Shiny Shiny brings us the latest in feminized gear: a pink heart-shaped guitar for Guitar Hero. Okay, I get that some folks like the color, but can I just say I'm so incredibly sick of products being marketed towards women simply by slapping some pink on them?
I mean, there's pink laptops, tools, websites, iPods, pocket knives - even cigarettes! The pink madness has to end. In fact, I think one of my new year's resolutions will be to avoid all things pink (with the exception of cotton candy Jelly Bellys - I love those things).
What's your least favorite pink (or otherwise gendered) product?
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I've always been a big "unfan" of the sports hats that are pink instead of the teams colors. It just seems to me that they're saying, "We understand that sports doesn't work with your lady brain, and that's why everything is your favorite color! Now it'll totally match everything else you wear, you crazy girl!" I mean, it's a baseball hat. It doesn't have to match anything anyway, so why not keep the team colors? It kind of goes against the whole point of wearing "your team's colors" since they all look the same anyway from more than a foot away.
It just seems like it's marketed toward women who couldn't give a crap about sports but want to look like they're interested to bag a man.
That's a good one! Or the shirts/stickers/hats/pants for colleges that aren't the school colors but pink or written in a "girly/cute" font.
And the fact that the team/school name is plastered across the ASS on sweatpants.
Or that atrocious "University of Pink" line by Victoria's Secret.
I go to Simmons [a women's college] and there's a Facebook group advocating for Victoria's Secret to make stuff for our college like they do for BU & Harvard and ugh, shoot me.
Good one. Seems like pink versions of sports paraphernalia are a way for women to apologize for intruding on men's territory and signal that they pose no threat.
I think along the same lines as the pink sports wear is the ever dreadful pink camo . Ugh. First of all camo on a civilian just looks dumb, in my opinion, and pink camo, seriously? Please, that defeats the whole purpose of camouflage! I love this post, it's so true, pink's not a bad color I just can't stand how it seems like women are expected to own every pink item imaginable.
And the fact that all the athletic gear for little girls is pink. Because even though they're allowed to play Tball with the boys now, we have to keep reminding them that they're different.
Oh, good one! I dislike these things too, along with the rhinestone sports shirts in pink. What is the point? I would rather have something in my team's colors, so I can be like every other fan. Isn't that the point of having uniforms and such? To feel a part of something?
I hate walking into toy stores & automatically knowing which aisles are the "girl" aisles from the pink blaze detected by my peripheral vision.
As for 2008, my least favorite item has been the keyboard for blondes.
https://www.keyboardforblondes.com/index.cfm
My least favorite gendered toy of all times are the "baby" dolls that cry. I was given one when I was 3 or 4 for Christmas, was traumatized by its crying, and proceeded to scream and cry myself until the parents took the batteries out of it and put it away.
Ah, but have you seen the ergonomic keyboard for pirates?
lol
That's awesome.
Pink tool sets. It's just stupid and patronizing, and they're invariably cheap and flimsy.
Because using actual, well-made tools might be too butch, or what?
Not just pink tools- any tool marketed as "for women" usually means it's good for doing light work around the house like hanging a picture and that's it.
My mom bought me a hand drill that's "good for women", thinking that it was small and lightweight. But really it had no power, and we recently broke off a drill but because it was so weak. But for Xmas, I got a Dewalt :)
I would be so psyched if actual heavy duty, usable tools and power equipment came in rainbow colors!!!
I've actually got a set of tools that're pink, not to mention the fact that my sledgehammer and my steel-toed boots both have pink duct tape on them.
Why? Because it keeps the rest of my crew from "borrowing" my tools. Seriously, I don't even particularly like pink, but it's the only colour that will guarantee that the manly men on my crew will never, ever touch my tools.
Well, purple would probably have the same effect. But my dislike of purple is as strong as it is inexplicable.
When Targus came out with their Laptop Bags for Women, they were all pink. Nothing says serious businesswoman like having a girlie-bag!
Fortunately, there are now some gray and black ones.
I'm with befemmefatale; the tools top the list for me. However, the knife is a close second.
