[Foreign Book] Early 20th Century, The Boy Was Pink!

Lisa Celine Davis 'Tomboy'

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] In the 19th century, most boys in the United States played with dolls. For several decades in the early 20th century, pink was the color for boys. When and why did boys give up dolls and the color pink?

Lisa Selin Davis, author of Tomboy, says that the distinction between boys and girls has become more pronounced today. In an interview with The New York Times, she identified the 1970s as the period when the differentiation between boys and girls became clearer.

"Since the 1970s, fetal sex testing became possible. The economy was sluggish and birth rates were low, so companies had to find ways to sell products. The anti-feminist movement during the Ronald Reagan administration also influenced this."

Davis says that many products today are still made distinctly for males and females. Although LEGO sets for girls have been created, the basic concept is still based on the dollhouse.

Davis argues that such distinctions are by no means desirable. The more toys are separated by gender in childhood, the more boys and girls become accustomed to different ways of living, and the world itself becomes divided. As an example, Davis explains that clothing for certain sports or climbing is not well made for women.

Davis explores stories about gender distinctions and identity in various fields including clothing, psychology, history, and neuroscience.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.