Recently, I saw the pictures of a friend’s friend baby room. While I think it is sweet that the parents- to-be had taken such great efforts in preparing for the arrival of their new born child, I can’t help but feel a sense of regret for the child. Eerh…no offence to all the parents out there. You must be wondering if I am out of my mind since she has her own ‘Princess Room’ with pretty pink floral lights decorating one side of the wall, her own mini wardrobe filled with pink dresses and pink hangers! And all the couple’s friends commented that the child is so 幸福(fortunate).
But I still can’t help but shudder at the thought that the child is going to grow up in a ‘pink environment’. I have always wondered what is it in us that make us so sure that girls like pink while boys prefer blue?
While one’s sex is determined by biology, whereby the difference between the male and female is distinguished by our procreative function, gender is a product of culture and it refers to the social classifications of “masculinity” and femininity”. So, who actually sets the rule that a female have to have traits of femininity while a male should not and v.v? Why are women often associated with dresses and not pants and in this case, why is it that the first thing that the new born child is introduced to is pink and not another colour? Honestly, I think, we are all guilty of propagating such ideas to people around us. “Oh, you should wear a skirt so that you look more feminine” or “men should never wear pink or red shirts!” These notions of “masculinity” and “femininity” are so deeply entrenched in our daily lives that we not only behave in certain ways so as to conform to what is acceptable by society, but also used clothes as a way of displaying these traits.
So, should we, as adults, parents and parents-to-be, be more aware of what kind of gender values we are imparting to our young ones? Perhaps, in future, when we decorate our children’s room or buy things for our nieces and nephews, we could just exercise a little bit of liberty and not stick to some of these stereotypes? I am not trying to rock the boat, but maybe, a little bit more openness and imagination could help to open the world of our little ones so that she knows she does not have to wear a pink dress to be a girl……..
p/s Seriously, I really have nothing against pink, in fact, I like fuchsia!