Change.org's completely purple women's rights section!
The purple's the worst part, but I also hate the faux-handwritten cursive lettering of the heading. Every other cause listed on the site at least gets a blocky, professional, resume-worthy font.
With such a lazy, stereotyping site design -- and with lavender text boxes all over the place -- I have trouble taking seriously the content.
I really hope the transition team reconsiders.
I really hope the transition team reconsiders.
While I totally agree that that is obnoxious, FYI the transition team is at change.gov - change.org is unaffiliated with Obama/Biden.
Oh! Boy, do I feel dumb now. I knew about Change.gov, but ever since somebody posted about the women's rights discussion page on here, I figured the .org was a social activism wing extended from the campaign and never bothered to check. Thanks so much for letting me know.
I don't see a well-respected female musician like JOAN JETT holding a tacky pink guitar like that.
I'm going to go vomit.
Well (and not that this excuses it by any means) - this isn't targeted at Joan Jett fans. It's branded "Aly and AJ," which IIRC is one of those Disney-owned tweenybopper groups.
Does anyone else think that pink heart guitar looks kind of like a penis?
When it's right side up-yes. Or the bottom looks like a butt. :p Not really very cute at all.
I cannot stand the pink Jenga-not sure why it needs to be pink, or the bloody Fisher Price little people plane that is now pink. It's a plane.
Sadly, I do covet the new pink Scrabble, but that's just because it's pretty cool looking.
Didn't you hear? They passed a new law that men & women must fly in separate vehicles and all female conveyances will be pink to avoid confusion.
Planes, trains and automobiles- all sex-color-coded for our benefit.
Welcome to the future!!
Probably not your intention, but this comment made me think of a remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles replacing the male leads with women. That one homophobia-tinged scene with the leads accidentally cuddling might be mercifully hard to replicate...
I'll step in and offer up a good example of a product marked to females: The MSI Wind netbook, Love Edition.
http://tech2.in.com/media/images/2008/Aug/img_80571_msi-wind-love-edition.jpg
The top of the laptop has a few drawings of hearts-- not gaudy at all, just outlines. And they are NOT pink-- thank god. They're silver and gold.
It's a very cute laptop, and I love it. (It was a graduation present.)
Remember the Ford Aspire, a compact car marketed to women? It came in pink and teal, with kicky lipstick stripes.
Even the name "Aspire." It's not a serious car, although I guess it aspires to be one.
Also, not long ago I saw a pink Hummer. It was a Mary Kay person.
Hah! That's what I always said about them! "They hope to grow up to be real cars some day."
I have a baby girl and I have made it my personal mission to buy non-pink, non-princess, non-frilly (especially the dreaded ruffle-on-the-butt) clothes for her. It's harder than you might think. Even when I dress her in purple people think she's a boy, which doesn't bother me like it does some parents.
Seriously! We try to dress our girls as gender-neutral as possible, which often involves shopping in the boys section since almost everything for girls is pink or says something offensive like "hotty" on the ass. Then for the 4 y/o it's nothing but Hannah Montana shit that shows their belly button or looks like something a striper would wear. Puke. Our friends and family often give them girly clothes, even though we've made our preferences known, so we keep some of them and exchange the rest without an ounce of guilt.
But it is really funny how freaked out other people are when they mistake a baby girl for a baby boy because she's dressed in gender-neutral clothes. It's like they're really scared they've offended us or hurt our feelings. Why would I care whether you know the gender of my child?
Yes! I've encountered that also! I remember when my daughter was about 6 months, she was in a blue onesie, and someone commented on what a cute boy she was. My father (who was holding her) seemed so offended! I was just like, she's in blue, that's the natural assumption. No worries, lol.
My baby daughter for unplanned reasons got a lot of white, yellow and green clothes. People think she is male.
I will also refuse to buy her rhinestone t-shirts that say Hot Stuff, Girl Crazy or Playboy Bunny.
Oh, also: My mom gave me for Christmas this small fluffy cookbook - she must have gotten it really cheaply or something - called The Little Black Book of Hors D'Oeuvres.
