The Politics of Millennial Pink by nataliepuch

THE

POLITICS OF

MILLENNIAL PINK

NATALIE P UCH

CONTENT & DESIGN BY

natalie puch EDITED BY

ashley puch

CONTENTS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MILLENNIAL PINK

10 14 18 22

pink is for boys, blue is for girls psycholog y of pink g rowing up on pink the rise of millennial pink

GENDER POLITICS

32 40 46

femininity & feminism pink & sexuality pink & masculinity

MARKETING PINK

58 64 70 74

marketing to women purchasing pink today versatility of pink longevity of pink

POPULAR CULTURE

82 90 96 106

the pink lifestyle pink fashion & beauty brands a fixed idea of femininity the pink obsession

THE FUTURE OF MILLENNIAL PINK

126 130

pink is forever changed is millennial pink dead?

FOREWORD

t’s wild to imagine my Instagram discovery page not covered in every shade of pink. For the last year, I have subconsciously been liking, saving, and viewing posts that contain something pink. It wasn’t until I started really developing my capstone thesis that I noticed how much of an impact Millennial Pink had on my life. I began to notice how much of my room was covered in something pink, and how much of my school work featured pink as well. Millennial Pink subconsciously took over my life, slowly winding its way in from every aspect. Before starting this project, I’ll have to admit that pink didn’t really mean much to me. When Millennial Pink started to become popular in 2016, I rejected it. I thought that it was too girly and that by wearing it or purchasing anything in that colour meant that I was that kind of stereotypical princess-girl who followed anything pink simply because it was a feminine colour. I did not want to succumb to the Millennial Pink trend because I thought it was that, simply a trend, and a trend that commodified pink for the wrong reasons. I can now admit that I couldn’t have been more wrong. Millennial Pink stands for so much more than a millennial trend. Throughout my time researching Millennial Pink I have learned that it runs on a spectrum, it is not just one single shade of pink. Each shade has a time period, but you can read about that in the Versatility of Millennial Pink. But the fact that there are more shades of Millennial Pink than one, means that pink is finally being perceived differently. This project explores how Millennial Pink is an agent of change, breaking traditional and heteronormative views around colour. This book serves as an information hub for almost everything Millennial Pink has touched. It is a resource that is both useful and interesting. It features secondary research accompanied by my own personal reflections and opinions on pink. Also sprinkled throughout the book are small personal reflections in the form of sidebars from fellow millennials. Keep your eye out for them, as they are extremely interesting and worth a read. The reclamation of the colour pink by millennials has challenged many views. I would like to think that this book will also challenge people’s perception of colour. But at the very least, I hope you enjoy this book, whether you are fully reading it through, or just flicking through it.

–natalie puch

e n

s i h f e i a br o part

tory

of p

k n i

PINK IS FOR BOYS, BLUE IS FOR GIRLS How pink went from a boys colour to a girls colour and everything in between. rowing up in the 1990s or even the 2000s, the chances of your bedroom being either pink or blue are not surprising. Millennials grew up in a time period with highly gendered products in our lives. Girls were typically brought up to appreciate and only like the colour pink. Boys were brought up to hate pink, as it associated them with girls and femininity, which was the worst possible thing on the planet to them. The social conventions surrounding gendered colours are something the millennial generation has long grown up around and it is clear by everyday observation that society still upholds these conventions. We have all seen a video of a little girl ranting about the gendered toy options in a store because all the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toys are pink and covered in princesses, and all of the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toys are other colours and superheroes. Pink and blue were colours that were so strongly associated with

JU N

E , 1 91

Pink or Blue? Which is intended for boys and which for girls? This question comes from one of our readers this month, and the discussion may be of interest to others. There has also been a great diversity of opinion on this subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for a boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and strong color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl. – EARNSHAW’S INFANT’S DEPARTMENT

gender roles that no one thought of it in an abnormal way at all. However, what many people don’t know, is that pink and blue were both acceptable for boys and girls, up until a certain period in time of course¹. There was actually quite a debate around which colour was most acceptable for a girl and boy. The above quote highlights the intense reasoning behind certain publications and department stores when trying to sell to people¹. However, the history behind gendered colours is a lot more complicated than one might think. Pink and blue as gendered colours are so far embedded into North American culture that it is hard to imagine a time that the colours had no gender context at all. Flashback to before the 20th century. Colour on children was only used to

signify their age, not their gender². In America, babies wore white, and toddlers and preschoolers wore clothing that was slightly more colourful². The toddlers and preschoolers coloured clothes were assigned based on complexion, season, and fashion, not based on their gender². Pink and blue were as ordinary as any other colour. So, when did genderspecific colours actually become a thing? And when did pink become a “girls” colour? In America, pink and blue were often seen as neutral colours for a nursery that were interchangeable depending on the gender of the baby². Cultural influences from different regions of the United States, as well as internationally, all contributed to the confusion and acceptance surrounding

