Pink Gear Is Being Increasingly Used By Law Enforcement

The use of the color pink to differentiate between boys and girls (boys used blue) was in common usage in French orphanages since the 18th century. The color pink has therefore acquired a feminine aspect, in that law enforcement officers have also used pink gear in the line of everyday duty. In recent times police officers have carried pink gear like handcuffs, which they use to cuff people they have arrested. Their use on persons who consider themselves very macho are considered demeaning for the prisoner.

Pink Gear Items Used by Law Enforcement Officers

Handcuffs are the most prominent item in such pink gear and are made of stainless steel of high strength, which are comparatively light in weight. Such handcuffs are available in varieties that allow hinges or chains and with single and double locks. When you talk of pink gear, women law enforcement officers may even pick up pistol grips in that color that can fit onto any handgun issued to them. They can also opt for pink gloves that are meant for outdoor use. Such gloves have stretch mesh for airflow and are made of suede. Caps in the same color, knives, rifle cases and pouches complete the ensemble.

The Use of Pink for Men Is Considered Demeaning

While women using men’s clothing has received acceptance all over the world, the reverse is still not acceptable. Women even so wear men’s style clothing that has been feminized to suit their bodies, and have since gone on to become style statements. However, it is still considered degrading for a man to wear women’s clothes. Pink has been associated with women, and thus to many men that color is feminine. So anything associated with that color, has a slightly demeaning effect. This fact has been taken advantage of by law enforcement officers, who use pink gear restraints and pink clothing to intimidate persons that they have arrested. Recently the pink locker rooms in a refurbished stadium came in for a lot of criticism, especially from football players who considered it an insult to use such changing rooms. Psychologists have established that pink has a calming influence on people, and so their use in such change rooms, is bound to help players to settle down before they go out on the field of play.

Cancer and the Color Pink

Awareness of breast cancer has been raised by using the color pink. A number of manufacturers of all sorts of goods have used the color pink on their products to create pink gear that accentuates their own commitment to the fight against breast cancer. So you will even find self-defense products like pepper sprays being made in the color pink to increase this association. The fact that pepper sprays find a lot of acceptance among women for their defense and that they prefer the color has helped in the marketing efforts of such pink gear products. You will also find stun guns in that color that are equally effective for self-defense with pink gear.

Pink gear is used by a lot of female law enforcement officers nowadays. It does give them some distinctive appearance among their colleagues, while still remaining true to the requirements and functions that such pink gear is used for.

write by Christopher Warfel