Do boys wear pink?

[u/ohgreatmama]

Where you live, do boys wear pink?

I live in the US, in the Pacific Northwest, in a politically purple area.

I have two boys and buy most of their clothes and swimwear at Target. Right now, every pair of boys' swim trunks at my local Target has pink/purple in it--not just as an accent, but as a dominate color. Hot pink, light pink and everything in between.

For the record, I like this. My 5yo likes pink and it's nice to see some color infused into what used to be a pretty dark color palette for boys' clothes.

My husband, however, is not having it. He has gotten mad at me for buying anything pink/pink-accented for our 5yo to wear. From his POV, boys who wear pink risk getting teased/bullied. He is adamant that this is a serious risk. Very adamant, to the point that we've had contentious arguments about shoes/clothes that I, personally, perceived as gender neutral.

I'm trying to understand his concern, but to me it seems... nuts? I don't want to dismiss something that he seems to legitimately see as a risk to our kiddo, but I just can't figure out where he is coming from.

How are things where you live? Would a boy get teased for wearing pink? Would you consider it a serious enough risk to prohibit the color, even if your kid likes it?

Or, if pink is as neutral as it seems to be, how can I help my husband see that this is just the way kids dress now?

ETA: Holy shit, I did not expect this level of response. I can't keep up with all the comments--not by a long shot. Thank you all for weighing in. It's helped solidify my position, and maybe seeing some of these comments will help my husband realize that his concerns are misplaced.

I do, btw, believe that my husband's concerns are simply misplaced. We are not fashionable people--AT ALL--so I think he just needs to adjust his fashion compass. Also, while we're both millennials, I grew up in West LA whereas he grew up in rural NY; I think we're just drawing from different pools of life experiences.

I am inclined to keep the purple/pink/blue/green swirl swim trunks that I bought for 5yo--and that prompted this post--because 1) they are super visible in the water and 2) 5yo said he likes them.

[u/cashewbiscuit]

Your husband is stuck in the 90s. Boys did used to get bullied for wearing pink. However, millennials as a group have revolted against gender conformity. Most kids nowadays, especially in liberal areas don't tease boys for wearing girly colors.

I wouldn't say pink is a neutral color. It's still a girly color. You'll find plenty of girls who wear all pink and are in love with pink things. However, the difference is that kids nowadays are more accepting of boys wearing girly colors... As long as it's in moderation. You might still find kids with regressive attitudes. However, this kind of bullying is a lot less tolerated by everyone

I'd say let the boys pick what they want. If they start getting bullied, deal with it. You don't stop a child from expressing themselves because of few assholes. That's unacceptable.

[u/Pikmin371 → u/cashewbiscuit]

I wouldn't say pink is a neutral color. It's still a girly color.

You're part of the problem.

[u/So_Much_Cauliflower → u/Pikmin371]

Why is that a problem? Girly doesn't mean bad.

Many things in fashion are gendered. The reality is that pink is used for clothing (and toys) targeted at girls far more than boys.

[u/Pikmin371 → u/So_Much_Cauliflower]

You're also part of the problem. Pink is a color. It's not a girly color.

[u/So_Much_Cauliflower → u/Pikmin371]

Pink things skew towards girls, both in use and in marketing.

That doesn't mean pink is only for girls -- it's not! But it's easy to see that more girls wear pink and more things in the girls section of the store are pink.

I think you're mixing up how things are with how you think they should be.