We've been talking in class about social construction. One of the examples I gave was the color associations for girls and boys (pink for girls, blue for boys). A recently published experiment suggests that females and males are actually hard-wired to like pink and blue.
One blogger sees serious flaws with the experiment. What do you think?
16 comments:
I think that the line, " girls are hard-wired to like pink" makes me cringe. I hate the fact that researchers are trying to find any difference that they can think of to prove that the patriarchial society should continue. As soon as you are born, the hospital assigns blue for boys and pink for girls. It's not hard-wired it's socialized, you would think scientists would take things like previous experiences of the participants into account. What would happen if they took some cultures that don't have our ritual with color and tested them?I bet girls would maybe like green, or orange or any number of colours and would shy from pink. *grumble*
I agree with his comment he is a neandrathal for making such a comment on why girls are dainty and why boys are stronger. I don't remember being a little girl and saying ooh I want that because it's pink. I was more interested in the toy itself. My daughter has been told she dresses like a boy because she wears camouflage shorts and Transformers t-shirts, I totally disagree. I first have to contain my feelings as a mom and not tell them they are inconsiderate. Then I have to react as a woman and tell my daugther clothes and color do not make you what you are it is your soul and what you have in your heart. In our family we admire the men and WOMEN in the armed forces. So why can't my daughter dress in camouflage like a woman soldier without belittling her choice of apparel. When she puts on her favorite pair of shorts (camouflage) she feels she can do anything, she doesn't think oh I'm going to dress like a boy today
i think that girls and boys should where what they want. Girls can where boys colors, why cant boys where girl colors like pink? Now a days boys wear pink and it's not like there gay but they like the color and arent girlie. Just like how girls cant play sports because their girls and girls dont play sports. I play sports and i dont think that i am any less of a girl by doing so.
I think that women and men should wear any color that feels comfortable to them and not worry whether or not society views them as different. I am a woman and I wear blue and it doesn't mean that I am a man and a man wearing pink doesn't mean he is a female. I think its ashame that society puts so many tags on things
What I find interesting is that they can say girls are hardwired pink from only 208 subjects. since they come up with a new "research" study every week I put no value in this.
yes my son wore blue but that is because it was about the only color out there and its one of my favorite. he has red, orange, green. And my daughter work a lot of red and blues as well. Even now she does not like pink, in fact she can not stand pastel pink. my daughter too dresses "like a boy" but she dresses for comfort. she is an athlete and enjoys the athletic shorts and shirts.
I guess I would say it is just another "research" study about something ridiculous. If they would focus their energy and money on something more at hand like juvenile diabetes or cancer. or even better how we can get more teachers in our over crowded school. or even study why our kids are not kids as long any more. not why society has put these color labels on us.
I was watching House Hunters and heard a comment worth mentioning in conjunction to this topic.
A couple enters one of the potential houses they are going to purchase and the first color in the living room walls is blue. The husband says something to the effect of we have to change the color on the wall this is a girly blue...huh? So blues can't be "manly" anymore, will there be a pink that can't be "dainty"? Where do go from here, crazy thought what if I wear only white. Would that make me a non-gender person?
interesting point lizzet. that would be interesting. wear only white or yellow the other neutral color. what about just black....is that to manly or just to dark and be labeled gothic. you gotta love society.
Hey, remember when wearing white socks meant you were a fairy (gay)? Am I dating myself? I remember it well because my brother had to wear white socks. His feet broke out in a rash from the dyes of colored socks. He suffered much through this time period.
Please refrain from calling gays "fairies". I view it as a pejorative term. Therefore, in my opinion, saying that just spreads prejudice and inequality. Thank you.
According to an article I found, pink and blue is an allusion to the novel Little Women. The twins were differenciated by the color of ribbon they wore.
http://www.wisegeek.com/have-pink-and-blue-always-been-considered-gender-specific-colors.htm
I HATE pink. I never have since I was young. My mother however had the walls of my room painted light pastel pink from my birth to about 5th grade when I actually started to have a say in my room decor. I don't think people are "hard wired" into liking pink when they are brought home from the hospital. That's impossible. You don't begin to have a cognitive memory until much later. I believe it is more of a nurture issue brought about by the parents and society that girls must be dressed (and have rooms decorated) in either pink or purple. Why is it that boys are allowed to span out with their color choices at an early age? I've done a lot of babysitting in my time and I've seen boys rooms that range in color from yellow and green, just in shades of blue or green, to the classic blue, yellow, and red primary scheme. Another question I have is that why do people associate yellow or green to a baby when they do not know the sex of it before it is born? Ever been to a baby shower where the people do not know the sex? Presents typically tend to be in these color choices. Just something to think about
I dont even have to have a degree or anything to tell the researcher the stupid answer to this. NO we are not hard wired to like pink. I'm sure if everyone decided to switch it to green and purple they would say the same thing about one of those colors. I know girls that HATE the color pink! i also know guys that like the color pink.
For one thing that article may have had an experiment to back it up but for sure that is definatly not any of the people i know. Everyone that i hang out with grew up having everything from dolls to truck toys. When I grew up i preffered Barbie dolls and those sweet little match box toy cars and hand me down boys clothes. I hated the color pink and in fact still do. Sometimes I think that the business are making the things this way so that women are stuck where they are.
Well first of all I don't believe that biologically any one could be "hard-wired" to like any one particular color based on sex. I for one being a girl do not like the color pink at all and I have a neice that i refuse to just buy pink and purple for. When she was a baby it was harder to find things that were still easily to tell that its female over male that was not pink or purple but as she got older it was much easier. This just goes to show how much society influneces peoples thoughts on what is hard wired and suppose to be. In our society it says that girls like pink and boys like blue but that isn't a law or a must its just the norms of society.
I want to comment on what Brittany M said, it is very hard to find things for little girls and boys that are not strictly pink or purple and blue or green. If you dress a baby girl in blue, everyone will think its a boy, the stores do not make many things for the girls in girly ways that are blue.
I dont what al the fuss is about, I am a guy and i love pink, and im straight. I just have a good skin tone that goes with it. I get compliments all the time for wearing pink. I mean its only a big deal if a guy wears pink....no gives any crap to girls becasue they wear blue...girls wear jeans all the time and shoes, and socks, and shirts, and jackets. where is the criticism then? I dont think that color has anything to do with strength but what society tells you is strong. Those barriers are already being broken down so it must not be true that boys are suppose to wear blue and girls are suppose to wear pink.
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