Re:
by randallsquared on Friday September 18, 2009 @02:09PM
(#830780)
I think the association of pink with femininity is relatively recent (less than a hundred years old), but I haven't found anything but other people asserting it in a quick search.
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From Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink#Pink_in_gender]:
"In Western culture, the practice of assigning pink to an individual gender began in the 1920s.[5] From then until the 1940s, pink was considered appropriate for boys because being related to red it was the more masculine and decided color, while blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was the more delicate and dainty color, or related to the Virgin Mary.[6][7][8] Since the 1940s, the societal norm apparently inverted so that pink became appropriate for girls and blue appropriate for boys, a practice that has continued into the 21st century.[9]"
So yes, you're right, this association is recent.
I read a little while ago that pink used to be for boys, and blue for girls — the idea being that pink was more fiery, with pastel blue being calmer and more feminine.
This changed sometime in the early 20th century.
The source was some parenting/manners/etiquette book from 190x.