On the back flap were lists of other titles. Under the other Black Books of things like beer, wine, cocktails, coffee, poker, party games, sushi, barbecue, party games, style, sex, Disney World, holiday cheer and various cities.
Another list contained just two titles: The Little Pink Book of Etiquette and The Little Pink Book of Etiquette. Amazon tells me there are also pink ones on weddings, baby names, frozen drinks (not cocktails, like its black book counterpart) and entertaining, among others. All were published in the last few years.
After I noticed that, I asked my mom to return the book.
The depressing thing is, I would never have thought all the black book topics remotely gendered. Doesn't everybody like poker, barbecue, sushi and wine? What's next for the pink book list -- PTA?
Pink handguns: http://avandekamp.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/pink-gun.jpg
A girly gun, or perhaps a Pepto Bismol gun for the dyspeptic.
Yeah, I hate pink tool sets. Although I did see a hammer, etc., in a William Morris print that I loved, but then I love Morris prints.
I have a bright pink iPod Nano that my husband got me. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I would have preferred the blue. Although pink would have been my second choice. I do like pink, I just hate having it thrust down my throat because I'm a "girl." If I got one of the current Nanos, I'd get the bright orange one!
My partner ordered the armband case for his iPod on eBay, and they sent him the pink one, and he wears it all the time. It's really funny to see the looks he gets, because he's all muscular with a shaved head and thick beard, and people are all whispering to each other about whether he's gay or not. Then when I forget my lunch he comes walking across campus to my office carrying my Wonder Woman lunchbox and wearing his pink iPod case. I love it. Maybe we should start a campaign of men reclaiming pink. It's probably the only way to make the marketers let go of this crazy women-love-pink-and-only-pink obsession.
The blogger at Making it Lovely has a mostly pink living room that's actually quite neutral: http://makingitlovely.com/2008/06/01/living_room_rug/ It's made me think I might like to do our bedroom in a similarly neutral pink, because I don't think my husband would object.
My boyfriend, my dad and my brother all rock the pink button-down shirts. I kind of want to get them all together for a photo-op sometime ;)
Not pink but "otherwised gendered":
While I was attending Purdue for a computer science degree, the department came out with a series of "computer science classes for women". Because, I can only assume -- math is hard?
I never found out what these entailed -- pink textbooks? Lighter math? Business skills a'la "Hardball for Women"?
All I know is that I can't imagine anything appropriate. When I'm on the job search, I want to have computer science skills -- not "women's" computer science skills.
what?? they had computer science classes for WOMEN???
WTF?
I would like to hear more about this "computer science for women" class, at Purdue, no less. I actually took a "car care class for women" - at the local community college. It was for women in the sense that only women were in the class. So you don't feel like the men are watching you and judging you, for not having learned all the things growing up that their father taught them. I learned how to change my wiper blades, oil, air filter, tire, all that stuff. But, and I stress, this was adult education class. NOT a degree-based class. I'm VERY curious about that CS for women class. Was it like this - just women in the class, for those that are intimidated by men dominating the class? Or was it "here's the return key, just like on a typewriter, here's a class assignment based on recipes, of course it's a group exercise, etc." Do you know anything more about it?
Actually it's based on research that showed that women learn computer skills better in a team-based approach than individually. It's not meant to be patronizing, and any woman can still take the standard classes.
Could it maybe backfire if women are taking CS classes that are structured differently, based on gender, when they enter the job market of a male dominated field? This is what makes me feel uneasy about gender based math/science classes...
HP makes some fuggly pink DVDs. I bought them on sale and seriously, cannot even use them for my directing reel they are so heinous.
As a kid my favorite color was purple (not lavender). I hated the obligatory pink everywhere and still avoid it.
True story: I'm in the check out line at the store. In front of me is a dad and little boy. The boy points to some kids toys by the check out and asks, "Why are the girl's pink and boy's blue?" The dad replies, "Because girls are pink and boys are blue." No lie!
The poor kids just stood there looking totally bewildered because obviously even at his young age he knew girls weren't pink and he wasn't blue.