PART ONE

m en’ o s lib

atio r e

Women’s strike in America in 1970.

gendered colours. According to Time, many “Catholic countries” used blue for girls, due to the Virgin Mary’s colour, and pink for boys because it was perceived as a stronger and more aggressive colour¹. It wasn’t until the 1950s that pinkblue gender coding was dominant in America². The process of gendering colours was slow. There was no radical culture shift that made the world understand that pink is for girls and blue is for boys². The gendering of colours was also influenced by the parents of the children in the early 19th century, who desired for more distinction between boys and girls². It is important to acknowledge that pink is responsible for being the most symbolically linked colour to gender. For the first half of the 20th century, pink was fashioned into a feminine colour. From the late 1960s to the 1980s, pink was out of favour mostly due to the women’s liberation movement, which associated pink with strongly feminine connotations such as traditional female roles². Since the 1980s, pink has actively been a feminine and feminist colour, most likely due to the women’s liberation movement². Now, and since the 2000s, pink is beginning to be seen as a not-so-feminine colour after all. Both girls and boys are finding ways to resist

the colours socially constructed norms, not only in infants and toddlers, but adults too². The colour blue manages to remain neutral today. Thinking about gendered colours in contemporary society, blue is acceptable for all genders, yet pink still isn’t there. The fact that colours were once not gendered and no one was concerned about how feminine or masculine their child was, makes me wonder why things had to change. Perhaps we are coming full circle, and are finally revolting the structured, sexist, gendered colours of the past.

A BRIEF HISTORY

the

PSYCHOLOGY of

PINK A quick lesson on how pink can affect our mood, and how pink is perceived across different regions of the world. Figuring out the science behind a color and its response by viewers is trickier than it seems. Our judgments about color aren’t just about personal preference; they’re also about your associations, your aesthetic ideas, and your cultural values.

t is no secret that pink means different things to different people. Millennial Pink specifically means something different to an entire generation. However, the generic colour “pink” means something different to different countries and cultures all over the world. Marketing specific products to specific countries could mean either exclusively using the colour pink to reach a target market, or steering clear of the colour entirely. The emotions and effects that can be evoked from just looking at the colour also strongly influences how it is received. The science and history of any colour is not known to everyone and can be difficult to explain. However, it is important to think about and acknowledge the way you are using pink, and the precise message you are trying to send.

– JR THORPE

baker-miller pink In 2017, Kassia St. Clair came out with a book titled, “The Secret Lives of Colour.” The book explores the meanings and history of hundreds of colours in the spectrum. Millennial Pink was at it’s all-time popularity at this time, so readers were shocked to learn that the world’s favourite colour actually had a different name, Baker-Miller pink. This colour was popular in the 1960s for a reason different than what it is today. The colour has been famous for, supposedly, making people less aggressive, and more relaxed³. After this discovery, it had been painted on opposing team’s locker room walls in stadiums and on jail cell walls in an attempt to suppress performance and reduce hostile behaviour³. Later research states that there is actually no remarkable proof that this shade reduces blood-pressure enough to calm oneself significantly³. Today, Baker-Miller pink is rarely used in a scientific way. However, Kendall Jenner did paint her walls the shade in late 2016 to calm her and suppress her appetite after her friends informed her of the history of the colour⁴. It was just coincidentally the most popular colour of that year as well.

A BRIEF HISTORY

western colour meaning

N THE E ERGY IS C

FL RE O OVE” T EN

“PI N

Alicia Silverstone for Rolling Stone in 1995.

In western countries, pink has many connotations which are all closely related. In a very basic and heteronormative way, pink stands for love, femininity, and romance. The western world has adopted pink as one of the mainstream colours of Valentine’s Day, commodifying it to appeal to the likes of women. This close relationship between pink and femininity has created a disinterest from men. In western culture, pink is traditionally rejected by males due to the fear of looking too feminine. It is obvious in many ways how intensely feminine and romantic pink is marketed. For example, men are usually expected to gift flowers to their significant other and gifting pink flowers in particular, signifies compassion, admiration, and never forgetting someone⁵. The resurgence of stone and crystal energy in mainstream pop culture has become another way to commodify pink in the beauty industry. Pink stones like rose quartz signify love and a hopeless romantic⁶. Along with jade rollers, rose quartz rollers have become quite popular in skincare, known for physically firming the skin, and metaphysically responding to the heart chakra, which is “the energy centre of love⁷." The western colour meaning of pink has spread largely through our industries, and marketers have very clearly taken advantage of it.

