifts just utilize it instead, so color ends up having less importance while the child is a baby

[@riverAmazonNZ]

The amount of men throwing a tantrum when the baby is a girl has put me off gender reveals completely 🤢🤮

[@andreaa.1393]

@@riverAmazonNZ I've seen women get mad at having boys too.

[@clairewillow6475]

@@andreaa.1393 I’ve only seen that when they already have like 3 boys and both parents seem to be hoping for a girl

[@clairewillow6475]

@@riverAmazonNZ if it’s their first kid, I cannot comprehend gender disappoint! It’s just weird to me. But I can kind of understand wanting one of each or a baby of the opposite sex when they already have a bunch of the same. Still kinda weird lol but I guess human emotions is strange

[@kyara9643]

@Sweater Weather are you from India? I read somewhere that it's like that in India and many other asian countries which is so sad :(

[@mariemiriel1522]

I have a complicated relationship with pink that did a total 360. I adored pink when I was a little girl. I loved it so much it became part of my personality. But then when I hit puberty at around 10/11, I began to hate pink. I hated it because I hated being a girl. I found puberty to be traumatic. I hated pink for years because of this huge associate between pink and girlhood. It wasn't until I was maybe 16 that I stopped hating myself so much and began to like pink again. Now at 27, it's my favorite color once more. I regret all the years I spent hating pink. Pink I am so sorry. You were my first friend and I am so sorry that I treated you so terrible for so many years.

[@chenillesagoe6348]

Pink: You are forgiven, that is a tough a experience you had to endure. It is a good thing that you are starting to love yourself again🌸🌷👛👚🎀💖💝💞💕💗

[@chrystianaw8256]

Same

[@mariemiriel1522]

@@chenillesagoe6348 thank you so much, this was very sweet and brightened my day! 💖

[@reycarter6284]

Omg I totally get what you mean I went through sth similar and now im back to pink full force I still like the colours that I turned to but use them more as accents 💖

[@andiflores4638]

Awww🥺💗

[@gleewhoseline198]

I know some people think that teenage girls reject pink just because of ''Internalised Misogyny''. I think another more likely reason is that little girls are put into pink the second they're born. By the time I was able to choose my own clothes, I wanted to wear any other color. While I love that women feel free to express their femininity, I think we're risking accusing any girl who has masculine interest as a ''pick-me'', which has lost all meaning at this point.

[@aviatress5643]

i agree. i think a reason why a lot of girls and women grow to resent pink outside of misogynistic reasons is because they're expected to wear it and weren't allowed much opportunities to express themselves in other colours growing up.

[@qprego6742]

I wasn't made to wear pink but blue was always my favorite colour and i hated that virtually all girls' toys were pink. It produced a feeling of rejection

[@Nyxthebat04]

If you're outside what's considered typically feminine nowadays, you're a pick me/not like other girls. So annoying, and ironically, anti-feminist.

[@MsFluffyninja7]

I think there's more to that. I feel it's fine for girls who have more masculine taste to not like pink but it becomes a problem when some (not all) of those girls push their own hang ups on to the girls who just like being feminine who just choose to be that way saying their brainwashed or regressive. At least that's my personal experience.

[@carlykronan1614]

I understand what you’re getting at, but how is that more of a ‘likely’ reason than internalized misogyny when MG literally broke down how it is a huge, if not the most realistic/main reason due to the negative connotations and stereotypes (perpetuated by the patriarchy) associated with the color pink? And while I love that there are women who don’t express conventional femininity, there is an issue with some women putting others down or make it seem like they’re a unicorn because they don’t like the color pink or other conventional feminine things. THAT’S why the name pick-me is being thrown around.

[@swecheekypanda]

Gendered clothing is such an interesting topic. I remember my mom telling me that when I was little she had a really hard time finding appropriate outdoor clothes for me to wear to kindergarten (like my mom said I liked to play underneath the sand rather then on the sand). All the outdoor clothes in the girls section were just dainty ballet flats and pink wool coats (not really appropriate for a girl who liked to climb trees). So she went to the boys section and everything got so different. The clothes were waterproof and made to be played in. I wore boys outdoor clothes my whole childhood. It just goes to show that it’s not only colour but also society’s image that girls should only sit still and play nice so they don’t get dirty while boys can run around and play in puddles and sandboxes. Hope it has become better now then it was in the 90s when I grew up.

[@andi01452]

That's really interesting! I was born in 99 so I grew up in the 2000s and I remember at that time there was outerwear with the same practicality for playing outside, but with different designs catered to boys and girls. Some girls probably could wear a neutral coverall with no pastels, pink and symbols associated with them or even wear one catered to boys, whilst it would be really weird if the boys wore a typical girly one. Happily, it had evolved in the right direction from the issue your mom met, but I don't know what the designs of children's outerwear are like today though.