My least favorite gendered things are "girl's" video games. I like video games, and I'd like to be able to have a female character option - or better yet, no male player character for once - on a game that's just a "video game," instead of "a video game for girls." (Games with male player characters are (almost?) never "for boys" but games with girl player characters (and no boy/girl option) are "for girls.")
(I know there's Tomb Raider but it's hard to concentrate on anything when all I can think about is how bad her boobs must hurt.)
On the flip-side, Pokémon Crystal (the first Pokémon game with a "girl" option) was awesome because the game play, "plot," and even dialogue were all the same as if you picked the "boy" option except for some "him"s changed to "her"s and of course the little pixel thing was supposedly female but still looked more like a blob with a face than anything.
I was so PUMPED about Fable II.
You can be a girl right off the bat, that grows up to be a really bad ass (or big bad) woman.
I'm going to have to look into this.
oh, you should! I've played Fable II already, and the storylines are the same for a man or a woman. There are bisexual, gay, and straight characters. You can marry whomever you like (gay marriages are an option) and have sex with whoever. Given the time period this is set in, it's probably unrealistic, but the game makers certainly didn't exclude anyone or give into the typical heteronormative gameplay.
It's also a really fun game, I definitely recommend it.
I was so PUMPED about Fable II.
You can be a girl right off the bat, that grows up to be a really bad ass (or big bad) woman.
Does Portal count? Both the player character and the game's main nemesis are female. Neither of them wear pink.
I hadn't thought of Portal - thanks for the reminder!
Does Portal count? Both the player character and the game's main nemesis are female. Neither of them wear pink.
That fake guitar looks a lot like this real guitar from daisy rock (guitars for girls!):
http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=14-6103/545.0
granted, these are discontinued models and their new line up looks less whimsical.
These guitars were targeted mainly at young girls and were scaled down for small hands.
I hate pink razors for women. Do they have special abilities because they're pink?
Also, I have a friend is from South Korea who says that pink and purple are actually traditionally "men's colors". And yet people still actually believe that women naturally are drawn to pink and men are naturally drawn to blue.
I'd say it's the Western influence that is getting modern South Koreans believing this crap about pink being for girls and blue for boys.
That's insane, because most of the women I've known through my life (including my sister and best friend)LOVE the color blue. And my OTHER sister loves green.
I'd say it's the Western influence that is getting modern South Koreans believing this crap about pink being for girls and blue for boys.
I believe that historically, the opposite used to be true in Western society, that pink was for boys and blue was for girls. It's all very silly.
If you have a baby these days nearly all baby gear seems to have a pink option. I chose a tan carseat with a tan, orange and blue print cushion for my baby daughter (it's very cute), and if I go out with her in her ivory bunting with her favorite beige blanket over it, people assume she's a boy because neither the cushion, bunting or blanket are pink. Swings, bouncy seats, play gyms, pack & plays, even exersaucers come in pink tones for girls. It's ridiculous, to the point that I felt guilty in liking some of the pink options better (we have a pink swing and bouncy seat.) Lots of toys come in pink, too, not just dolls, but rattles and things a long those lines have a girly option. Sigh.
If you read (Western) stuff from the 20s about gender and color, it's all about how pink is for boys because it's a shade of red and red is manly and strong, whereas blue is a "calming" color and more appropriate for girls.
It's kind of amazing both how attitudes have completely flipped and how people will do completely unself-conscious studies purporting to "prove" that women are genetically drawn to pink, as though society doesn't influence that at all.
I was frustrated this year while I was looking to buy some building blocks for my nephews. I don't much care for the prefab sets, so I went to buy a bucket of blocks. My choices at Lego were little-boy-blue and little-girl-pink - and they'd even replaced half the colors of the pink bucket with shades of pink. I finally located a "50th anniversary set" in a cardboard box with a boy and a girl on it. I still don't understand why their replica of a toy marketed in the 1960s is somehow less sexist than anything else made by the brand now. Aren't we supposed to have made progress in the last fifty years?
