The Idea: Pink for a boy.
The Motive: To distinguish him from a girl.
The Story: In Belgium, Princess Astrid, consort of the Crown Prince, gave birth a fortnight ago to a 7-lb. daughter. Said despatches: "The cradle . . . had been optimistically oufitted in pink, the color for boys, that for a girl being blue."* Said many U. S. newspaper readers: "What! Pink for a BOY? Why, in our family, we have been using pink for GIRLS, blue for boys." A check of U. S. authorities (i. e., leading stores that sell baby equipment) showed: BOYS GIRLS
Best's (Manhattan) P B
Macy's (Manhattan) B P
Franklin Simon (Manhattan) B P
Halle's (Cleveland) P P
Marshall Field's (Chicago) P B
Bullock's (Los Angeles) B P
Filene's (Boston) P B
Maison Blanche (New Orleans) P B Wanamaker's (Philadelphia) .... B P The White House (San Francisco) P B
There seems, then, to be no great unanimity of U. S. opinion on Pink v. Blue.
*In Catholic countries (France, Belgium, Spain, etc.) blue (the Virgin's color) is used for girls and pink for boys.