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| David Shepherd and Travis Price started Pink Shirt Day seven years ago in their Sr. High Year. |
I use to hate the colour
pink because it was such a girly, girl colour. I’ve often wondered who decided
that pink would be the colour to best represent females. Personally I
associated the colour with weakness and being soft. That was not the colour
that best represented this ex-military girl.
Today is Pink Shirt Day, the day that you will see
hundreds of guys and girls wearing pink shirts down the school corridors making
a symbolic statement for Anti-Bullying. It all started with a grade 9 boy
wearing a pink polo shirt to school. He got picked on and bullied because of
the colour of his shirt. Why? Perhaps it was because those who taunted him
viewed the colour pink as I did, soft, weak and extremely feminine.
But is that really what the
colour pink represents?
When compared, the colour
pink is not as strong or as bold as red, it is not as bright or vibrant as
orange, in fact it does not even go well with any of those colours! That’s
because it stands alone. What does it take to stand alone? True confidence, being
okay with who you are AND what you are not.
When a guy wears pink
people say, “He’s obviously secure with his masculinity." or “He’s not
afraid to show his vulnerable side.” What are people speaking about?
Confidence. The colour pink goes beyond external confidence ie. walking tall or
a firm handshake, you can fake that. Pink reveals character making it is
a colour that reflects what lies within and that cannot be faked.
True confidence is being okay with who you are AND what you are not.
Earlier I questioned the
person who chose pink to represent females, now I personally think that
decision superseded human understanding, that it was divinely chosen, a
Godincident. Could it be that the colour pink is a prophetic
declaration of true confidence that God himself chose to be the colour that
represents his ladies, yet females like myself and many males have despised it
because of a distorted view on this colour. Is it coincidence that
confidence is an area that so many women struggle with?
David Shepherd and Travis
Price two grade 12 students bought pink shirts and handed them out to their
classmates to protest the bullying that took place the day before with the
grade 9 student. These boys had the inner confidence to stand alone and stand
up for what was right… That’s Pink. For every girl who wars against her mirror
but still chooses to be proud of her frizzy hair or makes big feet look
cool…That’s Pink. Youth Pastor, when your weaknesses are revealed by the
strength of others yet you genuinely celebrate and praise their
abilities…That’s Pink. Pink represents True Confidence, being
comfortable with who you are and what you are not. That is Pink.
Are you looking around
wishing you were somebody you are not? Look at what you’ve got, Think Pink.
When you are aware of your weaknesses, as a declaration of true
confidence Wear Pink. And do me a
favour, tell your girls to Be Proud Pink.
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Next Saturday, March 8th
is International Women’s Day. Why not surprise your girls at your next
youth event and do something to celebrate them. For ideas of what you can do,
see my previous blog about developing a healthy sense of female pride.
If you are in Western Canada, organize a trip to attend the Young Women of Power Conference for Teen Girls April 25-26. See website for more details www.ywop.ca
P.S. Plan
to celebrate your wife, your mother, your co-workers and sisters next week.
The
Founder of the Young Woman of Power (YWOP) Conference, Alison develops programs
that are designed to build girls confidence such as the YWOP PivotFWD workshop
which she delivers in Calgary’s Youth Judicial System. Alison’s heart for young
women is to see the statistics of violence against women decrease and to see
females become counter culture/culturally dangerous by growing in true
confidence. For more info or to book Alison as a speaker visit www.ywop.ca
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