I was frustrated this year while I was looking to buy some building blocks for my nephews. I don't much care for the prefab sets, so I went to buy a bucket of blocks. My choices at Lego were little-boy-blue and little-girl-pink - and they'd even replaced half the colors of the pink bucket with shades of pink. I finally located a "50th anniversary set" in a cardboard box with a boy and a girl on it. I still don't understand why their replica of a toy marketed in the 1960s is somehow less sexist than anything else made by the brand now. Aren't we supposed to have made progress in the last fifty years?
My least favourite pinkifications:
Pink lego bricks; well the whole bloody pastel line, in fact. Should girls only construct ironing boards and dishwashers with them? Pink kettlebells, made even worse when they're promoted as a pair. I can daintily lift my pinkies as I swing these around, maybe even rack the pair. Check them out at http://www.kettlebellforthecure.com/
The ever-dreaded pink tattoo...I've seen too many of these, even in my small part of the world!
On one hand, I dislike that "pink is for girls, blue is for boys" is still such a stigma. From the beginning I have tried to limit my daughter's acquisition of "girl" toys. Yes, for Christmas she got a doll and a stroller, but she also got a dump truck, a ride-on front loader, and a set of cars and trucks (it helps that my mother is a staunch feminist, lol).
At the same time, I think that guitar is freakin' kickass and if I had the money I would buy it in a second. I am OBSESSED with pink, but moreso with anything that is pink with skulls on it. (My cell phone, my wallet, etc).
So I don't know what to say about this. I'm not going to stop liking pink just because some old, male toy exec or whatever thinks that slapping pink on anything will make it marketable to women.
They aren't taking pink from me!!!
As a follow up to Mamma Mia's contribution, has anyone see the 'Lil Cricket? The pink rifle for, you know... Women.
http://www.crimefilenews.com/2008/12/batfe-gun-trace-data-is-worthless-as.html
Marib Aum brought this up above with the pink kettlebells.
WHY is everything that supports breast cancer research pink?
As if males aren't affected by the women they love getting breast cancer?
As if males themselves aren't afflicted with it sometimes?
What if I want the manufacturer to donate 10 cents to breast cancer but I want the green water bottle instead of the pink?
I understand it is an "awareness color", like red for HIV/AIDS, but in our culture, pink means a lot more than that, especially when it is regarding a disease that primarily affects women. Do we really have to gender the show of support and awareness for a deadly disease?
Actually, there's a breast cancer research organization out there founded by a man who had (as I recall) lost both a wife and a daughter to breast cancer. Its symbol was a little pink butterfly. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name.
While I do love my sparkly pink vibrator, the pink trend is too, too much. The whole Victoria Secrets line is too much for me. But what I find most ridiculous as a feminist are the car products for women. I found a pink lunchbox roadside emergency kit for women (er, "smart girls"). Included in the kit are: matches, a candle, instructions on how to change a tire (okay, that's good), a thermal blanket, cotton swabs, lip balm, and a nail file. All pink.
A nail file? Seriously? I mean, I guess it could be handy for, I don't know, jamming a lock or something.
(Oh, and lip balm? I guess it would be handy if you were stranded at sea for days, but then again, so would sunscreen and that's not included.)
Because when I have a flat in the middle of the night, the first thing I worry about is the state of my manicure and whether my lips look soft, shiny and kissable enough for the man I guess I am inevitably calling to come and change my tire, because as a silly girl I've certainly never learned how to work a jack.
I love pink!!!! It's one of my favorite colors, gee whiz, oh boy!
And I'm still a raging anarchist feminist! Who would thunk!
I love pink!!!! It's one of my favorite colors, gee whiz, oh boy!
And I'm still a raging anarchist feminist! Who would thunk!
I can still remember my disappointment when I was a young girl because my Mum flat out refused to buy me a pink plastic toy cleaning set (mop, dustpan and brush, hoover, etc, iirc).
Now I am so pleased that she steered me clear of everything-must-be-pink and little-girls-should-start-cleaning-early toys. It was so the right decision!
