Pink or blue? Colours and gender-benders

In today’s woke times, while gender-rule-benders are earnestly fighting stereotyping, Indu Balachandran wonders when the early seeds of sexism in colours set in

When do humans get influenced by gendered expectations? At birth, according to experts. No…actually, much before that, according to me. It all sets in at the gender-reveal party by excited parents-to-be. It’s here when stereotyping of behaviour, with labels of masculine/feminine — starts to happen.

In a burst of blue balloons, blue confetti, and blue confectionery, parents declare what’s inside that baby bump: “It’s a BOY!” While a riot of pink hearts, pink ribbons, and pink cupcakes herald the announcement: “It’s a GIRL!” Curious about colours and their influence on genders, I assigned an erudite research organisation, namely myself, to find out who decided on this basic colour of blue and pink to code the genders.

Well! My sources reveal quite the opposite of that popular colour classification. It appears in the early 19th century in Europe, blue was assigned to girls, and pink to boys. Apparently blue was then seen as dainty, complementing the blue colour of eyes, and girls deserved this more. And pink was handed to boys as it was seen as a stronger hue. However, pink being closer to red, a colour associated with romance and motion, this seemed the better fit for females. So pink it was for girls. Blue was associated with the sea, sky, and outdoor adventure, and so blue was the code for males.

After that, a revolutionary social phenomenon called Hallmark happened. Capitalising on a grand marketing opportunity, greeting cards in two clearly demarcated display stalls were set up: assigning colours and their perceived characteristics to children — enforcing distinctive roles to grow and fit into. Pink cards for girls — with sugar and spice and everything nice! Blue cards for boys — with slugs and snails and puppy dog tails…

In India, gender-reveal parties would probably land the parents in jail, as pre-natal testing isn’t allowed here. But then we Indians always know better than any sonogram, as every grandmother-to-be guesses a foetus’s gender merely by studying cravings that the pregnant lady gets: ice cream and chocolates mean you’re having a girl; salty potato chips and pickles mean a boy is up ahead.

And so the early seeds of sexism in colours set in. And even you, enlightened reader, will admit that the last time you went shopping for a friend’s baby, you automatically looked for pink frocks with hearts if it was a girl baby, and blue rompers with dinos if it was a boy. Meanwhile, several other colours were feeling marginalised and upset, what with negative phrases abounding like green with envy, red with embarrassment, purple with rage and yellow yellow dirty fellow…but not for long. The Rainbow concept was invented! And found worldwide acceptance as the symbol of Gay Pride. In 1978, Gilbert Baker, a gay man and drag queen
designed the first hand-crafted multi-coloured flag for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade with six coloured stripes. Red for living, Orange for healing, Yellow for cheer, Green for nature, Turquoise for harmony, and Violet for the spirit.

The Unicorn, with its rainbow-coloured mane, seemed like the animal mascot most appropriate for gay couples. This led to them celebrating an addition to the family with a rainbow salute to their little one. And pink bears and blue dinosaurs were joined by the multi-hued Unicorn as the more universal first toy for kids. But what of the word ‘colour’ itself? Well, it’s now become loaded with new meanings, which go far beyond the crayon box that every kindergarten kid is familiar with. Remember the adorable Teletubbies that 90’s toddlers grew up watching on TV? Po and Laa-Laa and Dipsy in red, yellow and green, respectively. Then there was Tinky Winky in purple with a male voice but with a lady’s red handbag. Gender-watchers immediately interpreted that as a preschooler’s introduction to the concept of gayness, where a little boy loved holding a girlie handbag. Tinky Winky was hailed as the first queer role model for toddlers.

Meanwhile, expressions with the word ‘colour’ abound. Feeling off-colour when one is sick. Using colourful language when one wants to rant. Revealing true colours when one is exposed. And as many a South Indian girl going through the traditional marriage market has probably heard, being ‘romba colour-a’ means being blessed with a fair complexion. But we now live in enlightened times, where a ‘woman of colour’ no longer means a fair lady, or even someone who’s just played Holi. It’s the politically correct way to mean a non-white person.

In today’s woke times, gender-rule-benders are everywhere, earnestly fighting stereotyping on how males and females are expected to behave, following assumptions dictated by colours.

So do think very carefully before you buy that next blue toy or pink toy or even a rainbow-coloured toy for a baby you’re about to visit.

HeSaid/SheSaid is a monthly column on gender issues — funny side up. The author ran away from a bank interview to join advertising and then ran away again to be a travel writer. Resulting in her novel ‘Runaway Writers’. Reach her at [e-mail]