Why Pink is The Most ‘Divisive’ Color
So many thoughts on the complicated history of — and feelings about — this hue.
When I began decorating the nursery for our son, I didn’t think twice about what color to paint the walls. Blue! I knew I was playing into gender stereotypes and I didn’t care. Blue has been my favorite color since I was a child. As my grandmother used to say: “Any color will do as long as it’s blue.”
A few years later, when I was pregnant with our daughter and picking out decor for her room, I couldn’t choose a color. As I cycled through options — Gray? White? Lilac? — I realized I was actively resisting pink. Deep down, I worried it was too girlish. How could I raise a strong daughter in a room filled with pink? My skepticism faded as my due date neared, replaced with a rejection of what I felt were outdated notions. I welcomed pink into her room but I kept it to the aspects that were easiest to change, like throw pillows and crib sheets, if she wasn’t into it.
Four years later and the tiny occupant of that room has shown me that my fears were misplaced! Eleanor, who has very strong opinions about most aspects of life, adores pink. It is her favorite color by far. She loves wearing pink dresses with pink tulle skirts, a pink bow in her hair, and pink rain boots — all while digging through the dirt in the backyard or shouting at her brothers. She is so girlish *and* so strong.
Still, I found myself reverting back to my conflicted feelings about pink with the rise of Barbiecore. The aesthetic is all-in on pink; it’s not just a wink but a bear hug. Head-to-to pink on adults gave me pause. Is it too much? I wondered. Or worse: Does it look…silly? I’ll be the first to say that these two questions are recurring triggers in my adult professional life! These are thoughts I am constantly unpacking and and fighting against.
On my journey to rethink this Barbie moment — you can read more about that here — I wanted to understand pink. What is the history of the hue and why is it so charged?
Today I have a pair of conversations with two women who have thought a lot about pink and its meaning: Dr. Carolyn Purnell who specializes in 18th century French history and the history of color, and Dr. Valerie Steele, the director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. A few years ago, FIT staged an exhibition called, Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color. Steele edited the book of the same name and calls pink a “divisive” shade.
“People either love pink or they really hate pink. There are very few people who are indifferent,” Steele told me, calling the response “strange and interesting.”
I learned so much from both of these women! These were fascinating conversations that dive into what pink meant before it was associated with gender (boys wore it, too!), the commercial interests that drove it to be tied so closely with girlhood, and the continued tensions around the color today.
What do you think of pink? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share in the comments of this newsletter.
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The History of (and Our Complicated Feelings About) Pink
