鈥淭hink pink! think pink! when you shop for summer clothes. Think pink! think pink! if you want that quelque chose.鈥�
That advice, sung as an epiphany in the 1957 musical film 鈥淔unny Face,鈥� has definitely been heeded 鈥� just take a look around at fashion and media. The fascination around pink 鈥� each shade and hue with its own connotation 鈥� has shaped those cultural engines for generations, revving into full force as
The color has been a crucial detail for films and television 鈥� from that scene in 鈥淔unny Face,鈥� to Elle Woods sporting her iconic head-to-toe vibrant pink courtroom outfit in 2001's 鈥淟egally Blonde,鈥� to 鈥淭he Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,鈥� where play a symbolic role in the final season. And, now, with the the vividly hot 鈥淏arbie Pink鈥� is inescapable.
Throughout history, designers, artists, and brands have played with the emotions the color evokes, shaping meanings that are ever-evolving. From gender to class, those associations have constantly been challenged, flipped and subverted 鈥� while the definition of pink is always in flux, there's one constant: its cultural staying power.
The meanings behind the many shades of pink
Pink first became fashionable in the 18th century in the French court, because of a new source of dye that imparted a more vivid, long-lasting color in fabrics, and one of the authors of 鈥淧ink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color.鈥�
Since then, the cachet of pink has ebbed and flowed; as pink dyes became more accessible to the working class, the color lost its association with wealth and prestige.
When first popularized, it was worn by men and women alike, but in the 1920s, U.S. department stores claimed blue for boys and pink for girls.
鈥淚t was really totally arbitrary,鈥� Steele said of the correlation.
Fast forward a few generations to 2016, when as a color of the year: The muted dusty pink is calming but also connotes strength, said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. She told The Associated Press one of the reasons for the pick was the rise of the 鈥済ender blur.鈥� (The color was quickly embraced by fashion and interior designers, earning the moniker of 鈥渕illennial pink.鈥�)
That symbiotic influence 鈥� pink providing texture to and receiving a boost from a cultural force 鈥� was evident the next year at the where demonstrators donned
鈥淧ink has become, in many ways, the most controversial color in fashion, and fashion is always interested in controversy,鈥� Steele said.
For British artist Stuart Semple, pink is the color of rebellion and taking space. Semple created the 鈥減inkest pink鈥� paint in 2016 as a reaction to purchasing and reserving the artistic rights to the Vantablack pigment, said to be the world鈥檚 blackest black.
Semple has made his paint 鈥� intended to be the fluorescent apotheosis of the color 鈥� accessible to the world at an affordable price.
鈥淚 thought it was wrong for me to hold this amazing color that I鈥檇 made. So I wanted to make it available to everyone,鈥� Semple told the AP. 鈥淎part from him (Kapoor), for obvious reasons.鈥�
Semple chose pink because it was the 鈥渁ntithesis鈥� of black and it鈥檚 a color that's political, vibrant and 鈥渢he perfect thing to sort of challenge conventions.鈥�
Tanisha Ford, a history professor at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, noted how male artists 鈥� specifically male artists of color like ; and 鈥� have generated more complex conversations about masculinity by wearing pink clothing.
The color is subversive but also used in a very 鈥渢ongue-and-cheek kind of way,鈥� Ford said.
鈥淧eople of color have been denied leisure and denied rest,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淪o ... if you鈥檙e wearing these preppy clothes or you鈥檙e wearing your yacht chic clothes, you are staking a claim into leisure.鈥�
When it comes down to it, there's a simple reason why people still wear pink: It looks good.
鈥淎t its core, it鈥檚 a very flattering color,鈥� Barry Manuel, a New York University fashion professor says.
The season of 鈥楤arbie Pink鈥�
Pink has long been associated with 鈥� she even has her own Pantone color. But even though Barbie was first released in 1959, Mattel didn't star featuring predominantly pink packaging until the 1970s, said Kim Culmone, Mattel's senior vice president and global head of Barbie and fashion dolls design.
When discussing shades of pink associated with the brand, Culmone noted that there鈥檚 something inspiring and joyful about 鈥淏arbie Pink.鈥�
鈥淢ost importantly it鈥檚, for us, it鈥檚 really a symbolism of empowerment. Barbie is the original girl empowerment brand,鈥� Culmone said.
It was no surprise that the film鈥檚 first full-length trailer dripped pink, showing Barbie Land as a fun, cotton candy wonderland that looks a little artificial. After the trailer was released, news reports claimed the production team bought so many cans of pink paint that it depleted the world鈥檚 supply.
Gerwig told the AP that she wasn鈥檛 so sure about that 鈥� but she did confirm the crew did buy every can of pink paint from one particular company. The director explained it was important to use pink paint to capture older film techniques and to make the audience feel like Barbie Land was tactile.
鈥淚t鈥檚 toys, and what are toys but things that you touch? And so getting all that pink paint, to paint everything was important,鈥� Gerwig said.
Capitalizing on color
Semple, however, has taken issue with the monopoly and the 鈥減ress done around running out the paint supply.鈥�
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 true or not, it鈥檚 still not very nice,鈥� he told the AP.
Semple explains he鈥檚 standing up to what he calls 鈥淏ig Color,鈥� where corporations dominate the usage. He cited 鈥淭iffany Blue,鈥� the trademark color of
In response to 鈥淏arbie,鈥� Semple went back to his previous game plan and created 鈥渢he Barbiest pink.鈥� Called 鈥淧inkie,鈥� anyone can buy the paint color 鈥� as long as they attest to not being employed by Mattel.
鈥淐olors should belong to everybody. And corporations should do what they do best, which is corporate stuff, and perhaps leave colors alone,鈥� Semple said.
When asked for comment on Semple's 鈥淧inkie鈥� paint, a Mattel spokesperson simply responded in an email, 鈥淲hile not a registered trademark, Barbie Pink is recognized as a famous trademark of the brand.鈥�
We're drawn to colors because they instantly convey various emotions, explained David Loranger, a professor of fashion merchandising and marketing at Sacred Heart University.
鈥淚 feel like having a direct line to the senses from a marketing standpoint is so important because it鈥檚 a nonverbal, it鈥檚 a semiotic vehicle,鈥� Loranger said. 鈥淭he best marketing is very deeply rooted in emotion.鈥�
But from where do those innate emotional connections stem? It could come from something in nature, a belief system or something we've been told.
鈥淓very color has meaning that we almost inherently sense from that color, whether we鈥檝e learned about it by association or just conditioning, which helps us to intuitively understand the message and the meaning that鈥檚 delivered,鈥� Pressman said.
When it comes to consumer marketing, the wide variance in pink's meanings means everyone can get in on the action. From high fashion 鈥� and created a collection out of the resulting custom shade, shown on a pink runway last March 鈥�
Brands now help shape our perception of color, and it pays to have a signature shade.
鈥淐olor can be an effective marketing tool. But more than I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a bigger idea about claiming something, finding something new to talk about telling the consumer a story,鈥� Miguel said.
an artificial dreamland that instills nostalgia and joy, satisfying the audience's urge to escape.
鈥淧eople are happy to find something that captures the imagination and transports them to somewhere simple, happy and fun,鈥� Miguel said, 鈥渁nd pink is that.鈥�
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Associated Press journalist Krysta Fauria contributed to this story.
Karena Phan, The Associated Press
