Pink and Dolls - A misplaced gender bias?

Circa 1800, Men's Suit

"We think of pink as such a girlish color, but it's really a post-World War II phenomenon." Michelle Finamore, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, interviewed by Susan Samberg, NPR about an exhibition from 2014 entitled Think Pink. 

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Near closing time one night a couple years ago, a family came to visit us after having dinner next door.  I specifically remember what seemed the grandfather almost taunting his grandson by repeatedly presenting him with what many people would identify as a toy meant for a girl.  I did my best to re-direct, but the old man seemed almost to enjoy the game.  The young boy was at not all amused and visibly became more upset with each successive toy the grandfather brought to him. The family was in from out of town and after purchasing a couple toys, they headed back to wherever.

Our founder loved the color pink.  One of his favorite things to do upon entering a Toys - R- Us was to make a beeline for the back of the store where they kept the motorized cars.  His personal favorite, the Barbie Pink Escalade of course.  The word PINK was one of his earliest sight words too. 

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Another misunderstood gender bias is in dolls/play figures.  Both boys and girls gain valuable social skills from role-playing their home lives and more.  Some of the most humbling and positive feedback to our work as parents was in overhearing Jake play independently with his little fire department and more specifically the characters within it. Using that limitless toddler imagination, one became mommy, daddy, and, of course, Jake.  The 4th pictured is our good friend Gerald.  I recall also him saying kiss, kiss, hug, goodnight, good-morning, I love you, and more while he played independently with the figures.  

In this article from KQED entitled "Why it's Imperative to Teach Empathy to Boys" you'll find a thought provoking read how playing with dolls can be of tremendous importance later in life.  Both from observations as a parent and even some at our store, I have found that children seem to role play what they are around the most.  You should not be too surprised to hear exact copies of your most frequently used expressions or words.

Again, our son of four absolutely loved the color pink and he literally never once seemed to notice differences in skin color.  Everyone was "friend".  Jake reinforced in my mind that holding a bias about colors or dolls is a completely adult construct.  It also goes both ways in the branding we see associated with some toys and dolls/action figures "for boys".  

   

"Thanks to marketing, Disney princesses and profits, the color pink has spread like measles."  Susan Stamberg NPR.

As a child of the 70'/80's, it would go without saying that David Bowie's "Pretty In Pink" comes to mind as bumper music for this blog however, please take a listen to this 1955 Hit, Perez Prado  Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.  Try it with a pink lemonade before summer's end too.  

So what has changed since that grandfather's visit? When a father's son picked out the Beanie Boo pictured right and he mentioned his perplexity in that, out of everything in the store his son of four chose something pink, purple, white...  I was able to share with him that pink has some interesting history behind it and it is after all only a color.  

If you enjoyed the read, please feel free to comment on my grammar and thanks for the feedback on the Links.