What's with that guy? Why is he wearing pink?How can your favorite colour be pink,man?

Pink has lost all it's essence as a colour and turned into a statement in the shackles of today's patriarchy. A man wearing pink is as rare as another man acknowledging the colour pink.

If we look closely into the chapters of history, we see the colour pink has a very significant role in the typical male lifestyle. Pink which is simply a variation of red has been associated with war, rage and royalty in the prince's households for a long time. However, none of these reasons made pink exclusive for any specific gender.

No such trend of pink-for-girls and blue-for-boys came in even up till the 19th century, where newborns were wrapped in the unisex white colour. The colour pink did have some restrictions by then and was mostly associated with children as it was a symbol of newness and innocence. During the late 1800s the French started associating pink as a feminine hue but it only remained restricted to the country.

Even in the early 1900s pink was mostly a colour that signified class and elegance irrespective of the gender, Elvis Presley's iconic pink suit was a sensation during those times. According to Life Magazine, 1955 marked the “Peak Year for Pink” for men and women alike. “Across the US,” the article tells us, “a pink peak in male clothing has been reached as manufacturers have saturated more and more of their output with the pretty pastel. Now more of a staple than a luxury, the color is even acceptable to teen-age boys.”

The 1960s took a massive turn, where people considered that parents should distinguish their kids as per their sex, from an early age. Manufacturer saw it as an excellent opportunity to make money and thus, started producing unicoloured garments for toddlers. The division really didn’t get into full swing until the 80s and 90s. This was partly the result of the invention of prenatal testing. Now that moms knew the sex of their baby ahead of time, they were confident in investing in gender-specific clothes and accessories.

Though today the concept seems timely ancient, but it wasn't until very recently that people started gender stereotyping colours as well.

Pink however, is a versatile shade that anyone can pull off with confidence and sense of style. If you ask me, I would say that a man wearing pink has a definite sense of fashion and style. Pink is just a beautiful colour, femininity or masculinity has nothing to do with it.

Recently, a famous football team launched it's pink kit collection to stand against “pink phobia”. Many male celebrities wore pink to raise awareness against cancer. Pink is a shade that brings out a softer side of men.. women ... transgender.. anyone who loves to dress themselves.

Let our men be soft and fresh, let them embrace the colour with confidence. Everyone deserves to represent themselves at their best, and for men..maybe pink is the exact shade you're looking for.

So the next time you see a man working pink..you might have some genuine curiosity as to “What's with that guy?”