non-western colour meaning Just like any other colour, pink has a different meaning outside of western culture. In Korea, pink is symbolic of trust⁸, but it is also a phenomenon amongst kids. Korea is known for its iconic photographs by JeongMee Yoon. The photos, part of a series titled “The Pink & Blue Project” capture the widespread gendered colours of pink and blue in children’s possessions⁹. Pink was not recognized in China for many years, but due to the western influences on culture, it became very popular⁸. In Japan, pink is used obsessively. In 2018, the country dedicated an entire themed Shinkansen bullet train to Hello Kitty, as it is a national icon. One would think the pink obsession has to do with the global phenomenon of Hello Kitty, but it mainly comes from the unofficial national flower, the cherry blossom. The meaning of the colour pink in countries often seems to be overshadowed by the intense genderization of pink, but in Japan, the colour is worn by both genders¹⁰. Influences from other countries, including Japan’s Hello Kitty, and America’s Barbie, seem to pervade many countries’ cultures.

JeongMee Yoon’s gender photography.

A BRIEF HISTORY

kirby

GROWING UP ON PINK

The toys, characters, and influences millennials grew up on, and why the generation is loving pink again.

igle

s millennials, we are used to the gender-based toys that have surrounded our youth. Female characters are also typically portrayed in all pink. Princess Peach, Barbie, Polly Pocket, and My Little Pony are all technically female characters, and they are all covered in pink or have a pink brand. Growing up, this was probably not unusual to see, but in 2019 itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little overdone. Even Toadette, Toadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s female counterpart, is dressed in pink from her hair to her feet. Kirby, although not obviously gendered, is still pink. Kirby is known as the cheerful and innocent one, connoting that pink is a soft, delicate and fragile. Additionally, Piglet from Winnie the Pooh is characterized as a male pig. His pink exterior is of course due to the fact that pigs are pink, but his personality and manors are that of a nervous, jittery mess. Creating a character that is pink and delicate, makes pink seem like a delicate colour. Due to the socially constructed gendered colours, it is pretty obvious that all of these pink toys from millennialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childhoods are marketed towards women. This stereotype that all girls like pink are overdone and unnecessary. Female characters and toys should always be portrayed as strong and as competent as males and should be marketed to all genders.

barbie

polly pocke t

princess

ach

toad

my little pony

A BRIEF HISTORY

why millennials are tur ning to pink now When I was growing up, life was great. I remember having an amazing childhood full of fun and safety. I consider myself very lucky and am grateful for the childhood I had. Throughout high school I was prosperous and excited for my future. I had money in the bank saved for post-secondary and I was pumped. Fast-forward to my third year, I realize I had no money and no secure future. This was also when I really began paying attention to the economy and my future as an actual adult. During this early-twenties crisis, Millennial Pink was at its most popular. The hue was showing up in millennial branding, on runway shows, and in Starbucks drinks. Simultaneously, it was popping up in my schoolwork, Instagram feed, and in my bedroom, clearly having an effect on me as well. The sugary-sweet colour was claimed by millennials for what seems like many genuine reasons. Researchers are now saying we don’t actually become adults until we’re 24-years-old¹¹, so we will still be considered a relatively new adult in our their late twenties. This new research comes at a time when millennials are around this age cohort proving they aren’t ready to grow up quite yet. The rise and popularity of Millennial Pink could correlate with this information. Millennial Pink became popular in a time of little positivity¹². In a time of economic stress and political uncertainty, millennials are becoming adults. With global leaders too obsessed with their Twitter accounts and potentially starting a nuclear war, it is a difficult place to feel safe and secure. As said by JR Thorpe from Bustle, “It's not surprising that a colour associated with innocence and uncomplicated childhood has held a strong position in the public consciousness for so long¹².”Millennial Pink serves as a colour of nostalgia. Imagery like unicorns, milkshakes, and cartoons, popular with childhood nostalgia¹², are so far on the opposite end of the spectrum from millennial life

A “Millennial Pink” halloween costume for millennials.

“It’s not surprising that a colour associated with innocence and uncomplicated childhood has held a strong position in the public consciousness for so long” 20

today, a life of job searching, rent, and insurance, that Millennial Pink has been a sort of life-line we’re clinging on to. The redefinition of adulthood is partly owed to millennials, as they’re the ones growing up in an increasingly troubled world¹². A colour millennials have grown up on has returned and allowed them to reflect in a pool of soothing pink happiness as “adults.” I suppose, thinking about it now, that the subject matter of my childhood is probably part of the reason why my room and closet have more pink accents—it is totally back in style thanks to Millennial Pink. Life was definitely a lot more simple when I was younger, and getting to experience it again at one of the most stressful times in my life is comforting. Nostalgia mixed with the politics surrounding the colour makes it an even more badass colour.

