# Men in pink shirts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937 "2002-07-26T14:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Osbie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cdc98d/32.png) [@Osbie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osbie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/61 "2002-07-28T04:41:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kaotic Newtral \* > \*\* > > Well, the facts speak for themselves…no suggestion needed. 😃 > Adding the fact that it was a ‘pink’ tanktop just compounds the argument. A pink tanktop! Man…there aren’t any words to explain the mental condition of a man who would do such a thing. He should have been put away years ago! \*\* Hey c’mon, it’s not like it was lace-trimmed or anything… It looked puh-retty darn good under his linen suit - especially when he didn’t wear socks with his shoes. Oooo BABY! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/62 "2002-07-28T12:13:08Z")
Interesting cultural gap here. In Sweden, pink polo shirts was _the_ fashion thing for men two years ago. Pink button down shirts are still considered a hot fashion item and the idea of ‘casual friday’ never came into being here, since we’re always casual by American standards. Dress codes do exist, for some professions but are much more relaxed than in the US. Men working in banks can get away with a polo shirt and Dockers. This summer, the Rich Brats, with daddy paying the Amex bill, are wearing their hair semi long, slicked back, pink shirts and denim. ---
**Author:** ![SUPERKARLENE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@SUPERKARLENE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SUPERKARLENE)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/63 "2002-07-28T17:40:25Z")
I agree with Gaspode. American avoidance of the color pink isn’t because pink is bad. It’s because we’ve all been brainwashed into thinking that pink is too “feminine.” I wonder what other fashion gaps exist between the cultures… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/64 "2002-07-28T18:14:45Z")
I wear pink & purple at any opportunity. They’re nice colours. I am historically heterosexual. Isn’t it a bit superstitious, (and, well, _ignorant_,) to make inferences about someone’s sexuality or “manliness” (whatever that is, apart from ownership of a pair of ghoulies,) based on the frequency of the light bouncing off of them? Idiomatic cultural associations look so weird from the outside. Do you know how common it is in some parts of the world for people to assume that a man who removes (or even trims) his facial hair is homosexual? Thankfully, we’re letting that one go 'round these parts in the last century or so, but it’s still a part of our history. (“No wife, no horse, no mustache.”) Hell, I got ribbed in school for carrying a handkerchief. Obviously a gay thing. But “what does it mean” when you carry a _white_ one in your _breast_ pocket? I dunno-- that I don’t want to blow my nose on the back of my hand? If you get all wigged out by someone with a penis wearing a particular colour, congratulations, you’ve bought into exactly the sort of mindset that railed on about the scandal of women wearing _pants_. > [@](#): > > _In every cry of every man, > In every infant’s cry of fear, > In every voice, in every ban, > The mind-forged manacles I hear._ --William Blake ---
**Author:** ![fisico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@fisico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisico)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/65 "2002-07-28T22:08:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Octavia Smythe-Bunion I. Esq. \* > \*\*Hmmm, didn’t Don Johnson wear a pink shirt now and then in _Miami Vice_ - a tank top, probably, but pink nonetheless? > > Are some of you trying to suggest that Crockett was anything less than 100% cool? \*\* We have got a re-run of Miami Vice and the 80’s are really coming back. Crockett did look cool, but Tubbs had more class. ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/66 "2002-07-28T23:22:42Z")
There is no good clothing color other than black. Black is all that should be allowed at any time in any place by anybody. Wear black. You’ll love it. Trust me. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/67 "2002-07-29T10:02:32Z")
**SUPERKARLENE** [BIG HIJACK] Interesting - that might just be a good idea for a new thread. Cultural gap in fashion. - My impression is that most men in the US wear white underwear. Not so over here. - American women tend to wear more make up than European. The day time make up in the US is like the evening/party make up here. I could go on, but the this hijack would get huge. [/BIG HIJACK] ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/68 "2002-07-29T12:05:12Z")
All of my dress shirts are lavender, mauve, or purple. Of course, this probably doesn’t help… ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/69 "2002-07-29T15:10:54Z")
