Today, pink is associated with girls and blue with boys, but in the past it was the other way around. Until the 20th century, pink was considered a “masculine” color — a shade of red, a symbol of strength, power, and determination. Blue, on the other hand, was perceived as “feminine” — it was associated with purity and innocence, as the Virgin Mary was traditionally depicted in blue clothes on icons. An American trade publication from 1918 even wrote: “It is generally accepted that pink is for boys and blue is for girls.”
Until the early 20th century, babies were not distinguished by the color of their clothes at all — both boys and girls were dressed in white dresses. This was convenient: they were easy to wash and bleach. Only at the age of five or six did boys undergo the so-called “brieching ceremony” — they wore short pants for the first time and stopped wearing baby dresses.
After World War II, everything changed. Women sought to regain their femininity and began to choose pink — a soft, romantic color. Men, on the contrary, were associated with blue, partly because of military uniforms. This is how the modern color division became established.
Today, pink and blue are still perceived as “gender” colors, but history shows that these symbols are not eternal. Perhaps in a few decades, everything will change again.
