365 Project – Day 244 – I Don’t Hate Pink…

I’m sure that statement comes as quite a shock to all of you, but it’s the truth. I don’t “hate” pink. In fact, for a brief period my sophomore year of college, I had pink hair–Atomic Pink to be exact–and it was glorious. So no, I don’t exactly hate pink. I do have issues though.

My problem with pink is really two-fold.

1. I don’t look good in pink. I don’t know if it’s just the fact that I’ve never been a girlie girl and never felt comfortable wearing it, or if I just don’t have the right skin tone to pull it off, but it’s just plain awful. Having Atomic Pink hair is one thing–really, you can’t go wrong there, especially when you’re just a crazy college kid. But actually going out and picking out dresses and outfits in patterns of pretty pink? No way man, not my cup of tea. I was always more of a red, black, purple and blue sort of girl.

2. Pink is forced down girls’ throats from birth. If you don’t believe me, head over to your local Babies ‘R Us or Target store and check out the baby clothes. Or hell, even try googling toys, clothes, bedding, blankets or any other accessories you can think of. Boys’ are blue. Girls’ are pink. And any brand trying to remain gender neutral falls back on good ol’ green or yellow. Pink stars, pink heart, pink ribbons, pink emroidery, pink shoes, pink socks, pink lace, pink blankets, pink sheets, pink sippy cups. The madness never ends. I don’t mind my daughter wearing pink or having some pink things, but I don’t want to open the door to her room or her closet and have it look like a giant Pepto Bismol bottle exploded in there. That’s where I draw the line.

When Steven and I found out we were having a baby girl, everyone I knew gave me a a hard time. Some people went out of their way to buy Cadence pink outfits and toys, thinking that it would drive me nuts. Others made a very concerted effort to avoid buying any pink for Cadence at all. Honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me. Cadence is cute, whether she’s wearing pink or not. When I’m out buying clothes for her, I’m looking at more of the style and the fit than the color.

Cadence has recently grown out of every pair of shoes she owns except the Converse sneakers we bought her last month (and guess what, they’re pink!), and I needed to make sure she had a pair of easy access velcro shoes to wear to the airport when we fly out to Phoenix on Sunday. It’s going to be a big enough pain getting the diaper bag, sippy cups of milk, stroller and all of my camera gear through the security screening. The last thing I need is to be holding up the line trying to get a stubborn pair of lace up sneakers off and on my squirming toddler. We were heading to Walmart anyway to pick up some dog treats for Electra, so I figured I would just find a cheap pair while we were there. No use dropping a large chunk of change on a pair of shoes she is likely to grow out of in two months.

All I wanted was a simple white or black pair of velcro shoes that Cadence could wear through the airport and with her Husker outfits. So, we headed over to the kids’ shoe aisle for a look, and here’s what we found…

Pink and white. White and pink. White with pink stripes and flowers. White with pink hearts and beads. Pink with white stripes.

Silver and pink. Silver, black and pink. Pink with bunny faces and bows. Brown and pink. Pink and brown. White, brown and pink. Shiny pink with silver sparkles.

Shiny silver and pink flowers. Black, blue and pink. Hot pink. Light pink. Purple and pink Hello Kitty.

Shiny pink. Sparkly pink. Pink with rhinesteones. Pink and white Dora the Explorer shoes. Black with pink flowers.

Really? I mean really??? All the way up one side of the aisle and down the other. Pink. Pink. Pink. Pink. PINK!!!

I was starting to hate pink.

So, I did the only thing I could. I bought Cadence a pair of cute black boys’ shoes.

And let me tell you, they are going to look ADORABLE with her Husker cheerleader outfit. 😉