Excuse me but in several westerns **john Wayne** wears a pink shirt or a pink bandanna around his neck. If it’s good enough for the Duke it should be good enough for any man. (of course he is also wearing a gun) ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/70 "2002-07-29T15:37:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Excuse me but in several westerns **john Wayne** wears a pink shirt or a pink bandanna around his neck. > > If it’s good enough for the Duke it should be good enough for any man. > > (of course he is also wearing a gun) \*\* Yea…the gun does help. He might’ve just been wearing the pink to get people ‘draw’ on him. It was probably a calculated move. 😉 But, I’ve yet to see Clint Eastwood(the coolest gunfighter ever!) wear pink. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/71 "2002-07-29T18:22:29Z")
> [@](#): > > I will accept pink shirts as long as I can ban those coloured shirts with white colours and cuffs. One colour please, gentlemen. YES! Thank you! Ew, ew, ew! Those things are the shirticular equivalent of bowling shoes. Honestly. ---
**Author:** ![MachV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@MachV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachV)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/72 "2002-07-29T19:46:27Z")
[huffy voice] What do have against bowling shoes? I _love_ my bowling shoes! [/huffy voice] ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/73 "2002-07-29T19:51:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\* > > YES! Thank you! Ew, ew, ew! > > Those things are the shirticular equivalent of bowling shoes. Honestly. \*\* Lol, Matt…are you Jesse Jackson? I dig the word shirticular though! ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/74 "2002-07-30T14:32:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eva Luna \* > \*\*I think one needs either olive-toned skin or a decent tan for the look to work. \*\* Agreed. Those of us who start out being pretty damn pink had best avoid it. I’ve only ever owned one pink shirt, which I acquired entirely by accident. I was doing the wash and found this pink shirt, which at first I thought might be my step-mom’s - but I knew she hated pink, so that was unlikely. So I tried it on and it fit. Color wasn’t bad, either - not bright, sort of a dusty rose. Not my first choice but acceptible. But where the hell had it come from? And then I started looking for my favorite _grey_ shirt. With the soft collar. Which I’d put in with the whites… and bleached… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/75 "2002-07-30T16:16:28Z")
I own, and wear, both a pink shirt - BRIGHT pink, none of these washed-out sissy pinks - and a collection of cartoon ties. All were Father’s Day presents, chosen and delivered with love by my darling daughter. You better believe I wear them, and she tells me I look nice in them, so there! Of course, my mother dresses my father in clothes that are visible to inhabitants of the moons of Saturn, and my daughter also approves of his fashion choices, but I have learned not to argue with the Grand High Arbiter of Fashion in the Shodan household. Ten-year-old autocrat of fashion: “Oh, daddy, you’re not wearing THAT.” Clueless old person: “I’m not?” Ten-year-old autocrat, rummaging thru my closet: “No - you’re wearing THIS shirt, and THIS tie. Are your socks right side out?” Clueless old person: “I think so.” Autocrat: “OK, then. The black pants are fine.” - then to her mother, who is cooking - “Daddy is all dressed now.” The Lovely and Talented Mrs. Shodan: “Good. Do his socks match?” Autocrat: “Yes, and they are the right side out, too.” Then they bask in the satisfaction of a job well done, fending off possible action from the Fashion Police. Regards, Shodan By the way, where **IS** my underwear? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/76 "2002-07-30T17:46:04Z")
My wife wants me to get a pink dress shirt, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I do have a purple pullover, though. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/77 "2002-07-30T17:56:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kittenblue \* > \*\*Now fushia (shocking pink) is a bold, strong color, and a dark-haired guy can carry it off. \*\* My now-fiance picked me up for our first date wearing a bright pink polo shirt. I let him get away with it since he lives in Miami. And he does have dark hair, and the color does look good on him. I have that :eek: reaction to pink on guys sometimes, but the “Pink is for girls, blue is for boys” thing was still very strong while I was growing up. I don’t think less of a man for wearing pink, but it does take me aback at first glance, I can’t help it. It’s one of those ingrained cultural things. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937/78 "2002-07-30T23:37:31Z")
As regards to Gaspode from Sweden, I think men from Sweden would probably look very nice in pink. In fact, I think that people should stop being afraid of the “fashion police” and wear what they like, as long as the clothing is clean and covers everything without being tight. Those are my two pet peeves: Wear clean clothes and if in doubt, wear clothing too loose rather than too tight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-pink-shirts/120937.md?page=3)