Pink Shirts

I have nothing against pink. In fact, I sometimes wear a hot pink shirt to work, paired with black slacks. I think it looks rather smart actually.

But I've noticed that times have changed. It used to be rare for a guy to wear a pink shirt, and if they did, it was assumed that they were gay. Yes I know, it's a stereotype, but I suppose behind every stereotype, there is some amount of truth. The world is changing, and fast. Am I the only one noticing that the pace of change has increased?

It was ten years ago that I had gone to lunch. On my way back to work from lunch, I stopped off at the car wash. As I was leaving the car wash, I had to stop at a stop sign. This guy passed in front of my car on a bicycle. He took one quick look at me and as he passed, turned around and yelled, "Faggot!". I quickly looked at my shirt to make sure that he wasn't saying that because the shirt was wrinkled, or out of place in any way. It had to have been the color. It couldn't have been how I looked at him because before he blurted out that rather rude word, I didn't even see him.

Today, that same guy would most likely be very confused. Yesterday, I went to the sandwich shop for lunch and there were three guys there in pink shirts, along with me. I'm thinking, "What the hell?" And around my workplace, there are no less than six other guys who occasionally wear pink - all very straight. Apparently, pink is no longer associated with gay men.