LET Piglet reminds me of my love for Winnie the Pooh. I cannot remember why or when I became infatuated with this Disney story, but I do remember growing up with the stories and toys of the characters. My memories contribute to who I am today as the stories and situations the characters went through demonstrated many life lessons that I still look back to for guidance. One lesson in particular that each story portrays, is that everyone has different talents and weaknesses but anything is possible if you work together. These lessons shaped who I am today as I believe they allowed me to see and be thankful for diversity. I do believe that Piglets colour was chosen for a reason. Piglet displays high anxiety throughout each story and I think pink was used to display him as being sensitive and fragile. Looking back, I am so glad I did and still do love the Winnie the Pooh series. A specific moment that Piglet reminds me of is when I became at peace with my anxiety and realized that it doesn’t define who I am or what I am able to do. The fact that Piglet was most likely chosen to be pink for his anxious and weak qualities reminds me of how powerful the colour actually is. Like Piglet, I am able to work through my anxiety on a daily basis and continue to be the best I can be.

- Amanda Geris

the rise of

MILLENNIAL PINK A timeline of Millennial Pink’s relatively unknown history and it’s rise to fame.

hen I began to develop my capstone thesis, I was talking to various people about the colour and what they thought of it. At least half of the people I spoke to answered with, “Millennial Pink? What is that?” to which I would reply with a stunned look, an awkward silence, and an internal upside-down-smiley-face-emoji. Will this actually be a capstone topic people will care about? How could my fellow millennials not know of Millennial Pink? Was I too obsessed with scrolling through Instagram, or annoyingly obsessed with trends? Eventually, I was able to tell them, “You know… the pink that covers everything from Glossier to Le Creuset pots.” Alas, the realization hit and we were finally on the same page. People recognized the colour, but not the name.

A BRIEF HISTORY

tumblr pink The year is 2014, you log in to your Tumblr account and scroll through the hundreds of new pink posts, Ariana Grande’s song “Break Free” plays in the background. Life is good. When I think back to my own experience on Tumblr it isn’t hard to imagine how pink would completely take over the site. Through the use of gifs, memes, zines, and photography, the platform serves as a creative blog for people to share and repost the things they find interesting or are inspired by. The name ‘Tumblr pink’ comes from the millennial generation and their heavy use of Tumblr in the past. It also comes from the fact that in 2014, #pale pink and #pink became the most popular tags of all time on the site¹³. As Tumblr is generally advertised towards a younger market, it’s essentially a blog for beginners, the millennial generation has mostly moved on by now¹⁴. The platform was one of the first places pink content was used obsessively, and it seems millennials have taken it with them.

scandi pink As if there weren’t enough names for the same colour, Scandi Pink lives on. This term comes from the beautiful interior design and architectural pieces inspired by Scandinavian design. Pops of pink sprinkled into various living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms became another trend in 2015¹⁵, further propelling the colour into our brains. In 2014 Scandinavian designers Muuto, Normann Copenhagen, Space Copenhagen, Scholten & Baijings, and Bjarni Sigurdsson all embraced the colour, dominating the Pinterest page for the search, ‘Scandi pink¹³.’I like to think this trend came from the millennials moving away from Tumblr, and into more “adult appropriate” content, yet still carrying the colour that connects them to youth in their back pocket.

A BRIEF HISTORY

did pantone predict millennial pink? This isn’t pink-pink. It’s a pink that means so much more. Its pink without the sweet-baby-princess vibe girls are used to, it’s a pink that is basically a neutral colour now. “Millennial Pink” was not actually adopted as the name for the colour until late 2016. Any of you colour fanatics out there will remember Pantone’s 2016 colours of the year, “Rose Quartz” and “Serenity.” The pastel shades of pink and blue were chosen by Pantone to reflect balance and peace between two opposites¹⁶. They were also chosen in response to the world’s shifting perceptions of gender¹⁶. Because pink and blue were traditionally known as girl and boy colours, Pantone decided to approach the colour of the year differently and acknowledge the new gender blur around colour¹⁶. When Pantone researches the colour of the year, it’s a long process. It involves a years-worth of colour research in all aspects of design¹⁷. Pantone employees are trained to notice popular colours slowly appearing in various collections and in the streets. Obviously, looking to fashion collections is a major part of the game, but they look into other places colour is significantly viewed as well, such as art,