I can't think of one thing in particular that I don't like seeing in pink (except maybe matching luggage sets). But I second the horribleness of the overwhelming pinkness of the girls toy aisle, and the stupid way they make pink versions of computer gadgets and think that's tapped the other 50% of the market. Wrong on so many levels.
Have you all seen the wonderful Petticoat 5 Computer for Women comedy sketch from Look Around You?
One thing I always found irritating abput girl-pink products is that they're always the same etiolated washed out pepto bismol pink. It's a sick colour, weak, like diarrhoea medicine. I hate this pink. Give me a pink with some intensity, dammit! That guitar actually has a decent design; at least that pink isn't weak. I would prefer a pink guitar that wasn't heart-shaped, but eh.
haha, you know something funny...the only pink clothing I wear outside the house is a flaming pink neck tie. :]
I struggle with this... of course I agree that all the pink stuff is infantilizing, etc, but damnit, I LIKE the pink stuff. Whenever I got my last cell phone, camera, iPod, etc I really struggled because I actually want the pink one, but I don't want to look like an asshole. I don't buy pink tools or anything that is actually inferior to the non-pink version, but I do have a pink iPod...
My main one has already been mentioned, but it bears repeating since it really steamed me last Christmas. Go to NFL.com and check out their shop, choices for women, specifically the Browns. The first things I saw were a long-sleeved shirt, style name "Bling Diva". Second thing, a white T-shirt with ever-so-curvy "Browns" and style name "Sparkle Queen". You also can get your Browns jerseys in pink, yellow, baby-blue, or a fuschia type color. If you want a real jersey in real team colors, you can get them, but only for quarterbacks or wide receivers - and of course Jim Brown, but I don't know how the other teams fill that type of void. In the men's section, you get easily twice as many players' numbers, and the only things that are NOT in the team's colors are Superbowl-colored. There are only two jersey styles for women - Home and Away, but men get the additional choice of "Alternate".
In the Boys' section, they get the same choices as the women. But the little girls get one choice - the quarterback. You know who gets the same choices as girls? INFANTS. "Youth" gets more number choices than women! But hey, they don't get PINK, or FUSCHIA, so that's okay then, right?
EVEN CONSIDERING the extra colors that are available for women (pink! fuschia!), the number of jersey choices for men are double, if not more. Baltimore, 34 for men, 16 for women. Browns 42 for men, 23 for women. Chicago 63 for men, 18 for women (one third). Miami a shameful 24 for men and only 4 for women. One sixth. Actually it's even more shameful than that. See, they always include the pet jerseys (3 of them) under both men and women. So yes, if you're a Miami Dolphins fan, your DOG actually has more jersey style choices than you do! And men have 21 times as many choices.
Needless to say, I did NOT buy anything.
I hate the tool sets that are pink, too. I like the color pink and have pink clothes, purses, etc. But tools being pink just seems insulting.
The Zillionz Deluxe ATM.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3173954
I went to the toy store and in the girls section there was a Pink Scrabble with the words Fashion spelled out. There was also a pink Ouija board.
PINK ouija board.
LOL. Well, we wouldn't want impressionable little girls communicating with indelicate, unladylike spirits, would we? They might get dirty, unladylike ideas.
I've actually begun to purposely avoid pink - especially pink shirts - for this very reason. Plus I think pink shirts make me look too girly and I don't like it. It's true that pink is still totally ghettoized - unless you're a wealthy businessman in a pink shirt and tie, pink just does not work. No. Say no to pink.
I work as a cake decorator, and I've had so many moms refuse to buy the novelty cake their daughter wanted, unless I could "girl it up." (Meaning; Add pink.)
Cars, Kung-Fu Panda, Wall-E, and Bolt are apparently "boy" cakes... unless you make some of it pink, then it's okay. I recently had a woman come in and say her daughter wanted a Cars cake... but, isn't there a Barbie cake with cars or something? (Uhh... no?) She eventually decided on a Barbie Ballerina cake instead.
