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Pink.
No blue or red or gold like her cousin…No. Supergirl’s merchandise was pink.
It was everywhere she turned. The symbol of her house, drenched in the pastel abomination everyone most associated with a stomach ache.
“Kara?” she heard from behind a distracting pyramid of Wonder Woman busts.
“Uh, yeah Carter? I’m here.”
“I got my comics from my box. Was there anything else you wanted to look at?”
“Um, no. I think I’m good…it’s just, I was wondering…” Kara paused, wondering how to ask this question without being too obvious. She thought about Cat at that moment, how unapologetic she was when it came to feminism in the modern world, how it’s ok to be a girl, but totally ok not to look weak in a professional capacity. “Is everything you’ve seen for Supergirl so...pink?”
Carter paused and Kara could tell it wasn’t so he could concoct a story or skirt the truth. He was thinking. Thinking back over all the things his young mind had been bombarded with since Supergirl’s arrival. “I think so…yeah. I remember because when Supergirl first arrived in National City, she was all the buzz…you know? So, of course she would be popular at the comic book store…but, when I looked for something that was specifically for Supergirl, I could only find anything in pink…t-shirts, decals, belts…it’s like the colors separated us. Blue, red & gold for boys & pink for girls. Just like everything else.”
Kara could literally see the breath leave the young boy’s body, knowing that some of the struggles he felt fitting in may stem from his budding identity.
“What do you think Kara? Do you think Supergirl would want all of her stuff to be pink?”
“No!” she blurted. “I mean, no, I don’t think she would want everything to be pink. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pink. Nothing. I just think she would want it to be more inclusive … you know?” Kara stopped. “Like, if a little girl who only adored pink but absolutely adored Superman didn’t feel comfortable with those colors, it would be hard for her to support her hero without feeling a little awkward. I think it should work for everyone, not just one or the other. Does that make sense?”
Carter smiled. “It makes perfect sense. Supergirl & Superman should be for everyone. Maybe…maybe mom can help? She branded Supergirl…maybe she could help influence the merchandising…like having the super symbol in every color…it works that way, right?”
Kara smiled up from her phone, already tapping out a text to her super-media-girlfriend. “I think that’s exactly how it should work.”