How I learnt to embrace pink

This is a photo of Lily at six months and you’ll notice something…there is not one pink thing in sight.  I’d banned it from the moment I discovered I was having a girl.  Friends and family could buy clothes and toys in white, at a push lilac or yellow BUT NO PINK was to ever enter my house.

Of course everyone thought she was a boy and in the end I’d just tell well meaning old ladies that her name was Harry just to avoid the question of why she was in jeans and a t-shirt.

Let me explain my aversion, I was a 1970’s tomboy as a child and I loved climbing trees, riding bikes and playing in mud.  Pink was not a colour that was terribly practical for any of those activities.

My mother is a wonderfully trailblazing feminist (even though she’d deny it!) who taught me all the good things about being a woman and looking after yourself and being independent in all senses.  I equated pink with princesses and being rescued - not for me!

However one day, when she was about two my little girl gained her own voice.  Despite my giving her a feminist upbringing with stories about princesses rescuing themselves, gender neutral toys, clothing and colours,  and telling her how she can be anything at all when she grows up.

You know what she wanted…

Pink

Dresses

Dolls

Teddies

Cath Kidston Florals

Play cleaning especially ironing (?!?)

To be a Mummy

So I have learnt to let go and to stop being so rigid in my tomboyish outlook - I think it was the Cath Kidston that won me over in the end though!  I have now embraced pink and discovered that my daughter has the most wonderful personal style.  In turn she tries to understand why I need a comfortable pair of jeans and a new pair of black Converse

‘But, Mummy you do know you can get those in pink, don’t you?’

This post was written by Liz, who blogs at Violet Posy. She is wife to Paul and mother to Lily a gorgeous five-year-old princess and Betty the mad gigantic black Labrador puppy. She also took the photos!

Comments

[Susanna (A Modern Mother)]

Cute!

We went through a big pink phase here. With three girls, you can imagine opening a wardrobe full of all shades of pink (and purple of course).

We finally branched out a bit, we have a few browns, blues and greens!

[Coding Mamma (Tasha)]

You lasted much longer than we did. I think we lasted about three months, before resigning ourselves to the fact that she would mostly be in pink. And that was mostly because neither of us could face the 'Oh, what a lovely little boy.' time and time again. I still try to go for a lot more blues and greens and reds and burgandys and, at the very least, darker pinks, but it is a losing battle, especially when relatives cannot understand why we would not want to dress our pretty little girl in pretty little pink dresses. Gah!

[More than just a mother]

Sorry, but when I learned I was expecting two little girls, my heart raced with the exciting prospect of shopping for PINK, PINK, PINK!!!

[Part Mummy Part Me]

My friend was expecting a girl and was adamant she wouldn't be a Pink Girl.

Her wish came true..baby Erin was born with a surprising shock of bright red hair. She looks terrible in pink. My friend is searching high and low for baby clothes in Emerald Green...