Teenager Snaps After His Uncle Tells Him To Take Off His Pink, Fluffy Hoodie — 'I've Never Cared It's A Girl's Color'
He refused to let his uncle’s chauvinistic behavior tear down his confidence.
Lomb | Shutterstock Younger generations are far more open-minded when it comes to pushing the boundaries of societal gender roles and embracing unique self-expression with confidence. They’re less intimidated by gender stereotypes, which are gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Older generations, however, often still feel the need to project their absurd principles onto our youth. One boy's uncle did just that, insisting that the color pink is only for girls.
The teenager snapped at his uncle after he told him to take off his pink, fluffy hoodie.
The 18-year-old boy asked on Reddit if he was wrong for vulgarly retorting after his uncle’s rude request.
“I love the color pink, always have,” he wrote. “I’ve never cared it’s a ‘girls’ color and I guess I was lucky to have a mum who didn't care either and would buy me and my siblings things regardless of color or gendering.”
morrowlight | Shutterstock
Due to some recent chilly weather in his city, the teen had been frequently wearing a warm and comfortable hoodie which happens to be pink. “It’s nice and fluffy and oversized," he added. "I love the thing."
However, his uncle recently came over and couldn’t hold back from criticizing the teen’s hoodie. Instead of dropping it and letting the boy be, the man went as far as to tell him to take the hoodie off, claiming he shouldn’t be wearing pink.
The teen snapped at him, refusing to take his uncle’s judgment over a color seriously. At the end of the day, it’s just a hoodie, and pink is just a color.
His uncle was alarmed by the teen’s obscene response. "He got huffy," the teen recalled, and left 10 minutes later, calling his nephew names.
Reddit users commended the teen for standing his ground and refusing to let his uncle’s aversion dictate his preferences.
Commenters agreed that his uncle’s behavior was out of line. He attempted to knock down his nephew’s confidence over his own prejudice and outdated gender stereotypes.
“Confidence is key. Show him pink is powerful!” one Reddit user urged.
“I would purposefully wear more pink around him to annoy him even more,” another commenter suggested, to which the boy replied, "I guess time for a whole pink outfit."
“If your uncle starts on you again, just tell him your masculinity isn't so fragile that a color makes you question it,” another person wrote.
As content creator and mental health advocate Robert Wolf said in a TikTok, "Clothes don't have a gender!"
Whether you're a man who wants to wear a dress — or the color pink — or a woman shopping in the men's section, "wear what you want," Wolf urged.
Many Redditors also agreed that men who embrace their femininity are more comfortable and confident with themselves and additionally attract more people into their energy. “My standard line is, ‘I'm in touch with my feminine side.... chick's dig that,’” someone wrote.
His uncle’s immature behavior indicates his own fragile masculinity.
His uncle likely grew up in a starkly different era, where men and women were severely ridiculed for making any attempts to go against the grain of their gender.
As society has evolved, many have become more open-minded, now understanding that these imposed gender roles only inhibit self-expression. Individuals like this teen have learned to embrace authenticity and brush off others’ reproachful comments.
His uncle’s prejudicial behavior only signifies his own insecurities surrounding masculinity. The reality is that if men, women, and everyone in between can’t learn to embrace both their masculine and feminine sides, they will stay stuck in a self-sabotaging pattern of chauvinism and bigotry.
They may try to take down those who can confidently defy these suffocating gender expectations, but they’ll only hurt themselves in the end.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.