# Pink: why is it such a bad color for males?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 20, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480 "2013-06-20T16:39:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/1 "2013-06-20T16:39:17Z")
I just replaced my old Droid-X with a new Samsung Galaxy S4. Being a lazy bastard, I made the purchase online. A few days later I get the phone as well as the OtterBox (love their products). I had ordered a black OtterBox, and I received a pink OtterBox.
I looked through the accompanying paperwork (which correctly listed “black OtterBox”) and prepared to do an exchange through the mail. But, being a lazy bastard, I decided to just accept the pink. It’s just a color, right? Excellent visibility, right?
Wrong. I’ve gotten shit from everyone who sees it, even my gf.
So, what’s the deal here?😕
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### Author:  [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/2 "2013-06-20T16:43:52Z")
It used to be a [masculine color](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-Did-Girls-Start-Wearing-Pink.html).
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### Author:  [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/3 "2013-06-20T16:46:56Z")
Ingrained social expectations. It’s dumb.
I sometimes purchase shirts and ties for my SO. He balked the first time I bought pink but he had to admit it looked good and now he has tons of pink clothes, many of his own choosing.
Rock your otter box. Returns are a bitch.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/4 "2013-06-20T16:49:26Z")
Hee hee. A few years ago my wife upgraded her cell phone and then gave me her old one, because I didn’t have one back then. It was a pink flip phone, and yeah, everyone commented on it. “Pink?” “Why is your phone pink?”
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### Author:  [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/5 "2013-06-20T16:54:02Z")
Oh, **kayaker** , I always thought you were so butch!
I have couple pink shirts, and I only get compliments on them. A pink accessory might strike people differently than clothing, though.
That was a neat article, **Blackberr** y. This is our chance to take pink back!
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/6 "2013-06-20T17:01:18Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#):
>
> That was a neat article, **Blackberry**. This is our chance to take pink back!
Yep! I’m gonna claim that I’m just old-fashioned.😃
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/7 "2013-06-20T17:02:20Z")
Take a look at Catholic nativity scenes around Christmas. Traditional ones still have Joseph in pink and Mary in blue.
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### Author:  [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/8 "2013-06-20T17:21:16Z")
I own a pink buttondown shirt I wear once a week. I would never own a pink Otterbox.
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### Author:  [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/9 "2013-06-20T17:30:27Z")
Don’t be ashamed…show that pink box to everybody!
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/10 "2013-06-20T17:52:10Z")
nm
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### Author:  [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/11 "2013-06-20T18:22:47Z")
My Dad always said if you were man enough, you could wear whatever the hell you wanted and the Devil take anyone that said otherwise.
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### Author:  [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/12 "2013-06-20T18:27:26Z")
We purposely try to distinguish ourselves from the opposite sex in dozens of little ways. The girls have claimed pink as their color - if they want to be extra girly they add more pink. So when a guy wears pink, one has to ask if he is making some kind of statement. If I wore a skirt and heels to work people would naturally ask me why. That wouldn’t mean they are intolerant or that something is wrong in America.
Now, tell us why you really ordered a pink OtterBox, we won’t judge.
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### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/13 "2013-06-20T18:31:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I just replaced my old Droid-X with a new Samsung Galaxy S4. Being a lazy bastard, I made the purchase online. A few days later I get the phone as well as the OtterBox (love their products). I had ordered a black OtterBox, and I received a pink OtterBox.
>
> I looked through the accompanying paperwork (which correctly listed “black OtterBox”) and prepared to do an exchange through the mail. But, being a lazy bastard, I decided to just accept the pink. It’s just a color, right? Excellent visibility, right?
>
> Wrong. I’ve gotten shit from everyone who sees it, even my gf.
>
> So, what’s the deal here?😕
_Kayaker says, “Love S4 Galaxy!”
Kayaker says, “ringtone sure rings swell!”
Kayaker says, “has excellent visibility!”
“Don’t know if I loved something that was pink so well!”_
---
### Author:  [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/14 "2013-06-20T18:40:21Z")
Never mind pink/blue. What does it mean that I had to look up Otterbox?
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/15 "2013-06-20T18:41:55Z")
> [@Kenm](#):
>
> Never mind pink/blue. What does it mean that I had to look up Otterbox?
I’d never heard that term either.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/16 "2013-06-20T19:12:09Z")
**Kayaker** deserves to be given shit. Even if he were gay he _still_ deserves to be given shit. 🙂
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### Author:  [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/17 "2013-06-20T19:18:58Z")
My brother buys nothing but pink electronic devices ever since one salesman listed all the available colors of one such device and called pink “light red” in an attempt to be male-friendly. It pissed him off that someone thought his gender identity was so fragile that having a pink phone was beyond the pale, so he got the pink phone and a pink case to match.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/18 "2013-06-20T19:27:46Z")
Heh. I’m cracking up here.
Never heard of an OtterBox? How do you waterproof your electronics?!:eek:
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### Author:  [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/19 "2013-06-20T19:33:56Z")
Reminds me of the story of the big ol’ biker with the pink custom chopper.
When asked why a pink bike he replied, “I like custom choppers and I like to fight.”
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### Author:  [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pink-why-is-it-such-a-bad-color-for-males/661480/20 "2013-06-20T19:36:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Never heard of an OtterBox? How do you waterproof your electronics?!:eek:
I live in a house.
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