"So I assume you're having a boy . . ."

Says the lady behind me at the Carter's Outlet store today. She is eyeing the armful of baby clothes I am buying, many of which happen to be from the "gender neutral" section of the store (which is located in the boys' section, interestingly). They are an array of blues and greens and browns, and they are covered in elephants and alligators and monkeys. I liked the graphic designs on them. Also, I decided my girl would not care at all if she is wearing a blue onesie, as long as the clothes keep her warm and comfortable and semi-protected from her own drool (and Hadley's drool - I am guessing there will be lots of doggie kisses in this kid's future).
So, I smiled at the woman and said, "No, actually, it's a girl." She nodded and said, "Good for you! I think girls look beautiful in blue. Plus, as long as you accessorize with some pink, you will be fine." Hmmm. So I won't be fine if there is no pink?
Don't get me wrong - I understand why parents usually dress their infants in the traditional pink or blue. It's impossible to tell if a kid is a boy or a girl until they get older, and pink or blue saves everyone from the awkward moment when someone looks into the stroller and says, "Oh! . . . It's so cute!" And then asks, "What's the name?" There is a sense of relief that comes when they can finally figure out the kid's sex. I'm going to name her Pat just to throw everyone off. (Insert evil laugh.)
ALSO - I'm not against pink! I've already bought some pink clothes. The thing is, I really like all bright colors. I think kids look adorable in bright clothes, and I don't want to limit my kid's wardrobe to one or two shades on the color spectrum.
I've definitely been the person looking into a stroller before, wondering how to be polite. But I think the whole thing is kind of fascinating - why is it important that we define a baby's sex so that everyone knows right away? Why does it make us feel better to know if it's a boy or a girl? Does it just make it easier for us to know which third-person pronoun to use? Or is it something else? I've read that baby boys are smiled at more. Baby girls are picked up more. And all these other gender-specific behaviors that are ingrained into our social fabric that, little by little, will influence how my little girl will grow up. If she can see color when she's just a few months old, I want to be sure that she is surrounded by every color possible - even if it makes for moments of confusion when she's dressed in blue.