You surely dont believe that 'Pink is for girls and blue for boys", now..do you?

My daughter lives in a pink bubble...it is true, most of her clothes are pink, nappies-pink,dresses-pink, onesies-pink, baby suits...lemme say it...again pink! It was only when the better half pointed out that she would perhaps in sometime only recognize the colour pink and that her wardrobe should include other colours as well that I actually started thinking. Most of her clothes gifted by friends are pink and eerily enough were also wrapped in pink gift wrapping paper!I of course never raised any objections because well they were gifts and also because I always thought well the colour looks good on her. Unknowingly for a long time I stereotyped my child and quietly acquiesced into the'pink for a girl and blue for a boy syndrome' So did I believe in colours and the gender typing that it includes? Of course not! Did I think of it as a serious issue? Not really...Then you may wonder why did I then have to go ahead and write a blog about it all..the answer is simple and also complex.

I write because I realized that so many of us have unconsciously adopted stereotypes that tend to label things sometimes even human beings, without really paying too much attention to it. I write because I do not want any label or colour to restrict my child from wearing whatever colour she wants be it pink, blue, purple or multi-colored. I also write because I know that a few years from now, my little one will also ask for a pink toy or a dress mostly out of peer pressure.

Seen as a western (read American) cultural phenomenon, the pink for girls, and blue for boys is essentially a gender bias phenomenon. For instance the colour blue is seen as an indicator for 'balanced emotional quotient, creativity, better communication' while pink is seen as an indicator of 'kindness, compassion, etc'.  I am of course challenging popular stereotypical notions assigned to gender but will I succeed? I think not, because it is an issue which is much deeper than that, it is about the roles assigned to gender in our society. For example I am sure in years to come, my daughter will receive tons of gifts that will include dolls and all things pretty and nice, rarely if ever will someone actually gift her a lego toy kit or even a toy truck for that matter because you see generally all such things are given to boys. Ah now I am guilty of digressing, from the pink-blue issue to gender roles...but arent the two actually, truly connected?