COTTO

CAND Y

One of the most perfect and mouth-watering treats in this entire world is nothing but a mere pink sphere of aerated sugar. The food of my childhood. Memories come flooding back, taking me back to simpler time. A day at the local small-town fair with my loving forever-young mom and my built-in best friend of a sister on a warm, sunny July afternoon. We spend our day being squished on the Scrambler and laughing uncontrollably on the Spinning Berries. We stroll by the food booth. I stop in my lightup-shoe’s tracks as I catch sight of my happiness in their window, being twirled and swooned into majestic circles. I gaze at my mom endearingly, pleading to get my sugar fix or death will surely ensue for this sugar addict. I’m handed my ball of pink perfection. Having an insatiable sweet tooth means that this delectably light dessert takes all but 2 seconds for me to inhale. We end our day atop the Ferris Wheel, gazing at the crowded fairgrounds and buzzing lights from the clouds, while eating my perfect pink cloud.

films, and even cars¹⁷. Some of the likely places Pantone found inspiring pinks include, the rising popularity of Tumblr’s art scene, Scandinavian design such as The Gallery at Sketch London, a re-opened and popular restaurant full of the most luxurious pink chairs, and the 2014 Wes Anderson movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Do I think Pantone forecasted the incredible movement that would come along with Rose Quartz aka Millennial Pink? Definitely not, but by choosing to make it the colour of the year for 2016, they may have acted as a catalyst for the movement that pink was going to make.

To this day, I’m still that child, longing for times when adulting wasn’t a thing and having a mouth painted in pink dye and sugar coursing through my veins was the pinnacle of my existence. I get a little taste of her with each taste of that sweet sugar.

- Melissa Dunphy

REFERENCES: A BRIEF HISTORY

references TEXT ¹ Steele, V., Landis, D. N., Albinson, A. C., Blaszczyk, R. L., Grisard, D., Melendez-Escalante, T., Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.). Museum. (2018). Pink, the history of a punk, pretty, powerful color. Thames & Hudson. ² Paoletti, J. B. (2012). Pink is for boys. Pink and blue: Telling the boys from the girls in America. Indiana University Press. ³ St. Clair, Kassia. (2016). The secret lives of colour. New York, NY: Penguin Random House LLC. ⁴ Truong, K. (2017). The problem with Kendall Jenner’s new pink wall. Retrieved from https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/01/135082/kendall-jenner-pink-wall-reason ⁵ Orchid Repbulic. (2018). 25 types of flowers meaning. Retrieved from https://orchidrepublic.com/blogs/news/types-of-pink-flowers-flower-meaning ⁶ Energy Muse. (n.d.). Rose quartz meaning. Retrieved from https://www.energymuse.com/rose-quartz-meaning ⁷ Herbivore Botanicals. (n.d.). Rose Quartz Facial Roller. Retrieved from https://www.herbivorebotanicals.com/products/rose-quartz-facial-roller ⁸ Huffington Post. (2017). What Colors Mean in Other Cultures. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-colors-mean-in-other_b_9078674 ⁹ Yoon, J. (n.d.). The pink & blue project. Retrieved from http://www.jeongmeeyoon.com/aw_pinkblue.htm ¹⁰ Chavez, A. (2013, July 5). Japan’s national obsession with the color pink. The Japan Times. Retrieved from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/07/05/our-lives/japans-national-obsession-with-the-color-pink/#.XFCK8M9KjOQ ¹¹ Hechtman, M. (2018). You’re not an adult until you’re 24, science says. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2018/01/20/youre- not-an-adult-until-you-turn-24-science-says/ ¹² Thorpe, J.R. (2017). Why are we so obsessed with millennial pink? There’s a scientific explanation for everything. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-millennial-pink-theres-a-scientific-explanation-for-every thing-2991711 ¹³ Schwartzberg, L. (2017). Why millennial pink refuses to go away. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/why-millennial-pink-refuses-to go-away.html ¹⁴ Smith, C. (2013). Tumblr offers advertisers a major advantage: young users, who spend tons of time on the site. Retrieved from https://www.businessin sider.com/tumblr-and-social-media-demographics-2013-12 ¹⁵ Marelli, C. (2018). Millennial pink, a chromatic obsession. Retrieved from https://www.elledecor.com/it/best-of/a20726318/millennial-pink/ ¹⁶ Pantone. (n.d.). Rose quartz and serenity. Retrieved from https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2016 ¹⁷ Clinton, L.M. (2014). Pantone’s colour of the year: inside the fascinating process. Retrieved from https://www.glamour.com/story/how-does-pantone-pick-color-of-year

IMAGES

Lovethispic. (2016). Pink glitter buns. [Photo].

Pink is for Boys, Blue is for Girls

Toyoungtogotojai. (2015). Rose eye makeup. Tumblr. [Photo].

iStock. (n.d.) Baby girl in a pink top. [Photo].

Dumielauxepices. (n.d.). Paint covered rose. [Photo].

Corbin. (n.d.) Two babies in pink and blue. [Photo].

Weheartit. (2015). Pastel Clouds. [Photo].

iStock. (n.d.). Baby boy in blue. [Photo].

