Woman says she tricks men by wearing this one color: ‘They start giving me the girl treatment’
In the immortal words of James Brown, it’s a man’s world. And a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to navigate it.
Enter a new possible fashion hack for the girlies, which is currently making the rounds on TikTok. One woman is going viral for sharing what she wears to get men to treat her “better.” It’s sparking a ton of discourse about gender preferences.
‘It makes things work out better for me’
Georgia Costello (@strawberrymilkmob) is going viral for a video she first posted on Jan. 5. It now has upwards of 3.1 million views and almost half a million likes. In the video, she offers a life hack for her female viewers.
“Not even joking, but when things aren’t really working out for me, I just wear baby pink,” she reveals. “And then all the men in the world start kind of treating me better, like a girl.”
Costello implies men act more gentlemanly toward her when she wears pink—way more than when she wears any other color.
“They start giving me the girl treatment,” Costello says. “And it makes things work out better for me.”
While Costello’s video seems innocuous enough, it resulted in a massive debate in her comments section about whether this showcased something sinister about the men Costello’s been encountering. Many implied that this baby pink effect, much like the headband theory, is a symptom of misogyny. Or even, in extreme cases, a sick obsession with childlike aesthetics.
“Baby pink, bows in our hair curly hair,” commented one viewer. “So dress like an innocent child and men gravitate towards us..”
Viewers are critical
“But isn’t this sad?” another asked. “Like they only treat you well if you fit into their ideals of how women should look? Like yes use it to your advantage but let’s acknowledge what’s happening.”
“Ask not what you can do for the patriarchy but what the patriarchy can do for you,” joked a third.
Other women in Costello’s comments section remarked that this goes beyond actual clothing. Some pointed out they’ve had similar experiences when wearing makeup vs. emerging into the world bare-faced.
“As a nurse I did a study for myself over several months,” a commenter wrote. “And the results were that patients, coworkers, and doctors treated me significantly better when I wore makeup versus the days I did not wear makeup.”
“I find if you dress more feminine, do your hair, a little makeup, and some jewelry — men will go out of their way to help you,” another wrote. “Feminine energy can be a super power.”
@strawberrymilkmob ♬ original sound – Strawberrymilkmob
What colors do men like on women?
People have been wearing specific clothing to attract mates since…well, as long as we’ve been able to. People have also been impacted and influenced by colors in textiles for just as long. Our psychology responds strongly to visual stimuli, so it makes sense that the color of clothing shapes how we feel about ourselves and others.
In terms of male preference for female-worn clothing, however, one color stands head and shoulders above the rest. While Costello has clearly had some anecdotal luck with baby pink outfits, research shows men are partial to women wearing red.
Curiously, this “red effect” appears to work in the reverse, as well. According to the New Zealand Herald, “studies reveal that red is the most attractive color to both men and women but, curiously, the two genders are attracted to the same color for different reasons.”
“Women are attracted to men wearing red because, according to one study, it sends signals of status and dominance,” the Herald reports. “… Men, on the other hand, are attracted to women who wear red for more primal biological reasons, a separate study found.” Stylight Magazine also delves into this phenomenon, pointing to our collective associations of red with “love and passion,” as well as biologically red phenomena like healthy, flushed skin.
At the end of the day, everyone should wear whatever color they fancy. But if you’re gearing up for cuffing season, you might want to try playing the color game.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Costello via email.
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