[@isabellessley3513]

It's funny, my mom had a ton of really frilly pseudo-victorian little girl dresses and what not, which I'm actually really glad of because, first of all I love frills (honestly at this point my fashion leans pretty much late victorian/edwardian), but also I learned really early how to move in dresses. I can climb trees, hike, ride horses, whatever in long dresses or whatever I want. Even so, as girly and frilly as I am, I still find myself shopping in the boys' section. I have two jean jackets; one is a women's jacket, unlined, basically useless as an actual coat, the other is from the boys' department (I am a small woman) and is fleece lined and hard wearing. The options given to girls and women in stores are rediculous

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

That's so sad, they should make practical, playable clothing for girls too. Girls aren't just there to look pretty and cute.

[@desireechoate7583]

Very underrated comment. Thanks for sharing.

[@catmoon-]

I never understood the obsession of getting the colour of baby clothing according to their sex. I've known some people that would buy both blue and pink clothing to offer, so that when the sex was known, they'd only offer one of the colours. The baby doesn't care if they're wearing pink, blue, green or black, so nobody should care either.

[@shevaunhandley1543]

It was amazing when I was pregnant with my son. I abhor the gendering of colour so I would refuse to buy anything blue or pink if I could help it. This in turn threw people off on what gender child I was having, even though we knew from the very outset we were having a boy and made no secret of it. To this day, almost a decade later, his favourite thing is a pastel purple blanket that I bought multiples of when he was a baby.

[@CraftyMunchQuinn]

Right? My youngest sister and grandmother's favorite color is blue...mine has changed a couple times but has been green for over 2 decades. Also disagree with gendering toys...my youngest sister had GI Joes (as well as Barbies)...my toddler (a boy) has a boy baby doll that his Dad bought for him...my Grandma always said playing with dolls was for practicing to one day be a parent...hopefully one day my son will be a great dad (I'm sure he will be).

[@perfectallycromulent]

whether the baby cares or not is a terrible standard for parenting. babies are a danger to themselves and their opinions about fashion, like their ideas about when it is safe to cross streets, are not really worthy of consideration.

[@kicunya12]

My country wasn't having the most prosperous years around the time when my parents decided to have me, and finding decent children's clothes was somewhat of a challenge. It was also considered bad juju to buy stuff for a child during a pregnancy. So my mom decided to be sneaky and buy all of the stuff before she got pregnant. Obviously, she didn't know the gender and decided to abandon coloring customs in favor of quality and comfort. I ended up having everything from dark blue to bright pink, with a lot of greens and yellows in my wardrobe 😊 As an added bonus, she cheekily enjoyed messing with people's minds because they couldn't tell right away and use the usual "Such a pretty girl/big boy" or similar token phrases.

[@amphithere]

I always knew that pink used to be for boys and blue for girls (due to association with the Virgin Mary wearing blue), but I had no clue about how celebrities and starlets of previous decades really influenced pink being associated with femininity! And also how it became heavily commercialized around the time pre-natal testing came into play. That's super interesting!! Great video 💖

[@user-oq5xl6hp5w]

I remember trying to be "not like other girls" (in like 4th grade) but i was secretly obsessed with barbie, pink, and anything girly so it didn't last lol

[@cadencek3576]

I loved Barbie dolls pink and girly anything but I assumed that all these things made me seem childish so I tried to ignore it but I still love those things to this day and I don’t think I will stop ever 🥰🩷💖

[@MushroomHat]

“Whoever heard of a “pink” mood?” “I’m always in a pink mood!” Barbie life in the dream house

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

"My aura has never been pinker!"

[@NataliaKinseyCulture]

I got sneered at by so many girls and women for openly embracing pink in my teens and adulthood - because of decades of previous gender stereotyping there seemed to be an automatic assumption that a pink wearing woman was conformist, anti-feminist, etc

[@chrystianaw8256]

So true. Same happened to me

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

As a femme lesbian, wearing pink for me is def not conformist or anti-feminist, in fact it is quite the opposite lol!