Redbubble. (2016). Positive vibes aerosol can. [Photo].

Gordon, E. (1970). Women’s strike. For Getty Images. [Photo].

Kokopiecoco. (2018). Pink hologram platform shoes. [Photo].

The Psychology of Pink

Scandi Foodie. (2014). Two pink bottle grinders. [Photo].

Rolling Stone. (1995) Alicia Silverstone in Pink. Rolling Stone. [Photo].

Blackmore, H. (2017). Pink cushion chair. [Photo].

Herbivore Botanicals. (2018). Rose quartz crystal points. [Photo].

Dezeen. (2016). Muuto pink pouf. [Photo].

Herbivore Botanicals. (2018). Rose quartz roller. [Photo].

Vintage Revivals. (2016). Back of pink couch. [Photo].

Yoon, JeongMee. (2007). Seohyun and her pink things. [Photo].

Cohen, L. (2018). Painted pink room. Homes to Love. [Photo].

Yoon, JeongMee. (2007). Seyoon and his blue things. [Photo].

Slatalla, M. (2015). Bjarni Sigurdsson ceramic vase. [Photo].

National Post. (2018). Hello Kitty “shinkansen” bullet train. [Photo].

Wonder Wall Fashions. (n.d.). Scandi leaf pink. [Photo].

Lifestyle Inquirer. (n.d.). Hello Kitty high resolution. [Photo].

Cohen, L. (2018). Bathroom with pink sinks. Homes to Love. [Photo].

Growing up on Pink

Connox. (2018). Normann Copenhagen pink chair. [Photo].

Moss, A. (2017). Millennial pink Halloween costume. [Photos].

Normann Copenhagen Website. (2017). Pink gallery showroom. [Photo].

The Rise of Millennial Pink

Movie Time Guru. (2014). The Grand Budapest Hotel. [Photo].

Behance. (2015). Blue hair, pink background. [Photo].

Vlamos, Y. (2016). Comme des Garcons fall 2016 fashion. Vogue. [Photo].

Loudi, L. (2013). Sparkly lips. [Photo].

w o t t ar

d n e r e g

s pol i t ic

GENDER POLITICS

FEMININITY &

FEMINISM Evidence that pink is no longer just a “girly” colour.

rowing up as a millennial, pink meant something completely different to what it does now. Pink was always the unwanted colour, for fear of being too girly. All of the boys would hate the colour, making fun of each other for being associated with it in any way. The fact that the boys hated the colour made me hate the colour as a child too, or at least tell people I hated it. It was always seen as “uncool”, no one wanted to be seen as the girly little princess, too delicate and sensitive to play in the mud. Looking back on it now, its utterly inconceivable that I would even listen to those dumb boys’ opinions on colours and what was considered cool, when they thought kicking a soccer ball at girls’ heads was a laugh. In the time of my childhood, pink was associated with blondes, and being dumb. Of course there was the embodiment of blonde bombshell, Barbie and her perfect pink life. However, women portrayed in films and television at that time period fit these characteristics as well. Paris Hilton, Alicia Silverstone, and Reese Witherspoon were all women, acting or not, portrayed as dumb blondes who loved pink. Paris Hilton was a spoiled rich girl, running the world in her Juicy Couture tracksuit and pink convertible. Alicia Silverstone played Cher Horowitz in Clueless, a popular high-schooler known only for her fashion and charm. Reese Witherspoon famously played Elle Woods, a rich sorority

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.

girl whose boyfriend thought she was too dumb to become a lawyer. Although Elle did challenge the stereotype and became a badass lawyer, the colour pink was still used to connote the feminine dumb-blonde. I remember seriously looking up to these women as role models (maybe not so much Paris Hilton) but I thought they were beautiful and badass because they loved pink and owned it. Their girly-ness was something I envied but felt like I couldn’t successfully portray in my own life because they were rendered dumb. The fact that pink was such a shameful colour while growing up in elementary school speaks a lot to how negatively it was used in pop culture. A large signifier of femininity and pink is the breast cancer pink ribbon campaign. The pink ribbon symbolizes support for women who have been affected by breast cancer. It is a highly gendered item using pink as its main marketing 33

PART TWO

technique, therefore primarily identifying with women only. So could part of the problem be large corporations slacking on contemporary colour symbolism? The usage of pink is signifying that it is a problem for only women to be concerned with. After all, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer. In Canada, 1% of men are affected every year¹. We have long grown up with pink being a feminine colour, and society is still reflecting this in some ways. The colour has long been marginalized, thrown to the side only to be associated with femininity. While conducting research for my thesis, I was shocked to learn that there was once a term popularly used called, “pink collar jobs.” Pink collar jobs are positions in the workforce that are typically filled with women such as, nurses, teachers, and social workers². Although this term does seem a bit dated now, it is sad to know that pink was used so unquestionably as a gendered signifier. The social conventions of the colour pink are finally being challenged. Today, the colour has been reclaimed by women and men alike as a symbol of power. There is so much evidence that points to how accepted this colour is now, it’s amazing. I wish I had been able to grow up in a time period where femininity and being a girl was something that was not to be considered embarrassing. Alice and Olivia pink suit.

