Over the past couple years pink camouflage has been making its way all over everything in the outdoor world, from clothes, to boots, knives, gun cases, and even car accessories. And I get it….to an extent. Yes, it is great that more and more women are getting involved in the outdoor hunting world and outdoor sports, but personally I’m really not one to be all about advocating that because I’m a woman and I hunt, I’m any different than any male hunter. Hunters are hunters, period. When you’re out in single degree temperatures; shooting a limit of ducks or a trophy whitetail, gender shouldn’t be a factor.
And although I do get everyone having their own personal preference as far as personalization goes, I mean I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my bow and arrows decked out with purple and green accent accessories (string dampeners, arrow fletchings, lumenocks, etc.) But I must include that the bow itself is mossy oak treestand camo and NOT pink. I mean honestly, it’s quite simple, let’s be real here….a pink bow is definitely not the solution to an unsteady arm and poor eye coordination, and I can put a big dip of chaw in my lip just as easily as the next guy. I’m not about to be separated out of the general definition of who and what a hunter is, or that a “woman hunter” is different from a “hunter”.
I sometimes worry about this pink camouflage movement and how it may continue to create this image of women hunters. I just hope that with all this mass marketing and advertising of pink camo, it doesn’t brainwash our youth and future generations in believing that the feminine touch of pink products and being a “girly” outdoors hunter is the expectation. What’s important is your passion and enthusiasm for the outdoors; your desire to hunt and shoot. And in becoming better hunters and outdoorsmen/women the look you portray in wearing pink camouflage is not going to affect your ability to shoot well and score big game.
My intentions are not to directly knock pink camouflage for women at all, I just think there’s a fine line between being feminine and then being a feminist. I would never wear pink camo when I’m hunting, I’m just not one to be yelling proudly: “I am woman hear me roar! I hunt and I wear pink!”. I can respect ever so slight pink piping and accents on traditional camouflage and sure when I’m not hunting I may use a few non-hunting pink camouflage accessories but I guess the practicality of it all is that when I’m hunting, I’m wearing camouflage to blend into my surroundings and keep me concealed into the natural habitat of the outdoors, and NOT to make a statement about being a woman.
So to me, if you’re a woman or even a man who hunts and wants to say “yes” to pink camouflage, then by all means, sure, just not too much of it please… 😉
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