| Friday, November 11, 2005 |
| The Color of Babies |
JBuL and I had several very interesting discussions comprising the gamut from writing, authors' groups, rascism, and religion. Though there were definitely very different views, it was a wonderful example of how people with different backgrounds and beliefs could discuss such difficult and controversial topics and agree to disagree.
This post is not intended to discuss those topics, though, so you can wash away the heebie jeebies.
I will make it clear, however, that I believe racism is learned, not genetic, that it is taught by adults to their children, and that until people of all colors and races learn to accept that all men, women, and children should have equal rights as well as the privileges and responsibilities that go with those rights, truly regardless of race, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, etc, we are not going to have peace and/or acceptance. I say "truly" because no matter what presidents, corporations, religious groups, or others mouth, the reality is that people are treated differently, whether they're green, purple, or orange, gay or not, male or female, etc.
I think the recent events in France, and the ongoing atrocities in Darfur, and elsewhere, underscrore how unequally and unjustly people can and are treated solely based on who they are.
All right, so the title of my post was really twofold.
I received a beautiful picture of my niece (and a handsome one of my nephew) from my sister in law some days ago. Though I waxed ecstatic at the photo (she really is beautiful, and I'm not just saying that because she's my niece), I bemoaned the fact that she was in pink. Yes, she looked great, but pink!! Gack! Eeeeek!
One of my office coworkers and I bumped into each other the same day. She has a 14 month-old girl and another one on the way. Well, I asked about her daughter and naturally had to gush about my niece, as well as whine about the pink outfit. And that led to the discussion of the color of babies.
I have never understood why parents and strangers get very indignant about what colors a baby might be wearing. You wouldn't believe the things I've heard or witnessed! When people see a baby, they usually will ask if its a boy or a girl, and if the infant is dressed is what is considered the "wrong" color, they get very indignant, and some of them downright verbally abusive!
Boys = green and blue outfits. Girls = pink and red and frilly outfits.
Excuse me?!
Listen up, folks, babies by and large don't care what color you dress them in as long as they're dry and comfy. Harranguing caregivers or parents when you see a girl dressed in blue or a boy dressed in yellow is not only stupid, but also perpetuating sexual stereotypes. In this day and age, shouldn't we be beyond all that?
There are women in the highest political offices, who are heads of large corporations, are doctors, lawyers, firefighters, cops, and generals! Honestly, I don't think what colors they wore as infants affected their intelligence, drive, perseverance, or ambition, among other things, in their climb to the top. Surely, women who aren't in these positions of power weren't blighted because they might have worn blue onesies instead of pink as infants!
This makes think of the whole men = pants and women = skirts only controversy that raged even as recently as 50 years ago! Women have been able to vote for not quite 100 years (and were actively discouraged from doing so), and women's rights didn't truly have much political clout until the 1970s... well, officially, at any rate.
Of course, I'm not talking Elizabeth I of England. She was an exceedingly amazing woman, who was one of a very few women who was not only very powerful, but was able to hold onto her power in a world dominated by men. I'm not saying there weren't powerful women in olden days, only that they often had to work behind the scenes because women weren't allowed to positions of power unless they were wives, courtesans, mistresses and such. In other words, latched to some man's side and through the bedroom or by signing away their rights and property in marriage.
But yet another interesting question arises for me. If boy infants aren't supposed to wear pink and girl babiess aren't supposed to wear blue, or other "typical" gender colors, then why is it all right for adult men to wear pink shirts and women to wear blue?
Enquiring and inquiring minds want to know. |
posted by Cheshire Cat @ 11/11/2005 09:55:00 am   |
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