Analysis / Real Men Wear Pink

This actually works two different ways:

• It advertises manliness by saying that behaving in a way perceived as feminine cannot tarnish it. Maybe his masculinity is so accepted that no one needs proof of his masculinity.
  • Related to this was the use seen in Unseen Academicals: the wearer is so manly that he's not afraid of being challenged on the perceived femininity of his appearance.
• It suggests (or asserts) that the person is so manly that he causes his behaviors and attire to be masculine, rather than the other way around.

Real men wearing pink actually used to be a cultural difference: Pink used to be associated with masculinity while blue was for girls, instead of the other way around. The idea was pink was a shade of red, which used to symbolize blood, as in blood spilled during wars. Blue on the other was linked to the Virgin Mary, and was often a color used for wedding dresses. That was until Queen Victoria broke this trend with a white dress, news of which became widespread and others emulated this.

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