Ever stop and wonder why girls have pink toys and boys have blue toys? Is there something behind it? From what we have learned from classes and from real life experience in marketing, it is basically marketers creating consumer segments to market to.  We did some additional digging and found a great source of information called “The Pink & Blue Project”.  The Pink & Blue Project takes a look at the commercialization of gender colors.

Image from jeongmeeyoon.com

JeongMee Yoon started the Pink & Blue Project because of her daughters fascination with pink.  She asked the very smart question, “where does this fascination with pink come from?”.  As you read what we write here, you will notice that we will always ask the question why.  It’s a great question! Do girls naturally like pink and boys naturally like blue? Of course not.  As Yoon points out, pink used to be a color that was considered masculine.  Here is my favorite piece from her article.

In 1914, The Sunday Sentinel, an American newspaper, advised mothers to “use pink for the boy and blue for the girl, if you are a follower of convention.” The change to pink for girls and blue for boys happened in America and elsewhere only after World War II. As modern society entered twentieth century political correctness, the concept of gender equality emerged and, as a result, reversed the perspective on the colors associated with each gender as well as the superficial connections that attached to them . Today, with the effects of advertising on consumer preferences, these color customs are a worldwide standard.

LOVE when people think outside the box! You should too.  You can read more about the author and artist JeongMee Yoon here.