Many preconceptions come about when it comes to the favorite colors of men and women. Many people think that man’s favorite color is blue and that women prefer pink. However, men and women are more similar than perceived, as both genders prefer blue over any other color. Furthermore, both gender’s second favorite color is green.

Some may think that it is rather odd that women prefer blue and green because they are widely thought of as masculine colors. Men strongly relate to blue as it is oftentimes associated with intelligence, stability and authority figures. Green, on the other hand, symbolizes renewal, growth, health and the environment. Women most likely favor these colors due also to their cool nature. Many women with strong personalities also believe that feminine colors like pink and pastels are perceived to girly and not suitable for their image.

Gender preferences in color drastically change down the list, as man’s third favorite color is black. This is probably due to the fact that cultural and social norms indicate that men wear less colorful attire than women. Certainly enough, men wear black mostly during formal affairs. Women on the other hand, prefer the complete opposite. The third favorite color of women is turquoise, which is combination of blue and green. Although it is also a cool shade, men usually shy away from this color. Turquoise is followed by purple, pink and lavender in the woman’s list of favorite colors. These colors are associated with either flowers or gemstones and are widely perceived as very feminine colors. Lavender is a popular choice for women who feel that they have outgrown the innocence exuded by pink. To summarize, men generally prefer bright but cool colors, while women prefer soft or pastel colors in addition to blue and green.

Generally, men detest the color pink, despite its calming effect, because it is commonly associated with little girls that are made of sugar, spice and everything nice. Men who profess to like pink are readily teased as being gay or homosexual. In recent years, however, the growing population of metrosexual males resulted in the existence of the tagline “real men wear pink.” Before, where man’s boutiques only carry neutral and cool colors of clothes, they now also offer pink sweaters and dress shirts.

In the subject of clothing prints and designs that come with the colors, specific subgroups of people prefer certain colors and designs over others. Hippies, for example, prefer earthy or warm colored clothes with floral or organic designs. They would use various shades of yellow, brown and red. Chavs or youths who engage in antisocial behavior, have taken a liking to wearing black, white or blue track suits and baggy hoodies manufactured by popular sports brands. Floral patterned clothes depict a spring or summery feel and are usually worn by women, mostly during the warmer months. A certain type of floral patterned shirts in either red, blue or yellow are also worn by men, and are usually worn during vacations in tropical locations. These shirts, however, are not worn at any other time and would be deemed inappropriate.