the history of the colour pink

Annabel Benton

Following the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), we take a look at the societal and historical evolution of the colour pink and its increased popularity.

Pink is well and truly the colour of the summer. It can be seen everywhere following the highly anticipated release of Gerwig’s third directorial output Barbie and its huge, pink-themed marketing campaign.

However, the celebration of feminine association with the colour pink hasn’t always been in vogue. The colour has a complex history in fashion, marketing, and our perceptions of gender. In light of its recent positive popularity, we can look at the history of pink and the many values assigned to it.

The Origins of the Colour Pink

Pink first entered the English language as a noun at the end of the 17th century to describe flowers. However, it was first recognised as a concept in Homer’s Odyssey, composed around the 7th Century B.C. The colour has had multiple, often contradictory, and constantly shifting meanings since Homer first wrote about the “rosy-fingered dawn” in his epic poem.

“…the fashion rule for young children used to be pink for boys, and blue for girls.”

Pink has long been popular in fashion. It is said to have been worn in ancient India and China. The colour became popular with the upper classes of 18th Century Europe. It was seen as a symbol of luxury due to the high cost of importing its dye from South America and Asia.

During this period, pink was primarily considered a masculine colour because it is a paler shade of red, and the colour of Mars, the god of War. In contrast, blue was seen as a more delicate colour, and was often associated with the Virgin Mary. Pink was a popular choice throughout the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo art movements and was often associated with delicacy, youth, and romance.

For Boys or Girls?

Contrary to contemporary stereotypes, the fashion rule for young children used to be pink for boys, and blue for girls. As the industrial revolution made white infant clothing more affordable in the 19th century, upper-class families began to use pastel dyes in children’s clothes as an indicator of status.

A 1918 article in Ladies Home Journal advised its readers that “pink, being a more decided and stronger colour, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl”. There was a continuing debate in the 1920s about the two colours. People wanted the security of gendered categories.

A 20th-Century Construct

Pink became the girly colour of modern times in the 1950s. In the 1957 film Funny Face, Kay Thompson, playing the Editor of a fashion magazine, sings the song ‘Think Pink’, proclaiming pink as the colour of the moment. The song’s lyrics told audiences to “banish the black, burn the blue”, which were the colours worn by women during the Second World War. It also told of how “pink is now the colour to which you gotta switch”.

“Pink became controversial as well as cute.”

Other iconic popular-culture moments for the colour include Marilyn Monroe’s bright pink gown in the ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’ scene from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and the Pink Ladies in 1978’s Grease. Elsewhere in fashion, Elsa Schiaparelli’s ‘Shocking Pink’ first launched in 1937 and became popular as an escapist colour during World War Two. Afterwards, celebrities wanting to make a statement continued to favour pink.

The colour thus became a staple of post-war fashion. Brands marketed both clothes and homeware to women in this decidedly non-warlike shade. The era saw a shift in gender stereotypes to the ‘blue-for-boys’ and ‘pink-for-girls’ rule that we still see today in clothing, toys, and gender reveal parties. Advertising companies assigned pink to women as a more delicate shade of red, and the colour of romance.

Pink in Modern Times

As pink became more and more associated with femininity, it also began to take on negative connotations. At the start of the 21st Century, popular culture often featured pink as a way to indicate and celebrate femininity. Just think of the Plastics in Mean Girls and you will understand how Y2K’s pinks were distinctly girly and bright.

However, many campaigners began to demand the end of pink/blue gendered stereotyping for children. Further, the “pink tax” became the term used to describe the ways that products marketed towards women were often more expensive than the same products marketed towards men. Thus, pink became controversial as well as cute.

There was a shift in the 2010s to a new tone: Millennial. Millennial pink is a dusty, pale shade used in both men’s and women’s fashion throughout the decade. This tone redefined pink outside of its gender stereotypes in clothing, marketing, and popular culture. The popularity of this shade takes us towards our contemporary period where pink is a colour worn by everyone.

Barbieland

Now, back to the present moment. Many film-goers are getting dressed up in all shades of pink for viewings of Barbie, reclaiming the colour as one of joyful togetherness. Pink has found a place where it can represent whatever you want it to, from femininity and prettiness, to power and resistance to gender norms.

Colour is a cultural construct and, as such, our perceptions about pink have changed dramatically over the last few centuries. Whether you love it or loathe it, pink is here to stay.

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Featured image courtesy of TOMOKO UJI on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Annabel (she/her) is a BA English Literature student at the University of Manchester. She enjoys writing about student life, culture, and music.

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