My mom did something like that when I was three! But at least she listened to me. I wanted a Batman cake for my birthday and my mom kept saying "Are you sure you don't want a Barbie or My Little Pony cake instead?" And I was insistent upon the Batman cake. She always tells the story to this day. But I've seen the pictures - she gave in and there is definitely no pink are trace of typical girlishness on the cake.
What I think is weird, though, is how much she apparently tried to talk me out of it. I mean, it's a birthday cake, if the kid wants Batman, get her freaking Batman.
And the really sad thing is if I was a boy and I wanted a Barbie cake, so many parents would actually put their foot down and say "no."
Last December we wrote Sexist Toys You Should Avoid This Holiday Season which included such lovely items as Monopoly: The Pink Boutique edition (instead of buying real estate, little girls can go on shopping sprees or pay their cell phone bills) and the Rose Petal Cottage (because all little girls dream about cooking and cleaning and raising babies and home decorating).
This December we wrote another Non-Wish List with even more gifts to avoid for all ages. My personal fave is the tiny tiny pink thong that reads "It's a Boy" (because that's really the way you want to let everyone know you're expecting... with a pair of underwear you can't possibly fit into anymore).
I usually don't mind having pink stuff (I've got a pink cell phone, MP3 player, and computer mouse) but I'm not a fan of wearing pink.
Just the other week I was looking for new running shoes at Academy and out of ALL the shoes (which was about 50) in the women's section I basically had 3 choices: Hot Pink, Powder Pink, or Baby Blue.
Ugh.
It was really annoying. I had to resort to trying on men's shoes (ofcourse none of them fit right). But, there is a happy ending. I ended up finding a pair of silver and orange adidas at another muuuuuch less convenient location.
So yeah, my least favorite pink products: Running Shoes and Pink Jelly Bellys (Ew... You can have all mine, Jessica)
I love pink, but people here are right... It's a marketing scheme. I'll usually choose pink if there's a variety - NOT because it's the only option. I'll usually balk and choose a different brand.
What also gets me is cheaply made items with a pink ribbon on them - marketing them to breast cancer survivors or supporters. With like 1% of the proceeds of that sale going to research.
That's all well and fine, but I'd rather funds go to actual cancer patients that have little to no income and need help with their treatments.
----------
Now, back to pink; I like pink and find that it looks good on me. I have red hair, pale skin and freckles and green eyes.. Pink is a good color for me.
However, I love dark greens, grays, blues, and anything other cool colors. I stay away from reds and oranges. Pink is the only "warm" color I'll wear.
I'm raising three boys, and my middle son likes pink now too. When I let him wear a pink shirt, people give me the worse looks. "Like how DARE you put PINK on your SON"
Screw you, my son loves the color, there are no "girly" characters on the stupid shirt; HE likes it. My husband threw a fit (even though he's all for female equality,etc etc) he doesn't like HIS SON wearing pink. *sigh* pisses me off. Forcing our sons into gender specific clothes because it may make him seem less like a boy if he wears pink.
Sorry for the rant; I'm in pre-coffee mode at the moment and will be more
I actually got to see the opposite end of this fairly recently, on the day before Christmas. I'm an early stage transwoman and a lesbian, so I rarely wear makeup, which I guess hurts my passability. Recently I was at Radio Shack trying to get a new Palm Centro cellphone. This cellphone is offered in numerous colors, but Radio Shack only had the black model on display. I wanted the green version, or the pink version as my second choice.
I told the salesman I wanted a Palm Centro and he went up to the store computer and started looking up what they had in stock without asking me what color I wanted. He told me they apparently don't have the phone in stock at that store, but that he can can go ahead and activate a phone for me and have me pick it up at another Radio Shack.
Another minute or two go by of him doing random things on the computer and not asking me what color I wanted before I think to actually ask him "Hey, is black the only color Radio Shack carries the Centro in? I'd rather like the green version."
Turns out they had the pink version at that store and he hadn't even thought to offer it to me. He'd have preferred to make me run to another store then to offer me what was actually my second color choice, and the color I did very happily end up with.
I just put a streak of pink in my hair (on New Year's) to match. :P
Long time reader, first time poster, but I just HAD to post about this.
