By Shira Kramer, Managing Editor
When I was little, it was normal for girls to be categorized as either “girly girls” or “tomboys.” However, as I got older, I began to realize that the so-called “girly girls” were not taken seriously. So, I painted my room blue and asked my mom to buy me a stuffed animal snake.
In addition to playing with different toys, I thought dressing differently would make people take me more seriously too. For me, that meant throwing out all traces of my favorite color: pink. While this might not seem like a difficult task, it was quite the expensive endeavor. Not only did I have to think of another answer for the “What’s your favorite color” question, but I also had to buy a ton of new clothes and accessories.
Many people don’t know that the color pink was not originally a feminine color at all. In 1927, a poll from Time magazine stated that 60% of participants viewed the color pink as a masculine color and viewed the color blue as more feminine since it was seen as a sign of virginity. In the 1950s, pink turned feminine when President Dwight Eisenhower’s wife Mamie wore a pink gown to his inaugural ball.
Like the color pink, the role of women in society has fluctuated throughout history. In early Egypt, it was not uncommon for women to be king. You might remember Cleopatra from history class? She was the co-ruler of Egypt. While she led the Egyptians for almost three decades, she always had to rule with either her father or her brothers. Many women were great leaders, but they were seen as human placeholders, waiting for a male heir to be able to take their position.
Like the women of today, they worked hard and performed well, yet they weren’t taken as seriously as their male counterparts. These oppressed women are our role models, but shouldn’t we look up to the people we aspire to be? Why would we strive for the oppression our female predecessors faced? Maybe it’s because if we don’t look at the past, there is no way to make the future better for our daughters.
Nearly a century later, women were seen as mothers and homemakers, secretaries and teachers. Although those are very important roles, we wanted more. So, we fought for independence and power. But at first, we fought against other injustices instead of our own.
Women first became politically active during the abolitionist period. When these women realized that freedom was possible for others, they turned to each other and decided to fight for themselves. In 1920, women were granted the right to vote with the induction of the 19th Amendment to the constitution.
However, this wasn’t the end.
Decades went by and women were gaslit into thinking they were being taken seriously and treated equal to their male counterparts. Yet, because they felt so insecure about their rise in authority, they decided to drop their femininity. They forgot what makes being a woman so special. We uplift each other and stand side by side with one another. Even when men are continually paid more, we work twice as hard.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, it is a fact (and one I believe is well-known) that women are paid less than men.
“On average, women working full-time, year-round are paid 84% of what men are paid,” the government post states. “In other words, the typical woman working full-time would need to work from January 1, 2023, until March 12, 2024, to make what the typical man working full-time made in 2023.”
While the odds are stacked against us in a patriarchal world, we do not give up. We cannot give up for the sake of our families and our dignity.
We are different and nothing can change that.
Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out.” While he might not have been talking about women specifically, women need to heed that message more than anyone.
For women, pink is power. We can’t drop the color to start looking like men. In fact, that is why I believe tznius is so beautiful. Jewish women in particular have a dress code, clothes that say “I’m a woman and I’m proud.”
Women should not have to wear boring colors to be taken seriously. In fact, it shouldn’t matter what you wear. Intellect is about the mind, not about the body. And pink is a representation of our hearts.