[@aviatress5643]

when i was little, i went through a period where i disliked pink and im certain the reason for that was because, as you pointesd out, in the media i watched, the female antagonists that embodied cruelty and all things negative would exclusively wear the colour and i didn't want to be associated with those things so i distanced myself from it. post 'not like other girls' era, it's an understatement to say that the subliminal messaging was crazy

[@mariacruz07]

Exactlyyyyyy

[@jenniferch3ck]

i was the child who was always put in pink growing up, but I don't even remember ever loving it, it was just *my* colour. I was girly, but if you asked me my favourite colour I'd say yellow or orange because pink felt too generic, like saying white was my favourite colour. Now as an adult I love blue, but pink it cute too. I think parents should actually ask their kids what colours they like and let them choose. I work at a children's retailer and so many people complain about boys' colour palettes being boring, girls' being too girly, and not knowing what their kids like. And I'm like WHY DONT YOU ASK THEM :)

[@beth12svist]

I think my mom asked - I don't really remember, but she definitely never forced one colour on me. I loved red as a child. Basic saturated red. Then I switched to blue in all shades in teenage years or preteens, and that sticks to me to this day, although I've expanded my palette to include other colours. Which is basically also to say - yeah, ask, especially because it may well change with time! (Also, don't assume the reasons, either - in my case it's because at the time I started noticing which shades looked good on me, and blue tends to while my childhood favourite is too stark for me, other shades of red work better. Pink, too, actually, I had a favourite pink sweater in my preteens, but blue was the undisputed favourite due to my eyes. Despite having an anti-pink phase of my own, it had a lot to do with the most popular hues which always felt a bit too overt to my colour sensibilities; I was extremely fond of a very specific colour which I now, based on Wikipedia's article on pink, think is "New York pink". Basically a desaturated coral pink or a pale version of brick red, I think - an excellent underappreciated shade of pink for combining with other colours, in my view.)

[@patriciaa4451]

I don't mind pink. It's silly to assign colours to a specific gender. If anything i think guys look good in pink if the outfit is well fitting and well styled. My crush in high school was T.I. specifically in the "I got your back" video.

[@Batsyblu]

I don’t think I ever outright hated pink because “it was for girls”, rather I hated it because I couldn’t find any colors that went well with it other than black and green.

[@pen64]

Grey and purple go well with pink too :-)

[@niabelizaire3596]

Pink and black is good combination 🩷🖤

[@da3musceteers]

But pink goes with everything

[@salonikullar3627]

That's the funny thing ...people were so obsessed with these two colours the forgot all others ....YELLOW , green, orange, purple, etc etc. Give them some love too🥺🥺

[@beth12svist]

White, as the video points out. And exactly. A friend with two boys, years ago when they were practically babies, bemoaned the impossibility of finding anything, say, green. There's yellow for the "gender neutral" choice, and that's it.

[@andieallison6792]

Have you ever been to a gender netural baby shower? Everyone gives yellow and green clothes. Eugh.

[@RadishBoy07]

"Blue is for boys!! Pink is for girls!!!" No! They're both for ME.

[@catherinejay3851]

Growing up I fully in the “I hate pink” train, now as a almost 22 year old woman Pink is now one of my favourite colours

[@vivi52]

Embrace it. As a girl, you don't have to be ashamed of being... well, girly :D I mean, I think you are old enough to think and see for yourself and if you end up thinking "Hm, pink is so pretty to me" that's totally fine.

[@spidermiss2426]

Same, except I started to like pink in my forties.

[@Ffaely]

I’m a 21-year-old woman who also loves pink after hating it for years 💕💕

[@andiflores4638]

@@vivi52hat’s so sweet 🥺💕 coming from a 20 year old girly girl who loves soft pink

[@R_t-99]

23 loving it again

[@elarianasky]

I remember my "I _hate_ pink" phase in middle and high school and honestly I never had a full reason as to why I hated it other than the fact that it was too girly. Nowadays I appreciate pink more and I like it more than I used to and wouldn't mind wearing pink things, even though I still prefer darker colours more

[@beth12svist]

The beauty of all colours is that there are so many hues so even if one does not work for you, there may well be others that do. The trouble with fashion is that it focuses on specific hues at each point in time, often without view as to whether they suit all people. (Though usually with understandable view as to them being compatible as such.) Which is why I love shopping in thrift shops: you're not limited by what hues are currently in fashion.

[@jacki8106]

Roll call for the girlies and NBs who rejected pink their whole life only to hit their mid-20s and realize they love it!! 🎀🎀🎀💖💖💖

[@gleewhoseline198]

Just because some reject pink, doesn't mean their less feminine

[@purintaufufa]

Present 🙋‍♀️ and guilty lmao

[@starryeyes999]

That's a funny way of saying women and women lite dawg Like, just say ppl or women

[@pepperminterica]

guilty as charged lol gotta make up for lost time

[@Nyxthebat04]

​@str4wb3rry_sh0rtc4k3 Came here to say this. Being NB doesn't make you a woman and not all NB people are AFAB.