One of the worst misuses of the color pink is in the motorcycling industry! It's hard enough to find protective gear that is cut to fit a woman, but then a lot of the gear which is women-specific is in the color pink.
I get the feeling that the industry (whose fastest growing demographic of new riders is women, btw) thinks that women feel less feminine while riding so must want to reclaim some of that by wearing pink? Drives me nuts.
http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=pink
Can't get your women interested in shooting sports? Give them a firearm in pink! Never mind the exact same configurations exist in regular black "blued" steel or stainless, they'll overcome their aversion to firearms because of the color!
There are reasons you may not want a firearm in pink or other unusual colors. One important one being they can look like toys or attract the interest of children, even if they are full sized pistols, shotguns or rifles. Click on photo:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/918399414/Guns/Rifles/AR-15-Rifles-Small-Manufacturers/Complete-Rifle/AR15_SUPERIOR_ARMS_5_56_NATO.htm
Despite the recent run on weapons likely to be banned, this person seems unable to find a suitably red blooded buyer for their "PATRIOT WEAPON of CHOICE." I wonder why.
As much frustration as I've had over the years trying to find non-pink versions of various items (I prefer bold, bright colors or black; good luck trying to find a women's sneaker without pastels, closest I got was light blue with yellow stripes), this post is making me reminisce about the blood-thirsty games of Pretty Pretty Princess my brother and I used to play. He was always pink, I was always yellow.
I would love to have a pink laptop and cell phone, but was unable to find either that suits my needs in my market.
Personally, I do not understand all the negative comments regarding the color pink. It seems to me that the majority of posters seem to equate pink with femininity, which is then equated with weakness. Pink can also be a symbol of strength; for instance, women coffee farmers in Latin America use the color pink to distinguish their product, the sales of which fund shelters and schools in their communities (Cafe Feminino, in case anyone is interested).
Granted, the color pink has been co-opted to market every imaginable product to women. But really now, the product in question here is a piece of overpriced eletronic garbage, a child's toy. Yes, I know lots of adults play video games, but what self respecting adult would buy such a hideous monstrosity?
My nephew is about to turn three, for Christmas for he wanted a Hanna Montana doll and i got it for him and to the dismay of some of my family members who thought it is too girly for him... just this week my sister and i went shoe shopping for him and he wanted Dora shoes but they had pink on them and so she didnt want her son to have them (he got Diego instead bc that the boy version). He will be getting so Dora shoes for his B-day for me.
My nephew is about to turn three, for Christmas for he wanted a Hanna Montana doll and i got it for him and to the dismay of some of my family members who thought it is too girly for him... just this week my sister and i went shoe shopping for him and he wanted Dora shoes but they had pink on them and so she didnt want her son to have them (he got Diego instead bc that the boy version). He will be getting so Dora shoes for his B-day from me.
Pink legos--I remember wanting these SO BADLY when I was six but I instead had to play with my brother's Legos. Now, when I think about this, this really wasn't such a bad thing. I could build more than just a kitchen and a yacht with his "boy" legos.
On the flip side, one of my good male friends has a pink GameBoy--he's seventeen years old and that was the color he wanted. He is even carrying it in one of his senior pictures. :)
I like pink... But I also like red, blue, green, etc., etc. It's just another color.
But I'm glad that, as a Goth, no one feels the need to buy me gender-specific colored gifts ;)
The worst pink thing I ever bought was a pink leopard-print USB mouse. I use a Macbook which, at the time, was dual-booting Windows XP, and I needed a USB mouse so I could right-click while using Windows. I'm a fan of outrageous colors, and it was cheap and had a scroll wheel, so I thought it was perfect.
Until I got it home and opened the box, and discovered it contained the most condescending little user manual I've ever seen. It declared that women don't buy technological products because they're just so darn complicated, and besides, electronics aren't fashionable enough. Just... buh? It even has a hot pink double-click button next to the scroll wheel, for those poor technology-starved women who can't figure out how to double-click on their own.
Pink is definitely gone. Pink fashion is definitely gone from my life. I use to love the color but do not anymore. IT does nothing for me.
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