No, not Alecia Moore. I actually like her a lot. She stands for strength, independence, individuality, and authenticity. All traits I desire for myself and my offspring. Plus she is a breastfeeding advocate.
I hate the COLOR pink. No, that is not true either. The color pink never did anything to hurt me. I have hot pink running shoes that I think are pretty cool. Good for visibility, too.
I hate the assumption that my daughter will wear and love pink simply because both of her sex chromosomes are an X. No other color has a gender assigned to it. (Please don't argue for blue. No one bats an eye when a baby girl wears blue.)
When we announced our daughter's sex, people immediately decided that she was a princess and she would and SHOULD love pink. As a woman who never cared for the color in general, this reaction floored and baffled me. I was visibly confused and bothered.
Someone said to me, "bring on the pink!" I replied, "why?" Not to be snarky but because I truly did not understand that reaction to our daughter's female-ness. The person looked at me with incredulity equal only to my own, and informed me confidently, "because she'll be a princess! All princesses need a pink palace." I matched her surety when I answered, "yes, she'll be a princess, but a warrior one." My daughter's room may be her palace, but it is still located within the kingdom of MY home. And pink bores me. So...yeah, we're not doing that.
As an adult, I really never thought about this. When a clothing option was presented, I chose what color I wanted (often choosing purple--it's my fave). Same for various other objects of desire (hairbrushes, cell phones, pens, etc.). But when I started shopping for my baby, before she was born, her options were limited. You want a nautical outfit? Fine, here's a navy blue onesie with a pink anchor, the navy blue pants will have pink stripes,and the cardigan will be navy blue...with pink buttons.WHAT THE WHAT? Being suddenly confronted with this reality when I had given it very little thought beforehand made my head spin. [If an anchor has to be an unnatural color--why pink?]
In Sweden, there is no boy or girl section from which to purchase baby clothing. There is only baby clothing. Stripes, animals, nature...I really like this idea. Objects don't have a sex. Pink is a color, not a gender. Putting pink on a baby doesn't make it a girl. Similarly, putting a rocket ship on a baby doesn't make it a boy.
I'm not saying it's WRONG to like pink. If pink is your favorite color, more power to you. It's terrific that you were presented with the choice and you decided for yourself what you like. All I ask is that my daughter be given the freedom to do the same.
How do parents of boys feel? Are you sick of only finding tractors and sports equipment when you shop? What's annoying to you in children's wear?
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| there are no pink TMNTs |
In Sweden, there is no boy or girl section from which to purchase baby clothing. There is only baby clothing. Stripes, animals, nature...I really like this idea. Objects don't have a sex. Pink is a color, not a gender. Putting pink on a baby doesn't make it a girl. Similarly, putting a rocket ship on a baby doesn't make it a boy.
I'm not saying it's WRONG to like pink. If pink is your favorite color, more power to you. It's terrific that you were presented with the choice and you decided for yourself what you like. All I ask is that my daughter be given the freedom to do the same.
How do parents of boys feel? Are you sick of only finding tractors and sports equipment when you shop? What's annoying to you in children's wear?
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