The Tumultuous Journey of Pink
A colour that has inspired song titles, musician names, movie names and more in popular culture - Pink is one that has gone through many avatars. There are moments in time, when a colour has a particular dominant semiotic meaning, but soon it evolves to wrap itself in another meaning in a different context. These moments in the life of Pink, in its sometimes bold, sometimes confused and mostly tumultuous journey, has been one that has struck me as riveting.
Pink is a colour that evolved linguistically at a later point - historically, colours that have had words to signify them individually in most languages were red, white, black, yellow, green and blue. Pink was seen as a subset of red, and as such many connotations of red, were passed on to pink too. Aggression, domination, and other so called masculine traits. So it comes as no surprise that Pink was originally regarded as a masculine colour. The generally accepted rule up till the 1800s was that gifts for baby boys should be in pink, and for baby girls - blue (pink, or faded red, was apt for boys who would grow up to be valiant scarlet jacketed fighters and blue was the colour of Virgin Mary - gentle, nurturing and kind).
Fast forward a few decades and we have Pink taking on very different associations - that of being soft and feminine, innocent and virtuous. These were values prescribed to women at a certain time, and pink was the colour such women were depicted in by artists. A soft hue, Baker Miller Pink was trending at one point as it reduced blood pressure and calmed down angry prisoners. Studies that cemented the role of pink to make people feel more peaceful and docile led to the colour being associated with the desirable traits in an ideal woman at that point in time.
Another twist in this tale was when Shocking Pink became the choice of women who did not want to function within the prescribed rules - women who wanted to be free, to stand out, to be bold. The hue was seen on voluptuous torso shaped fragrance bottles, bold dresses, pop lip and nail shades, designer stilettos and more. With the punk revolution came psychedelic, fluorescent hues and one of the most popular ones was the Punk Pink. Used excessively in pubs, discotheques, music album covers and lighting effects, the colour became known for its ability to be attention grabbing.
There was also what was termed ‘the Lowly Pink’ - associated with promiscuity, loose character, flesh, vagina, penis, sex toys, hand cuffs and kinkiness. The colour was used by artists to provoke, to shock and awe, to make the viewers squirm and be uncomfortable. The term pink is sometimes used as a slang for forceful occupation of a vagina by an unwelcome penis - or any kind of molestation, or touch without consent.
Even though some negative associations prevailed, pink was still the most obvious choice of colour for women (the soft and sweet version of pink), many brands started using this hue for products targeted at women. Even though the products were similar, the women’s variants, or rather, those that were in pink - started being priced higher, for no apparent reason than the fact that they were coloured pink. This led to the term - the pink tax - implying the higher price charged for women’s variants.
Then came the phase where men started embracing pink, along with the embracing of softer, erstwhile feminine values. Thus emerged the metrosexual pink for the metrosexual man. Pink had come full circle by now, yet again being accepted and celebrated by men. And no, it did not stop there, the colour soon evolved to be the colour of inclusivity being associated with the LGBTQIA+ community as well. Pink capitalism became a strong force. The evolution of the Pink colour from a dark Nazi past to one of celebration is worthy of a story in itself.
Nude shades became all the rage a few years back. It went through its own set of issues - questions arising on which nude is the real nude - the nude skin tone for the Caucasians or for the multiple other races, the nudes in art galleries being mostly women while artists represented were mostly men, etc. Today we have a range of nude shades, with a base of pink. Nude, the broad hue, is seen as the newest neutral.
Certain pinks - Rose Gold, Rose Quartz, Millennial Pink - have really caught on over the past few years, and has become a much loved luxurious, stylish, youthful colour. Phones, laptops, high end gadgets, handbags, watches, accessories and sunglasses have been popping up in this shade.
Pantone has chosen Viva Magenta as the Colour of the Year Pick for 2023 - “it is brave and fearless, a pulsating colour that promotes exuberance and joyous celebration”. It is a bold pinkish red colour that is powerful and empowering.
The journey of pink continues, dotted every now and then with key inflection points. Keep an eye out for more such pink points in future.
Written by Susan Mathen