pink power s

t i u

Millennial Pink’s desaturated shade is a subtle wink back to those lesser aesthetic times, paired with a sincere confidence that we’re doing it better now. –LAUREN SCHWARTZBERG

Aries brand sweater.

the

hat

k pu n i s p

One of the most obvious ways pink has been reclaimed as a symbol of power is through the pink Pussyhat. It may not be Millennial Pink, but it is pink and it is worn by millennials. The now iconic hat was created by Kat Coyle of The Little Knittery in Los Angeles³. The hat was created in response to Donald Trump’s disgusting remarks about grabbing women’s genitals³. The word ‘pussy’ was used intentionally to protest Trump, and to reclaim the word as empowering³. The Pussyhat became a movement as thousands of women knitted them to be worn to the 2017 Women’s March in DC as a visible way to show support for women’s rights and equality. With the power of social media, the hat was spread and shared becoming an instant feminist icon. The epitome of feminine words combined with the socially constructed feminine colour creates the ultimate symbol of power and influence.

GENDER POLITICS

Brands today have adapted so well to the millennial target market. Millennials are not looking for distinct differences in women’s and men’s products. To be honest, I often am looking in the men’s sections just as much as the women’s. The colour pink is used in many brands as a new neutral. Brands like Acne, Glossier, and Fenty Beauty have all bent the rules. As a contemporary Scandinavian fashion brand, Acne is all about pushing boundaries. The fine line between their menswear and womenswear collections is consistently blurred. But one of the things they are most recognized for is their iconic pink shopping bags. You might’ve thought that Acne was way on top of that Scandi pink trend, further asserting the brand as an epic captain of European style (at least that’s what I thought), but that was not the case. From a 2016 article with GQ, this is what Jonny Johansson, founder of Acne Studios had to say about his famous pink shopping bags,

Acne menswear spring 2019.

Acne womenswear spring 2019.

“I wanted this pink paper because people considered pink being ugly. They didn’t want the pink bag. And that’s like when we did the first pair of jeans—I gave it to a lot of my friends and most of my friends said “yes, thank you,” but didn’t use the clothing and thought it was pretty weird. The same with the pink bag. If everybody thinks it’s beautiful, it’s wrong in a way. I don’t want it to be sort of, blah, you know, like soulless. I want it to have some sort of energy, and I can tell you when we did the pink bag, it was not very popular, but I knew—I’m like the pink generation. I don’t think there’s another generation that will put up with pink⁴.” Acne was just trying to be ugly. Acne was ugly but in a cool way, a profound way. Yet, it seems Jonny Johansson had it all figured out.

“I want it to have some sort of energy, and I can tell you when we did the pink bag, it was not very popular, but I knew—I’m like the pink generation. I don’t think there’s another generation that will put up with pink.” - Jonny Johansson, Acne Studios

GENDER POLITICS Troye Sivan for GlossierPlay.

Glossierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product shots.

GlossierPlay glitter eyeshadows.

Other brands like Glossier and Fenty Beauty use pink on almost all of their packaging. Typically, the beauty industry is geared towards women, but now in the time of male beauty bloggers and YouTubers, it is changing. Millennial Pink is the new neutral. Glossier pink, however, is a different shade of Millennial Pink. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of a blue-pink as opposed to a peachy-pink but has the same significant impact. Interestingly enough, Glossier just released a new brand, Glossier Play. It features a more playful range of makeup including bright eye pencils, glitter, and intense highlighter. The brand message strays away from the neutral, no-makeup-makeup of the OG Glossier. Their ad campaign also features a few men, including artist Troye Sivan, decked out in the bright and sparkly makeup. This new brand under the Glossier

Glossier Milk Jelly cleanser consistency.

ELLE

Fenty Beauty Killawatt highlighter.

Fenty Beauty products.

name steers clear of their usual Glossier pink, instead opting for more blatant white products and packaging. I thought the brand was interesting, as it still preaches Glossier’s values of makeup for everyone, but on a more extreme level. Fenty Beauty, which launched in 2017, broke into the beauty industry at prime-Millennial-Pink-time. Rihanna’s ability to make 40 different shades of foundation, combined with pink packaging equals a Millennial-marketing victory. The neutral-pink-nude packaging can appeal to both men and women, whether its a highlighter or just blotting papers. Although, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty does make you wonder if she chose the colour to maximize her sales, as, at the time, pink products sold well. The two beauty brands appeal to millennials by supporting a diverse audience in any way they can. Their use of pink acts as a beacon proclaiming their brand’s values to the world. Pink no longer just means femininity, its stands for more. Feminism and equality, go hand in hand, and pink is pioneering this movement.

