“Though there were no strong conventions, until the nineteenth century pink was certainly a very suitable color for boys.”
― Grayson Perry, The Descent of Man
Pink
Hello,
There's a lot to talk about the COLOR pink, which apparently, it is a color that people either love or hate, it brings out the good, the bad and the ugly on all of us. The color pink has become one of those dangerous puzzles that no one dares solved, and afraid of judgment, afraid of ridiculous society standards, people ignore the fact that it is just a gender-less color.
Perhaps, people are truly afraid of getting stoned by the crowd if they, decisively, contradict what wrongly has been establish. And that is:
Pink for girls
Blue for boys
This notion is so engraved collectively in our brains, it is almost scary. So, at what point in history did we go wrong?, well, it is complicated. But I dare say that the color in question is one of the most beautiful that exist. It is a true gift from nature. Why do people cringe when they see a man _ for instance_ wearing pink?. well, again, it is so very complicated.
But, I am happy to report that it was NOT that way before the 20th Century. Just like any other color, pink did not have a gender, it was perfectly fine to dress boys in pink. I do have to mention that at one point in history, though, the European society did associate pink with wealth, which is also stupid. In spite of the fact, they did have a very good reason for it.
Pink has become an intimidating color, in this unfortunate macho society we live in; there is a lot of people with brain damage, or just lazy to engage their mental ability to analyze the situation for themselves. Unfortunately, we tend to embrace what society dictates. We are being heavily influenced_ almost to the verge of manipulation_ into believing that the pink is fully feminine.
Pink has been a color in constant transition, for example, in the 50's nobody thought anything about Elvis Presley owning a pink Cadillac. In 2023, it is only acceptable seeing Mary Kay top female sales representatives driving one. Corporations, social media, religion, movies. All play a role in the erroneous perception of the color. Think about _ without mentioning details _ what the historians think happened with the color pink in Western society:
The more recent association with women and femininity started around the mid-19th century when, according to Steele, ( Editor of the published book “Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color,”) men in the Western world increasingly wore dark, somber colors,” leaving brighter and pastel options to their female counterparts.“The feminization of pink really began around there,” she explained. “Pink became an expression of delicacy, as well as froth.”
It was the year 1953, when Eisenhower's wife Mamie Eisenhower wore a pink dress as her inaugural gown, is thought to have been a key turning point in the association of pink as a color associated with girls. Mamie's strong liking of pink led to the public association with pink being a color that "ladylike women wear."
Well, there it is, that is the exact moment when people, according to experts, twisted the likes of a political leader into something that was not there in the first place. But the truth is, the new perception of pink has been gradually changed and it's taken a long time to recognized it as a fully feminine color.
There's been some extensive studies on how colors affect our emotions or how they modified our behavior. But the situation is a bit disorientating and I dare say divorced from reality when people generalized and claimed, in this case, that pink is a little bit nurturing, playful, and nostalgic color that takes people back to their childhoods. IT DOES NOT!
If one really has to verbalize feelings at the moment of observing shades of pink, I guess part of the statement could be true. But really, all of that is just the result of our own imagination. Substitute pink for GREEN and you will get a nurturing, super playful, and nostalgic color that takes people back to their childhoods just as well.
It is quite fine if colors affect us emotionally, maybe they are supposed to, but the idea of pink being feminine, or that it is a color of conviction, a color of strength, a color of decision making blah blah blah is LUDICROUS. At the end of the day, unfortunately, society dictates how its members should use the color or what to think of it.
I composed this piano-cello piece to highlight the beauty of pink, hoping for a more understanding idea of what the color is, not what it represents. The controversy _ that crawls in our lives like a dangerous ailment that grabs you by surprise, and before you even gasp, it devours you alive_ I left it out in the music.
I hope you like this catchy tune and embrace it, the same way I hope you will embrace the color pink for what it is: A color found in nature. that is worth of admiration. Still, despite everything, I know pink will continue, among us, arising bold emotions: The good, the bad, and of course, the ugly.
Enjoy!