Pink Think

Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons is a fascinating result of author Lynn Peril’s obsession with collecting retro advertising and advice books from the 40’s through the 70’s. In Peril’s words, Pink think “is a set of ideas and behaviors about what constitutes proper female behavior.”

Women were subjected to these pink think ideals from every angle of society, “advice writers, manufacturers of toys and other consumer products, experts in many walks of life, and the public at large…” Society held incredibly high and restrictive standards for women to be feminine, which meant to be gentle, soft, delicate, nurturing. Society believed that women could “desire no greater destiny than to glory in their own femininity.” And the color pink became specifically associated with femininity everywhere. There was no escaping it.

Society seemed to fear that if women worked, or became too independent, the world would come crashing down around us. Work outside of the home was made to seem more like a distraction- a way to spend your time until you get married instead of being a way to feel fulfilled. A 1950 ad for U.S. Savings Bonds read “when a young girl goes to work, she is apt to look on her job pretty much as a fill-in between maturity and marriage.”

Peril includes in the book a test that was in the February 1960 issue of Seventeen magazine entitled How Do You Rate as a Girl? It includes thought-provoking questions like “Do you listen responsively to a story you have heard before rather than squash the pleasure of the boy who is telling it?” and “In a serious discussion which includes both sexes, can you keep from being overpowering even though you know a great deal on the subject?” If you scored perfectly you are deemed a “veritable flower of femininity.” I took the quiz myself and scored five to seven yeses- “there are a few thorns.” Couldn’t be prouder.

It was almost frightening to read about the advice that “experts” were giving to women about how to be “feminine.” Essayist Louis Paine Benjamin wrote in 1947, “[Women] will know how to whip up a tasty meal, a new dress…turn a shirt collar or paint a living room…woman’s skill and interest in her home life can be just as stimulating and ego-rewarding as a successful profession in the business world.” All those experts were forceful that women would be unable to find anything other than being a wife and mother as completely satisfying. Of course some women did, and do, find being a stay-at-home mom satisfying. But, whereas we have the choice now, in the 40’s work outside the home was automatically considered unfeminine.

Peril also looks at how advertisers targeted women by associating their products with helping to create the perfect family. She looks at the experts advice on sex-ed and a girls reputation. And in an effort to look at all perspectives, Peril delves a bit into how boys and men also had specific standards of behavior they were expected to live up to. But that’s a far less interesting chapter.

Obviously, things have changed. Women can choose to stay home with their kids, have a career outside the house, or do both. But this book also made me wonder about how things haven’t changed. Television ads for cleaning products always show women looking completely satisfied after finally being able to get their kitchen floors sparkling. But how often do you see men featured in ads like these? And fashion advertisements consistently display thin, beautiful women with flawless skin and glossy hair. These unrealistic pictures, which have been airbrushed to death, are the new impossible standards women face. And of course, the age old question. Career and a family: can women have it all?

Pink Think is not just an interesting and enjoyable read. It was truly thought-provoking and made me realize that even though women have earned more independence and respect in society, we are still faced with, and have to fight against, pink think.