The question popped up in my mind when I saw shocking video of a man brandishing gun at one of the five star hotels in Delhi. It was horrifying that such a thing can happen in the capital, but some people felt even more offended to see him in the pink pants. What kind of a man wears pink pants? They murmured.
I was one of them.
Now, as a creative person I have seen people in all kinds of outfits. Once I traveled with an event organizer to Delhi, who was dressed up in an ornate shirt and bright yellow pants! people kept staring at him. And he was comfortable with the attention. Maybe that's the objective for that exhibition. There wasn't any social media then. Today people would be snapping his photographs with hashtag #WTF!
But yellow is still okay. Pink suffers a gender bias. People think pink is for ladies. Try putting a pink on a ten year old boy and the probability is, he will revolt.
Now, hold your breath. 100 years back, the trend was reverse. Pink was meant for boys! Here is a quote from June 1918 issue of Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department:
Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department: 1918
Pink or Blue? Which is intended for boys and which for girls?
This question comes from one of our readers this month, and the discussion may be of interest to others. There has been a great diversity of opinion on this subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girls. the reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy' while blue, which is more delicate and dainty is prettier for the girl”
Now if you think it was a lone example, here is what Ladies Home Journal recommended:
Ladies Home Journal, 1890
“Pure white is used for all babies.
Blue is for girls and pink is for boys, when a color is wished.”
Isn't it amazing, while 100 years back pink was recommended for boys, now pink is almost a-- Not for boys. While shirts are still acceptable, pink pants are frowned at by people.
So, why do man still wear pink pants?
Psychologists suggest it is an announcement that these pink-pant-males are secure in their masculinity. They feel they are so manly that even wearing a pink pant won't dent their manliness.
And if one has a gun in his hand, it's better to accept that assumption. Isn't it?
Disclaimer: I have tried many unusual dressing concepts. Once I even wore an underwear as a headgear! But yet, I haven't graduated to pink pants. Have you adorned one? Will you wear one in future? If not, why not?
Blue is for girls and pink is for boys, when a color is wished: Ladies Home Journal, 1890
Puneet Bhatnagar
The Silkyara, Uttarakashi tunnel rescue operation: Operation Zindagi, is a great lesson for us all.The 41 trapped workers are out under the sky now. Safe and secure. And the whole country has taken a deep sigh of relief.Like everyone else, I was also following it closely. Here are some lessons that I culled out from this saga of perseverance, grit and creativity.The challenges:In total 86 meter of drilling was done.
Creacos
Today I came across an interesting fact.The first ever TV commercial aired on 1st July 1941.During the interval between a baseball match between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.A 10 second commercial. Simple. Just the Bulova watch on the screen. And an announcement--America runs on Bulova watches!A reminder to all of us that historic moments need not be dramatic. Big ideas start small.
