Given this is a blog devoted to sportswomen who hunt and fish, it’s time we talk camo… pink camo. The debate around pink camo is real. I go back and forth about what pink camo really means to me and how it reflects on our community.
Like many of you, I’m a girl who likes manis and pedis and even occasionally chooses to wear hot pink. But in general, pink camo really turns me off. Why? To me pink camo says the industry doesn’t take women seriously who choose to get outdoors. Pink camo is simply not practical. The whole point of camo is to blend in so that you remain hidden from your target, right?! How are you supposed to have a successful hunt when you’re alerting the pray wearing pink?
On the flip side, pink camo is distinctly worn by girls and women so should we instead be wearing pink camo with pride? Although our numbers and visibility is growing, women hunters and anglers are still a minority. Could donning pink camo encourage more female hunters and anglers to give our beloved sports a try?
I still don’t own a single item of pink camo myself but wonder how you feel. What do you think about pink camo? Do you have some? Do you wear it? Is there a happy balance with pink just as a small accent color on hunting and fishing gear? I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope you join the conversation by writing in the comments – your opinions are valid.
** (8/12/15 addition) Women’s Outdoor News has now joined the pink camo debate, check out why Under Armour needs to get rid of the pink here.
Very interesting issue to raise.
I personally I love the pink camo. I have a pink camo shotgun, though I don’t hunt, I use it to target partice and have a date night with hubby. Plus all the older men at our sportsman’s club love the pink camo because they feel it helps get more women and youth interested in the sport. But if I did decide to go hunting with my hubby I would just buy camo/colored tape or a sock to cover my gun, depending on what I was hunting for.
Thanks Tamara- we love that shooting is your date night activity! And appreciate that you’ve added to the conversation here! Sounds like you have a good gun club that’s supporting women who shoot.
I am a huntress, have been for years, it is my only passion and I take it very seriously. I personally do not like pink camo, then again, I don’t like the color pink. Though, I don’t mind a pink tag or stitch inside or on the collar because it helps be distinguish the difference between my camo and my other half’s without having to hunt for the size tag, and it really sucks when those tags are removed. Then again, it doesn’t necessarily have to be pink. Just an easy way to tell which is my camo and which is his.
Great point Tamara M! Thanks for joining the conversation!
I am a female and I hunt. I do not need pink on the camo to say that I am a female that likes to hunt. I actually prefer the black and natural wood handguns and shotguns, I do not care for pink guns, I buy for the name and quality of the product, not for the pink accent. Don’t get me wrong, I love the color pink and have pink sneakers, I just would not wear them hunting. I do love the UA products!
Here here Linda C!
I for one, love pink – doesn’t mean I want it on my camo. It burns my eyes to see pink on hunting gear, not because it’s too “girly” (I’m pretty girly), but because it marginalizes us women as hunters. Yes, we are female but why must we be “female hunters”… I’m a hunter, just like any other man, and I don’t need no labels on my camo to say otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be able to be feminine and be a badass huntress at the same time; but in my eyes, pink just says “i bought this for my girlfriend/wife so she’d come in the bush with me”… in other words, I love being in the bush and I take it seriously. I don’t see how flashy colours are any bit useful on hunting gear and I’m not there to be fashionable.