# Pink=Girls & Blue=Boys   Universal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 7, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262 "2001-09-07T17:10:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262/1 "2001-09-07T17:10:17Z")

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The SO and I were shopping for a baby shower gift the other day and she commented as to how she had never liked the color pink - even as a little girl. I promptly told her that it was illegal under international law for little girls not to like pink and little boys not to like blue, but she didn’t buy it.

Is the association of the genders with these two colors a worldwide phenomenon? If not pink and blue, are other colors associated with tykes?

Yes, folks, its a very uninspiring day here at work.

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**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262/2 "2001-09-07T18:19:28Z")

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I think that in China, red=boys and blue=girls.

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**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262/3 "2001-09-07T18:25:34Z")

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Actually, the reverse used to be true. Once, blue was associated with girls and pink with girls. [This site](http://www.dressmaker.com/ezine0200.shtml) (scroll down to the Historic Costuming article) says that the colors reversed around the time of WWII.

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**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-girls-blue-boys-universal/80262/4 "2001-09-07T18:52:58Z")

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This has been discussed in a number of threads, most thoroughly and with extensive links [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32984).