Blue is the color of a clear daytime sky or deep water. It can also describe feeling sad or depressed.
It comes from Old French “bleu” or “bleu,” meaning “pale, bluish-gray,” and Old High German “blāo,” meaning “blue, livid.” The emotional sense of “feeling blue” developed later in English.
The color blue is calm and cool, so it’s interesting that English uses it to describe sadness, as in “the blues.” Music, especially blues music, helped spread this emotional meaning around the world.
In the 20th century, Western marketing and socialization strongly associated blue with boys and masculinity, despite earlier periods where blue was linked with femininity or the Virgin Mary. This color-coding has been used to police children’s gender expression.
Use “blue” as a color without assuming or enforcing gender (e.g., avoid treating blue as inherently ‘for boys’).
Women and gender-diverse people have actively challenged color-based gender rules in fashion, sports, and children’s products.
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