From masculine to millennial to Pussyhats: how the colour pink appropriated power
Considered a manly variation on military red in 19th century Europe, the colour fell out of favour when it came to be seen as a childish indulgence that serious women wouldn’t be seen dead in
Let’s talk about pink. No, seriously. I know that waxing lyrical about a colour, especially this one, appears to only illustrate the frivolousness of fashion. It calls to mind the famous “Think Pink” number in the 1957 film Funny Face; Marilyn Monroe; and then Madonna’s imitation of her; and, of course, Barbie – all rather antiquated visions of femininity.
Yet, in a world of women encouraging each other to “lean in” and the #MeToo movement, pink has arguably never been more popular. How did that happen?
I, like so many others, abandoned the colour for years. I thought it was too childish and feeble for a strong woman. It wasn’t chic. Falling in and out of fashion over the decades, pink’s great resurgence began in 2016. It saw the rise of Millennial Pink and the Pantone colour for that year was rose quartz. Since then, everything has seemed to blush, from clothes to rose-gold jewellery to hair, even iPhones.
An empowered, younger generation of women and men has re-appropriated the colour.
It doesn’t seem to be losing favour, either. Spring/summer 2019 has kept us in the pink thanks to designers such as Marc Jacobs, Brandon Maxwell, Givenchy, Preen, Emilia Wickstead, Moschino, Vetements, MSGM, Ferragamo, and more. At recent awards shows, celebrities endorsed the colour, too, Emily Blunt in Michael Kors Collection, Gemma Chan in Oscar de la Renta, and Yara Shahidi in a pink coral hue jumpsuit from Fendi.