[@amberlvly8737]

I really enjoyed this video. The history behind the meanings of colors in fashion would be a great series. I’ve always found it fascinating how depending on the culture, one color could have different meanings.

[@beth12svist]

Yeah, me too! Like the fact that white, the colour of weddings in western cultures nowadays, is / was the colour of mourning in others, including some European countries - so the exact opposite spectrum of life events.

[@jordanwashington1854]

As a young girl, I liked pink, but I veered more toward purple. Nowadays, at 28, I adore the color pink so much! My room is pink, various room accessories are pink, I have various shades of it in my wardrobe, such as my cardigan/numerous sweaters, and my phone case is pink too, lol.

[@billiejean685]

ur so cool

[@annabunovsky5628]

Pink is my favorite color! In my heart of hearts it always has been, but for a while in middle school I tried to convince myself I hated pink because it was too girly, and some negative experiences with girl bullying made me want to distance myself from femininity, & embrace interests I’d previously hidden for fear I’d be seen as too boyish and mocked. I wanted to prove I was one of the guys, because a handful of friends that were boys welcomed me. Now, in my 20’s, I’ve come around to understand that this one of life’s few scenarios where you can have your cake and eat eat it too. I collect comic books & Barbie dolls, I’m a horror fan, my wardrobe is overflowing with pink. Pink is for everyone!

[@Marie-um7ot]

I'm really hoping that Barbie movie with Margot Robbie that's coming out this summer will show girls (and women) just how awesome pink can be!

[@audr3yly]

I feel like it is very silly that people ever thought that a colour should be gender assigned

[@IKilledEarl]

I've always loved pink, especially hot pink. As an ex ballet dancer, it was a staple color and often mandatory. As an adult, my favorite color is electric purple--a mixture of blue and magenta. It's a complete coincidence that the two colors' gendered meaning also perfectly describes myself. Outwardly, I'm not what you would consider a "girly girl," as I'm usually found wearing black scrubs all day at work and leggings with a tank or snarky t-shirt on my off days--which are often black or in obnoxious colors. But mentally, deep inside, I'm perpetually wearing hot pink lipstick and 5 inch heals in an electric purple mini dress. I have tons of accessories in that color. Pink, and all its derivatives, are fabulous and I'll always love them. Fun video! 😈💜

[@rigrace]

I think a lot of girls don’t like pink in their teenage years because it was considered a “little girl” colour and you want grow up and be liked by boys. (In a lot of cases, power to you if you didn’t think like this 😁) Same for me, only when i discovered “Freddy my love” on KZbin, who made this colour her lifestyle, i fell in love with pink again. I realised how stylish and fun you can dress in pink. Everyone can rock this beautiful colour!

[@beth12svist]

I think growing up from a "little girl" image definitely applies, being liked by boys may not really be a concern for a lot of girls. Or not the main concern. Being perceived as grown up in teenage years has just as much to do if not more with asserting your personality against grown ups.

[@divine_simplicity]

Yep, seeing pink as childish yes but Not to be like by boys!😒 Gosh the whole Girls do everything just to Impress Boys and live for their attention and validation is so sexist!👌

[@theasexualvampire13]

I think we all had a phase when we thought we hated pink.

[@Chewy56]

I thought i hated green

[@niabelizaire3596]

I never had a phase where I hated pink, I’ve always loved the color.

[@Oksurewhynot13]

Yeah….I don’t understand why “all colors are for all genders” was so hard for humanity to grasp back then.

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

Nice pfp! Did you get it from Tumblr? It looks familiar! 🤔

[@Oksurewhynot13]

@@imthebossmermaid3648 I got it off google by searching for “black princess peach” lol😅 I’m not sure who originally created it, but it was one of the first results!

[@itgirlera]

it's so sad i remember my friend coming over once growing up and her making fun of my pink room. after that i pretended i hated it and hid anything pink whenever she came over. i've alwayssss been a pink girl and i wholeheartedly allow myself to show that i love it now

[@andiflores4638]

Awww I’m sorry ur friend made u feel that way🥺 no one has the right to shame others for what they like, coming from a fellow pink girl💗💕

[@bailegatita]

" we all grew up " knowing pink was for girls and blue was for boys.... I grew up in the 80s in the Caribbean and that was not a fact. Men wore pink shirts, I remember it clearly. Not celebrity just normal men. In the 2000s when I was raising my children both in the States and at home , it still wasn't such a big deal. When I had a baby in 2013, I motived a huge change. Everything was gendered pink/blue. It's really weird to me. I'm glad you took a deep dive video essay into this modern day presumption!

