Assumptions and Presumptions
Pink. No other word I know of has been mired in as much controversy as this. Early on, I announce quite vociferously that I don't run the "I <3 Pink" campaign. That said, I also have to add, and quite categorically at that, that I don't belong to the anti-Pink brigade. My first brush with an anti-Pink being was my friend's brother. I own a baby Pink scooty pep+ and this happened to be the subject of many a disdainful discussion (looks like I still haven't quite lost the
flair since my last post!). When I went to the Ramkay TVS showroom to buy, all I had in mind was a bike (fine, scooty) that will give me some freedom to travel at will, with no pain and all peace. The last thing on my mind was to purposefully select a pretty Pink one!
History Repeats
A more recent encounter was at work, with someone I call seedling. Seedling cringes at the very sight of my oh-so-Pink (gel) pen. No brownie points for guessing Seedling belongs to the blue group. Anyway, the irony is my Pink pen writes in blue! So much for not judging a book by its cover! Of course, you can claim that's a
blink decision and all!
And it repeats, once again!
On a quiet morning, for the first time in months, I decide to plait my hair and wear
perfectly formal clothes to work. Seedling walks in and gasp-asks me about why I am clad in unholy Pink! Holy Pink, I mean holy cow! have I committed a fashion faux pas again?! Looks like the pukish pink was the culprit!
Arguably Neutral
So, with these chance happenings, I began to ponder on what's with all the fuss and mess over Pink? I have always stayed quite neutral on this subject. The more I think, the more I am convinced that Pink simply can't evoke any sense of awe or awfulness in me. It's just a colour! Yes, it is true that the last time I picked a dress for my three year old niece, it was ... Pink! And, the little girl does have ninja shoes the colour of gelusil Pink! But, no, she's not obsessing over the colour. (Oh, yeah, the non-believers will ask me to wait and watch!). Finally, the point - I am Pink-netural!
Pink Science
You may think I am seeing Pink elephants if I say that structured research has been going on for possibly decades now to discern the girl-pink association. But, hey, I am in the Pink of good (mental) health for you can read about this research
here and about
the Pink and blue project. There is also a hunter gatherer theory on sex difference which attributes girls liking for Pink with the early female ancestors capacity to pick ripe berries!! However, there exists a contradicting notion that Pink is actually washed down red and hence was a colour for the warriors. In fact, during World War II, the Japanese pilots indulging in
God-wind attacks painted their war planes with sakura Pink in order to symbolise the intensity of their mission. From such beginnings, today, Pink is synonymous with
cutesy gossip girls. While some say this is
biological programming, there are others that attribute it to a silly marketing ploy. Case in point is the creation of Pink science kits for girls by several toy companies. In fact, Toys 'R Us manufactured a Pink microscope that had
poor optic capacities. Did they assume that girls are born with superior eyesight that they can get away with lesser magnification?! One never knows!
Courtesy: tokenskeptic.org
This provocatively Pink microscope has been the subject of many a discussion which you can find
here.
Yours Pinkly
Anyway, I decided to come up with my two cents on the subject. What I have done is list the
Top 3 reasons why you should be Pink-neutral (irrespective of your sex). Inspired by this cracked.com
article and some ego-boost by an insomniac, here goes my list -
#3 Strawberries or Blueberries?
There are studies that indicate
women who consume strawberries and
men who feast on wild blueberry juice are likely to have good heart condition. Truth is ALL
berries are rich in antioxidants which are good things for your heart. What's more, berries don't care if you're on the blue guy gang or the pink girl gang and shower their goodness with zero bias! So, gorge on!
#2 Well, there is no Blue Floyd, is there?!
Actually, there is. But, Blue Floyd is basically on a parasitic diet feeding off Pink Floyd's music and aims at "deconstructing PINK FLOYD'S legendary music compositions to its more primal, elemental form" as a homage. Anyway, for an all boys, commercially hot band with a God level guitarist, Pink is hardly the name. Or maybe, it is the perfect name considering the band name is a tribute to two great blues (uh, okay!) musicians - Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
#1 Ever heard of Pinkoholics Anonymous?
If you haven't heard of this ultra-secretive community, I am not surprised. These are Pink-neutral men who claim their mission in life is to promote feelings of fraternity amidst the haters and lovers of Pink. They are all over in visible light but hardly go by this name. When you see a guy supporting breast cancer awareness, he's most likely a member of PA. They are sworn to secrecy for life and entry to this club is demonstration of some archaic
pagan rituals. While not much is known as to what these rituals are, some prominent members of PA include
this famous author and the metro-sexual Nawab in-waiting seen below:
Courtesy:surajmob.in
Moral of the story is
After all, Pink is just a colour!