OODS Elle Woods in Legally Blonde brings back memories about my first sleepover. I rented it when I was about 8-years-old and remember watching it back to back the next day because I loved Elle’s character. I even remember carrying around a pink purse to emulate her values in my own life. These memories have influenced me because I resonate so well with Elle’s quirky side and her own challenges to mask them in more professional landscapes. The colour choice associated with Elle was a metaphor embedded in the film by its ability to challenge feminism in the workforce, particularly in the corporate world of law. Pink is the most stereotypical colour that carries connotations of girliness, which are not digested well in the stereotypes of law–a primarily male-dominated industry. This colour choice ultimately made a statement about female success in the workplace and could have been even been pegged as the trigger point of fourth wave feminism. Legally Blonde brings back memories of the point when I realized that I wanted my own successful career. Looking back I see that Elle carved a path for myself, because I never had any doubts or fear in uprising my own career in the corporate world as a female, after watching her do it first.

- Emily Moreno

GENDER POLITICS

PINK & SEXUALITY The relationship between pink and women’s sexuality in the past and present. ink and female sexuality have a long history. It is a colour that has been deemed the “exposed colour” because of its association with being naked, and therefore being erotic⁵. In recent history, a hot pink colour was considered sexy due to the popular stores carrying various female undergarments and lingerie. La Senza and Victoria’s Secret’s use of hot pink in their branding had always denoted sexuality, making it a little uncomfortable for some women (including myself ) to walk around with the shopping bags. The hot pink design or lettering always made me feel very vulnerable and exposed, yet perhaps some women loved to be seen with these shopping bags. Maybe they felt empowered for going out and shopping for such luxurious accessories. It is interesting to see how feminine

pink has stayed, and how the sense of this femininity and sexuality is evolving. Millennial Pink now too plays a role in female sexuality. Since the colour has been claimed by feminists and millennials, the use of pink defining sexuality has shifted in some ways. Thanks to the use of social platforms such as Tumblr and Instagram, a new type of aesthetic was born. The socially constructed use of pink is being questioned. With the help of Millennial Pink, the relationship between pink and female sexuality is changing. Two artists challenging the use of pink in today’s society are Petra Collins and Arvida Bystrom. Both artists use pink in their work on a regular basis to capture a different kind of femininity than what we’re used to seeing. 40

Alanna Arrington at the 2018 Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret Fashion Show.

GENDER POLITICS

petra collins Canadian 26-year-old Petra Collins is famous for shooting and starring in several campaigns for Gucci, directing a short film with Selena Gomez, and for shooting various magazine covers⁶. She is also a photographer and filmmaker who focuses on feminism and nudity in her own work. Her style is very nostalgic, bright, and dreamy as she tries to contrast her style against the popular minimal aesthetic that is in at the moment. In her work, Petra is noted for her use of young women and portraying their identities through stereotypical themes of girlhood⁷. She explores feminism and nudity in women, portraying them in a dream-like way. She chooses to use pink and stereotypically girly objects, lights, and filters because it is something she grew up around, is familiar with, and is a way to capture her nostalgic vibe⁸. She has a very distinct feminist aesthetic that she embeds into her work all the time. Her work reached peak-popularity in the time of Millennial Pink, and Gucci took advantage of this. Petra’s work for Gucci also possesses the pink dream-like haze she is famous for. As a popular feminist artist, Petra acknowledges that the goal of her subject matter is to normalize all of the things women have to grow up with⁷.

I want girls to know that they can make it too, so it’s been really important to me to assert myself, be a good role model, and shine a light on life as a woman ⁷.

GENDER POLITICS

arvida bystrom Arvida Bystrom is a 27-year-old Swedish artist and photographer. Her work is primarily digitally based and on Instagram. She derives most of her inspiration from her time spent on Tumblr, as her aesthetic is very pink and pretty⁹. However, under the pink pretty-ness that her photos initially pose, there is a much deeper meaning. Arvida’s work is based on feminism, gender, and sexuality in both women and men. She uses the colour pink to challenge the heteronormative social constructs. From an interview with ShowStudio.com, Arvida answers why she uses such a playful and girly aesthetic,

“I think it’s because loads of females (particularly white females, sadly enough) have more power today than ever before in history, so I’d say people are reclaiming and appropriating this aesthetic and bringing more seriousness and status to it ⁹.” