Pink stinks? We think tens of thousands of little girls disagree!
>> Wednesday, December 16, 2009 –
girls,
pink,
pinkstinks
You can't fail to have seen the news recently of the launch of a 'PinkStinks' campaign, aimed at getting rid of pink gifts and toys for little girls. The owners of the PinkStinks website say that:
We believe that body image obsession is starting younger and younger, and that the seeds are sown during the pink stage, as young girls are taught the boundaries within which they will grow up, as well as narrow and damaging messages about what it is to be a girl.
Now, we're all for girls growing up and having great jobs, being as good as (if not better than!) the boys, and having high self esteem. Who wouldn't be? But we're really not buying into the fact that buying them pink things makes them the opposite, no matter who thinks it's true!
Asking around the girls we know, pink is still a huge favourite, and we do think that most little girls go through a 'pink' stage - do people out there really think that having a pink laptop or pink wellies is going to lower self esteem and mean a more menial job?
Pink is a great success in our online shop, here are a few of our pink favourites for little girls (or boys for that matter!)
It's pink and it has fairies on it - and we love it! Sumptuous, top quality fairtrade clothing in top quality 100% organic cotton. Just £12.99!
It's a bag and it's pink. Far from being a symbol of oppression and low self esteem, it's one of our best sellers, and at just £6.99 it's great for carrying around your belongings - maybe even your PINK ballerina shoes?
For the girly little monkey in your life, this gorgeous Zip Through Hoodie features Julius the Monkey across the front, a black hood and cute monkey ears. At just £27.99, it being pink hasn't stopped it flying out of the door!
It's pink, it's insulated and it's perfect for carrying your sandwiches in for school or a picnic. We're sure that you can still become a high powered businesswoman in 20 years time, even though you had a pink lunchbox!
Now, we are being a little tongue in cheek here. Of course, not EVERY little girls wants to be surrounded by pink, and of course it's important that little girls grow up into self confident young women who follow their dreams and don't become downtrodden and self conscious. But think about it, is being surrounded by pink REALLY going to make that much of a difference?
Tell us your opinions in the comments - are you a successful woman who loved (and maybe still loves!) pink, does your little girl refuse to wear anything but pink, and have glitter, sparkles and various shades of pink become a part of your life without you really noticing? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
The only problem I have with pink is that sometimes it can be hard to get anything for girls that isn't pink. My daughter is 5 now and I'm fed up with pink, but she certainly isn't! Having said that, I have found that now there is a much wider selection of clothing (or maybe I just know where to look now!) so she can have her pink things and I can also slip in some non-pink items.
I have to agree that I can't see how the colour pink and the fact that my daughter likes it is somehow going to limit her options further on in life! She's a very self-assured little girl and I think she'll always be able to hold her own. She's the only girl who will wear trousers to school in her class and she's proud of it!
On another note, I have a university degree and successful career behind me and I have a pink laptop!
Variety is the spice of life so we won't be avoiding pink!
It's definitely possible to have too much pink. But on the other hand, pink has been a "girlie colour" for years with no obvious ill effects..
I think blaming a COLOUR for some of the problems in society now is more than a little daft - and just an attempt to grab attention. So no. Pink doesn't stink - so good luck selling all those wonderful pinkies over the Xmas season! :)