[@fishnewt1331]

TL;DR Part of growing up is learning that pink is just a color (a very nice one too). We define our identities by ourselves and what the color means for us. If we simply like it for how it looks, that’s fine.

[@darianasosa7298]

I've loved pink my entire life. I remember being criticized for still liking pink as a teenager. I'm stubborn, so I always stood up for it. It's such a sweet and happy color. There was a time I had to specify that I liked magenta and not pastel pink, but it wasn't true. I love it in every shade, from the darkest pink to the palest pink. I do look better wearing the darker shades, but I have clothes and accessories in every shade, and my dream is to decorate and entire room in all pink when I have my own house

[@crimson1194]

Orignally the lady who suposedly invented the gender reveal did so because she was after many tries at the stage were they could determin the babys gender. Acording to another articcle her child actaully now on the enby side of the gender spectrum, making her reevaluate her relationship toward gender.

[@clairewillow6475]

Audrey, Marilyn, and Elvis all killed it in pink! Loved their outfits

[@belorama8]

I think it's getting better these days. I have a little boy and 5 sets of friends who also have boys his age, and I know we are all using a wider range of colors for our babies/toddlers. My son looks better in pink and peachy orange tones than any other color honestly, so why should I have to dress him in black, camouflage and fire engine red?? It's definitely a two-fold problem of restricting colors for boys in general, I while simultaneously relegating girls to ONLY pink. It was WORK to find colors for him that aren't dark or Lego block red. But there is definitely a very loud group of "conservative" people who are violently against this and don't seem to have a reason besides being homophobic. Makes me wonder if this is a bigger "controversy" in the US than elsewhere.

[@beth12svist]

It may be a bigger controversy, but the problem of finding a range of colours definitely applies here in Czechia as well. I don't have children, but I do remember a friend with two boys complaining, years ago when they were little enough to still count as babies, how difficult it is to find children's clothing in, just, _colours,_ neither pink nor blue. I remember her saying something like "I'd like something green for a change!" 😅

[@theasinclaire52]

Two things: The lady who invented the "gender reveal" party did it by accident. She had been trying for a baby and just was excited and wanted her family to be excited too. I remember reading once that the "pink is for girls" argument got a boost when a European royal family was so sure their child would be a boy they decorated the nursery in pink. When a girl was born they decided to just own the color. Can anyone confirm?

[@JackJopwolflove]

"Pink is the mother of all colors" - Burdine Maxwell

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

And also father. 🤭

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

You had me thinking this was some scholar!!!! "Mother of pink!" 🤣

[@donboy91]

Off topic, but I was wondering if you could do a history on the colour 'nude?' I think that would be interesting to see how it has evolved in recent years to include all skin tones.

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

!!!!! THIS!

[@junkonatsumizaka5149]

I didn't touch pink when I was in my early to mid teens because I wanted to be 'cool and laid back' and not 'girly and stupid' - connotations I'd gotten from pink's representation in the media. I got back into it in my late teens when I discovered the 'pastel goth' and 'menhara' trends on Pinterest, making me fall in love with it again.

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

You can be goth AND girly! 💖🖤

[@sarahwatts7152]

I'm not a fan of pink, mainly because I felt like it was forced on me as a kid. Plus there's a lot of violently pink stuff that's pink as a shorthand for femininity, and I just hate that. Use the color if it feels right, not as propaganda

[@allysiren]

I don't know, but I love pink ♡ And all pastels tbh I don't care what anyone thinks, it's a soft, pretty look.

[@heddadybvadskog-nebb5603]

So my mum is a psychologist, and when I was born had probably been practising for like 5 years or so. I don't know if it was curiosity or pregnancy fog, but she decided the moment I was born and my sex (female) revealed, that I would never wear pink. Looking back I view this as a bit of a personal research experiment for her, especially considering my younger sister, who was born 6 years later, got to wear pink. Growing up it did affect me, I remember being jealous of girls wearing pink. I don't think I ever really complained though. Instead of having the "rejection of pink" phase as a teen, I rejected anything but jeans and hoodies for 2-3 years. However by 15 I think I was back to dressing in whatever. Still didn't own any pink clothes though. It was only when I moved out to live on my own at nearly 20, that I was struck with a weird longing for the colour pink. I wanted pink cereal bowls. I got them. I got pink pots for my plants and pink towels. Pink bedding. It is almost like not living with my mum cause all of this longing for pink to swell. Last July, at 21, I moved to Australia on my own. For the first time in my life I own pink clothes. Not an excessive amount. Like 3 garments, but still its an important personal development that correlates with me opening myself up for friendship with straight women, which I haven't since I was in that "rejecting everything but jeans an hoodies" phase. I asked mum about it a few months ago. She doesn't remember why she didn't allow me to wear pink. I don't hold it against her. But I do find it very interesting to think about. My younger sister and I did turn out very differently in terms of "traditional feminine qualities". She does ballet, loves doing her hair and makeup and gossiping. I did rowing and rock climbing, don't really wear makeup and can't stand gossip. I don't think pink did that though. We are just different people, and we love and accept each other even though we are different

[@milky_quartz]

baby pink has been my signature color since 2020 and I'm a 26 year old guy. I like it in collared button downs to mix the masculine silhouette with a feminine vibrancy !

