“Pink is a creeping contagion,” says James, 40. Other people started to tweet their own experiences involving gender issues, such as the woman whose four-year-old nephew refused to use red, pink or purple pens because they are “girls’ colours”. Interestingly, they found the 1976 Argos catalogue had no pink toys at all in it but recent copies are awash with them. The “pinkification” of girls was particularly horrifying to the couple and included everything from clothes to toys. “She used to pick up worms happily, too, but now won’t,” Ros noted in the diary in August 2012.
His sister wasn’t at all bothered about pink fluffy things or butterflies until she felt she “should” be.
Ros and James found their son loved pushing a toy buggy as a toddler, but not once he got to nursery. Research shows girls’ and boys’ brains are similar and the sexes have considerable overlap in what they like to play with until the ages of two or three, when they begin to feel some things are socially unacceptable. What if boys’ and girls’ preferences aren’t innate but the result of drip-feeding insidious, subtle – and not so subtle – messages from the moment of birth? Such comments may seem pretty innocuous – and that is the couple’s point. “This is what we call the boys’ corner,” a member of staff says, pointing to a play table for cars. The next day, James and Ros look rounda nursery for their daughter. “Shall I get this in blue?” the assistant asks them. Meanwhile, they pick up a flashing torch with pink casing for themselves. “Why don’t you get this?” they suggest to Ros and James’ daughter. The children’s two boy cousins stop at a stall and pick up a pink fluffy tiara. On January 10, 2011, they recount a visit to the panto. The couple’s first two tweets set the tone for the avalanche to follow.
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