Comments on: When Pink Was For Everyone: 1950s Bathrooms

By: Vixenvena

Vixenvena — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 20:59:00 +0000

Is that dog begging for soap?

By: Guest

Guest — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:13:00 +0000

this color scheme is the worst thing ive ever seen, think ill go kill myself now.

By: Pam Kueber

Pam Kueber — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:05:20 +0000

More info here on Jo Paoletti’s research looking at when/why pink became “the color for girls”. It wasn’t always so: http://retrorenovation.com/2010/02/15/pink-was-not-always-the-color-for-girls/

By: AbominableSnowPickle

AbominableSnowPickle — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:57:37 +0000

I am reminded of Lynn Peril’s book “Pink Think”, which had at least one chapter devoted to the pink bathroom phenomenon. A very loud, proud, and vocal feminist am I, but quieter about my love of the color pink (in the right shade, of course. Barbie pink and Pepto are only two of the shades I hate) because of the “doing gender” issue. I often wonder if I like pink because I like the color, or if I only like it because I’m “supposed” to. But then I remember that my childhood bedroom was yellow and it was only after putting a second story on our 1952 house that I picked pink as the color for my room.

I digress. I have to say that some of the tile work and fixtures in those pink bathrooms is absolutely lovely. It makes me very sad to see some of those lovely bathrooms gutted to renovate them.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:48:11 +0000

One of the bathrooms in my grandparent’s house (which would have been put in originally in the 50s) was entirely done in bright pink. Now I know why!

By: Korean Gender Reader: 29 March 2010 « The Grand Narrative

Korean Gender Reader: 29 March 2010 « The Grand Narrative — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:33:53 +0000

[…] will challenge your association of pink clothes, and of the Korean men therein, Sociological Images provides evidence that in Western countries at least, pink didn’t stabilize itself as a girls-only color until […]

By: Shego

Shego — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:19:57 +0000

“… because we all look excellent in pink-tinted light.”

Compare with your comment a few posts later, regarding the widespread tendency to view pale skin as ‘normal’ or ‘default’ or ‘we all’.

By: buttercup

buttercup — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:45:15 +0000

The upstairs bathroom at the (1920s) family home, which was lived in by my two maiden aunts when I was growing up, was a beautiful pink fixture bath with stunning black and white tile work on the floor and the walls. When they had the second bath put in on the first floor in the early 60s, they went with a mint green for the fixtures and cream colored tile work.
Our house is a 1961 build and has blue bathroom fixtures with grey and white tiles. I had to custom-order a toilet seat that would match the toilet but it was totally worth it.

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:53:01 +0000

I think it’s still coded as feminine because the home was considered such a female space at the time.

By: Terrie

Terrie — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:12:04 +0000

The house I grew up in had a pink bathroom, despite being built in the 1920’s. I think it was a 50’s remodel or add-on. And it’s now gone. When they had to replace the (pink) toilet, they figured they might as well replace all of it.

By: kelebek

kelebek — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:29:42 +0000

Not only my bathrooms are pink, but my kitchen is also pink. It is the same shade of the pink that’s shown in the photo. I can’t wait till we finish building our own house, I am glad we are only renting this pink place!

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:28:09 +0000

I sure don’t look good in pink-tinged light. But then, I have acne.

By: sandy

sandy — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:56:38 +0000

I would happily take a sledgehammer to the pink porcelain in my 1987 bathrooms — but I suppose that’s “dusty rose.”

By: Buffy

Buffy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:11:15 +0000

Our home, built in the late 40s, has two very pink bathrooms.

By: Fran

Fran — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:15:10 +0000

In the flat my great-grandmother lived in, she had a pink bathroom complete with little decals of roses and pansys. I must say that pink light is flattering, gives you a nice rosy, healthy glow.