Thursday, February 3, 2011

No "Pink" Please

"Pink" is not just the color. I have no beef with the color pink. It's the state of mind that pink represents. At least the state of mind of putting my little girl in frilly dresses and insisting that she must act like a little girl, whatever that is. I won't do it.

When I was pregnant and was pretty sure that I was having a girl, people told me "it's gonna be great to have a girl, you can dress her up in pretty dresses." It's their perogative to put their little girls in whatever pink lacy dresses with pink bows in their non-existent hair. Me? No thanks. My little girl wears whatever outfit that's on top of the dresser draw that still fits. Most of them are hand-me-downs from wonderful cousins and aunts.

Another "Pink" problem I have are toys. Toys for girls are not just pink, they are generally misogynistic. Take a stroll down the girl toys section of the local Walmart, you'll find pink baby dolls, pink Barbies/Bratz with unrealistic physiques, pink pretend kitchens, pink handbags with makeup kits, and pink pretend princess dresses. Where are the pretend toys for doctors, engineers, race car drivers, and super heroes? In the boys aisles.

Many blame the entire Pink-washing on evil advertising execs and mass marketing schemes. But, as an advertiser/marketing industry grunt, I also know, if the dollars from the consumers don't flow toward "Pink", "Pink" will go away. Normal consumers still have the ultimate power, our wallets.

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