Girls cannot escape the color pink

If you are a girl and under the age of 12, you had better like the color pink.

Modern fashion for young people of the female variety offers more pink than a cotton candy factory, a fact that's made obvious by swinging through the girls' department in any clothing or box store. Call it "fuchsia" or "puce" or "tea rose" but in the world of girls' fashion -- from winter coats to swimming suits -- the popular valentines' color is a completely unavoidable hue.

Kelly Jones is the mother of two girls, ages 7 and 9, and she's sick of what she calls "the pink plague." Jones says she had to order a green winter jacket from the Internet for her younger daughter because she could only find pink coats in her size.

"Every time our Brownie troop went skating or sledding this winter, I could easily spot my daughter because she was the only -- I mean the only -- girl not wearing a pink coat," says Jones. "It's completely obnoxious."

Ava Wilkes has a daughter who is now 28, and she says that when she was raising her in the '80s and early '90s, there were seemingly more color options for girls' fashion.

"The pink thing was big when I was a kid, and then it fell out of fashion for a while in the '80s. Maybe it's because of feminism and post-modern feminism," says Wilkes. "Actually, I remember pink being more popular with men than little girls in the '80s."

It's arguable that changes in the women's movement affected some gals' opinion of the color pink and their willingness to clothe their daughters in the color. In any case, pink is back with a vengeance.

"I think we're getting more conservative again in the United States and this is reflected in all the pink clothing for girls," says Wilkes.

But recent studies suggest that females are hardwired to prefer pink over other colors. In 2007, a study conducted at Newcastle University found that although men and women seemed to prefer blue overall, women were more likely to pick images that were purplish blue whereas men were more likely to pick a green-blue image.

Many theories surfaced over the years as to why pink is popular with girls. Some have said it's because women were originally gatherers and they needed to spot red berries. Others have theorized it's because mothers have traditionally been the parent most likely to identify a fever on the flushed cheeks of their child.

"No way. I think it's all marketing," says Jones. "Pink is now branded as the color for girls. And they want it like they want everything else that's marketed towards girls. (The color) pink and princesses are the same thing."

Interestingly, prior to the '40s, the color pink was associated with boys and blue was associated with girls. Red was considered a masculine color, and because pink was close in color, it was often worn by boys. Blue, on the other hand, was more commonly donned by girls because it was believed to be a "dainty" color as well as the color most worn by the Virgin Mary.

According to Kate Wilfer, the owner of Juxt Home & Baby, 1504 Underwood Ave., pink girls' clothing is easier to avoid in higher-end boutiques.

"Pink is always gonna be around, just like the little black dress for grown up ladies, but if you are looking for a unique off-beat line of girls' clothes shop local boutiques," says Wilfer.

Wilfer says she buys a lot of non-pink dresses from Jen Jen, a small company out of New York City.

"All the prints used are rich jewel tones or patterns reminiscent of vintage cloth. The dresses are trimmed with ric-rac or little pom pom edging, very sweet and feminine, but not pink," she says. "I think many couples of today are wanting to dress their little girls in fun brights, retro patterns and cool aqua blues."