[@emilyonizuka4698]

Pink was my favourite colour when I was really little. Then I realized my whole family liked blue, including my Nana whose whole bedroom was blue, so I decided I liked blue best too. Then I hit my emo phase in middle and high school and wore exclusively black. Now, I'd say purple (particularly a nice lilac) is my favourite, but soft pink is nice too. I still like blue, but I just think pink looks better on me for some reason. My room is blue like my Nana's was though.

[@OOool]

I don't know if this came up so much in your research, but I'd be really interested in the origin of the super gendered boy/girl mania in the 80s. Was the marketing responding to societal trends or was it a way for companies to make more money by insisting that parents had to buy gendered versions of EVERYTHING, which is significantly less, but still a problem today.

[@mina_en_suiza]

I think, it is all about money. I have a girl and a boy, and I can confidently say: All these gendered toys are such a nuisance.

[@wlk3607]

it was the second thing, a push for people to buy multiples of things in different colors because your kid will be “weird” if their toy is the “wrong” color. it was also around that time that tv shows (and general marketing) specifically started to be aimed at kids with kids cartoons hitting it big and consequently advertising their gendered toys better than ever before

[@chrystianaw8256]

It's not a problem

[@OOool]

@@mina_en_suiza oh it's crazy annoying, I have a boy and a girl too, toys I find are easier, but with clothes it can still be pretty hard unless you go super high end...

[@mina_en_suiza]

@@OOool You're right! Clothes are far worse.

[@KaeMcSpadden]

I was born in Luxembourg, and they used blue blankets for the girls and pink for the boys at the hospital I was born at.

[@beth12svist]

Very interesting in comparison to my own European (Czech) experience! Over here it's definitely pink for girls and blue for boys. And since the video focused entirely on American history, it made me wonder when exactly that became the case, and how, over here.

[@KaeMcSpadden]

@@beth12svist it is fascinating how different countries and cultures see colors. They can have one meaning in one country but an entirely different meaning in another.

[@elfiecece8712]

The fact that it was uploaded on a wednesday🥰

[@TheKawaiifan]

goodness do I have a complicated relationship with the color, even as im in the process of reclaiming it. I love it, its a really cute color and it makes me feel really happy. but I loathe how gendered it is. it sometimes feels like a company is being all "hey! female! buy this! it's pink, and your a female so you should like pink! give us money!" also multiple incidents growing up where I asked for something in a different color like blue or purple, and then my mom ignored me and got me the thing in pink simply because of my gender. that was really frustrating. the blue 3ds looked better.... these days im slowly reclaiming bits of femininity. been watching more and more girly media like barbie and mahou shojou anime, ive started collecting dolls again, even my dice tower I use for dnd is a bright pink Disney princess castle. its just so cute! im also getting into DMing for dungeons and dragons, with a magical girl inspired campaign getting ready to launch. a lot of my dnd friends are grown men who didn't grow up with the same girly media I did, so it's actually been kinda fun taking inspiration from those old films and toys and working them into my stories. Its caught em off guard a couple times

[@bylotte5963]

I am so happy we are all accepting pink as women, I had a phase in middle school when I hated it and my favourite colour was turquoise (even though I did not really like it), but now at 17 I love pink again and embraced my femininity😊

[@fiig5196]

Another example of pink is for villains: Dolores Umbridge.

[@Kalistorydreamer]

So I used to love the color pink as a child, I probably grew out of it as an older kid as I don’t recall hating pink, then later on as a teenager, pink became one of my favorite colors again. I never had really cared for trends in general, so I suppose the temporary not fondness for pink must’ve been puberty

[@mina_en_suiza]

Somehow, for a long time, I had the feeling that you would eventually make a video on this topic. Yes! And a great one!

