Pink

As TV's "Q.I." and others have informed us, prior to the early 20th century, the colour pink was associated with boys. It was felt to be a strong and therefore male shade.

In the playgrounds of my youth, that was very much not the case. Wearing even a faded red could see you labelled a "girl" (as if that was a bad thing).

Nowadays, thankfully, there's less attempt to divide the spectrum along gender lines. A burly footballer might casually sport a pink suit to a function. My mate D.'s son's favourite colour is pink.

One of the first guys I knew who embraced the hue was an older teen, B. An amateur golfer with the potential to turn pro, he tried to push the fashion boundaries out on the links. In regional NSW in the 1980s, he seemed daring in his pink collared shirt.

A year or so later, a friend my own age, M., decided pink was the radness. He bought a pair of pink shorts to wear to the two local discos he attended regularly. When he showed me, perhaps pre-empting criticism, he remarked, "They're probably too trendy for you."

That comment must have festered in my brain, 'cos about six months afterwards, on a compulsory clothes-buying expedition, I lobbied for and got pink shorts of my own. I'd show M. how trendy I could be!

But I don't remember wearing them to a Blue Light or RSL disco. Or on the golf course (I didn't play). Or to a school function or birthday party. I only remember wearing them to church.