While July has been a somewhat soggy month, everyone will be hoping August brings back some dry conditions to Britain. And if better weather does come, that will be a good excuse to invest in some shorts for the family holiday.
Of course, if you set out to buy women’s shorts online you may just find there is rather a lot of pink on display. Some might think this is all about the Barbie film, but Barbie didn’t invent the idea of women wearing pink; it’s been a stereotype for generations that ladies go for pink and boys for blue.
There are some different ideas about why this has been so, and like so many other debates, it has all been about nature v nurture. Those arguing for the first view claim there is scientific evidence that women prefer pink.
Equally, both sexes like blue and past research has shown it is the most popular in countries across the world. That’s a good enough reason to get blue shorts in our book.
Others claim that liking pink is a matter of social conditioning, pointing out that it used to be seen as a ‘manly’ colour. In Victorian times, for instance, many more football teams played in pink shirts than now, with teams ranging from humble Grimsby Town to Italian giants Juventus originally turning out in the hue.
Both clubs are also among the many who have had pink away kits in recent years, including Everton (who also once had pink and blue home shirts). But Palermo have worn pink since 1907 and these days superstar Lionel Messi now turns out in the colours for Inter Miami.
Yes, with a Women’s World Cup on, nobody can claim “it’s a man’s game” these days, but the fact that so many of the world’s greatest stars (and Everton players) turn out in pink surely suggests that the fashion wheel has turned.
So ladies, if you want to buy blue shorts instead of pink, go for it. And if some anthropologist comes along saying liking pink was due to prehistoric women being the gatherers of red berries, ask them who they think was picking the blueberries.