[@widowgirl1254]

Thx for the analysis 💕

[@kennawap]

Pink has always been my favourite colour! I love every shade of it but my fav is definitely a light baby pink! It looks so clean and calming and it makes me think of love and beauty 💕

[@AnaandJasmin]

I always love the visuals you use! 💓

[@mayln163]

One of my favorite moments from Friends is Ross insisting his pink shirt is salmon lol

[@LittleRedTeaCake]

I definitely fell into "femininity bad which makes pink extra bad" I legit was part of an "anti-pink army" in high school. Yeahhhh. I was never forced into more feminine clothes unless it was Christmas, in fact my favorite dress as a kid was a pink one, but thankfully my parents were just like, "wear what you want kiddo". But yeah, there's a lot to unpack there, but thank god I have grown up and dealt with my severe internalized misogyny and now it's a favorite color of mine. Interestingly, one of the reasons I remember reading about why pink on boys was so heavily stigmatized was because of the concentration camps and that gay men were forced to wear pink stars or triangles (I always forget which shape).

[@clestis4591]

It was triangles. If you are interested in learning more about it, I recommend the book "The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals" by Richard Plant.

[@LittleRedTeaCake]

@@clestis4591 Thank you! I will definitely add that to my reading list!

[@danielgibson3430]

Always love these types of videos. V thorough research and flows so well thank you!

[@samtbenjamin]

HOLY MOTHER OF VOGUE!!! I kid you not I was LITERALLY watched Vox KZbin video about this very topic! It's like get out of my head ModernGurl!!

[@desolateleng9943]

Great video! I love that there seems to be more awareness growing again of how arbitrarily things are associated with femininity or masculinity.

[@sweeney60]

Using Kaye Thompson for the thumbnail made my day! Love her!

[@TheWickedMerman]

To be honest, I could've used this video growing up. As a male whose favorite color has ALWAYS been pink, it was always hard growing up. I remember in Kindergarten when we were told to tell our favorite color and when they got to me they all laughed and then I think I ran outside of the classroom in embarrassment while crying. This was also why having male characters whose main color was pink was important to me, though they were very few, such as Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants), Timmy Turner (The Fairly Odd Parents), Riven (Winx Club, though he was always one of my least favorite characters from the show), Piglet (The Winnie the Pooh franchise), and Littlefoot (The Land Before Time franchise). But it was never enough for me because I had to deal with how pink wasn't considered an option for me because I'm a boy. When I wanted to be a pink Power Ranger for Halloween, some man assumed I was a girl and I just didn't want to deal with the judgment so I said nothing. I'm glad that pink is being seen in more men nowadays and I hope it continues to where it can become a gender-neutral color so that little boys don't have to go through what I went through. It's still my favorite color to the point where my KZbin persona is a merman with a pink tail and has pink lightning appear when he gets mad or crazy lol. When me and my fiancée eventually have kids, we definitely aren't raising them with these gender roles so that they can know that it's okay for boys to like pink and feminine things just like it's okay for girls to like pink and feminine things (Or be opposite of that).

[@bronzex3eagle]

I also have heard that the pink triangle used to mark gay men by the nazis in WWII added to the notion that pink was feminine

[@Raypunzel]

Watching this as a guy wearing 5 different shades of pink rn👀💅

[@skurinski]

Gay

[@madmunk1257]

If you ever decide to do a style analysis for the month of October, as a Halloween or Fall Festivities theme, would you consider doing a Style Analysis on the characters from Carrie? I don’t care which version, although I would personally prefer the original 1976 version (you could even do all three versions if you wanted to). I just love Carrie’s prom dress and the style of the original movie just seems to fit the style of that decade, but also feels classic!

[@lennertverschoren2027]

Your research is always first class!!

[@haex2814]

This is so interesting great video 😊

[@helenaheppe9225]

Moderngurlz slayed once again, also anyone remember Pinkalicious…

[@TonalliGb]

I loved this video. I have had my ups and downs with pink and it wasn't up until recently that I just accepted that it is just a color.

[@dct135]

You should do Daisy Jones and The Six! The story behind the character’s wardrobes is really interesting. Plus the 70s seem to be coming back in full swing in terms of fashion!

[@brittneyINC]

I deeply enjoyed the video! Though I'm super shocked there was no mention of Cam'Ron, as his 'defeminization' of the color was HUGE in the early 2000s

[@softnoobgirl73]

I've loved pink all my life. I've never had a hating pink phrase even though I was rather tomboyish as a kid. I've always thought it was a pretty color. I still love it to this day

[@alyssanielsen8521]

Singing Death by a Thousand Cuts with the windows rolled down late at night is so cathartic. Just resets my soul sometimes. I love it so much

[@kennedyfarris8727]

Can you do a video on the fashion behind the Phantom of the Opera? The media in the background inspire and I think it could be interesting to compare the traditional stage costumes vs the movie adaptation and would love to hear your thoughts on which is superior 💕

[@milas333]

all hail moderngurlz🙏🏻

[@emilyinfirmary8343]

Dressing a baby boy like a baby girl because the mom always wanted a girl would def mess a person up.

[@musicallydisneyamvs6731]

I’ve always loved pink but only particularly shades. Middle school was a time where I just didn’t mention it. Also I was depressed so I was more concerned wearing black anyways so I didn’t have to worry.

[@bearypinkparfait]

Yes, that complicated relationship with pink is so true! I thought that for most of my childhood, I hated this color. So, imagine my surprise when I found old photos of my 7th birthday, where I specifically asked for pink decorations and all! Just as you mentioned, the demonization of the color in films definitely played a part during my pre-teen & teen years. Which eventually led to this hate. Now it's mostly, if not all I wear. For many, it's become our way of restructuring the views we've been shown/taught via media. Even reclaiming our "femininity" as a good thing. Though, I admit I still prefer lighter shades since in the back of my mind, I still subconsciously see the darker shades as demonizing or a bad hyper-sexual light. But the more I've gotten into vintage fashion, I've begun to see it less as "bad" or "stronger" or "hyper-sexualized". And as just a color. A really lovely one 💗

[@chelseymalkin5683]

Pink is such a powerful colour 🌸 also I couldn’t not watch this video without funny face replaying in my head

[@dawnskywalker]

Thanks as always for all of your research!

[@poingucac]

I avoid wearing pink because i have blonde hair. Its because when i was younger, i always saw pink dressed blonde girls as bullies in movies

[@DanLohan]

this video being uploaded on a wednesday >>>>>>>

[@lawdeedaw0803]

Great, informative and entertaining video!

[@KathrynHenny]

I love pink so much. So many shades of pink and pinkish purple are my favorites. I wasn't expecting to tear up while watching a video about a color I only seemed to allow myself to love after the age of 30.

[@alyssahowell6512]

my nursery (in the early 2000s) was yellow and circus themed and it was chosen as a gender neutral color so I guess it was a popular color for babies

[@jaqqieMoon]

I love the color pink, since I was a little girl, I never went to the phase "I hate pink" instead I used to coordinate my outfits with something pink, I also love all colors in pastel and black, if something is black or pastel I want it. To the point that my house is pink with gray and black accents, I just love it so much and I like knowing its history. Thank you 💕 Edit: I watch this video and comment this in my favorite pink shirt and pink sneakers

[@Kurooganeko]

I have a feeling lilac is becoming the new "feminine" color

[@chrystianaw8256]

It's always been a feminine colour

[@Kurooganeko]

@@chrystianaw8256 Sorry, I meant the new dominant one

[@skurinski]

​@@chrystianaw8256colors arent feminine

[@chrystianaw8256]

@@skurinski yes they are

[@billibilliyou]

Such a well presented topic

[@Anna-B]

I always loved pink! Most girls left pink behind at some point, but not me. My love for pink has been constant

[@riverAmazonNZ]

You know pink was huge in the 80s when the interior of the starship Enterprise is all pink! (1987)

[@sophiasoto1405]

😂

[@penelopepegg7834]

12:30 this shouldnt be past tense, people still think this way. I work in retail and people always have the concern whether a baby's sleep suit which is yellow or grey is for girls or boys. I've had people return pajamas because they realised there were frills on the side and thus a girl's pajamas. I've witnessed parenting where boys are discouraged to play with ''girl toys'' i.e. dolls and handed dinosaurs instead.

[@ASJyirod]

Pink is the colour!!! Wore pink to a graduation, had pink timbs, wore pink by VS hats and backpacks, pink underwear, pink sneakers, just a lot if pink shot to be honest. Cam’Ron an all time favorite rapper…lol , I just love it.

[@MissCaraMint]

The thing about pink is that it really is a powerful color. I like it, but in large quantities it is overwhelming.

[@indy-fs6de]

I think the hot pink ensemble Hepburn dons in that particular scene of Breakfast at Tiffany's was also chosen to denote Holly's rage when she tears her bedroom apart. Yes, hot pink may have had the connotation of being more suggestive and flirtatious, but it's also that ultra feminine character's version of rageful red.

[@user-cm5tv3qg8o]

It’s funny because red is naturally masculine and blue is inherently feminine

[@janel.8921]

I remember boys’ bicycles were red and girls’ bicycles were blue. This was in the early 1960s.

[@reagankassens]

Now I know why all our grandmas had that pale pink tile in there bathrooms

[@Lalalandlover27]

Idky but this made the sleeping beauty thing make so much more sense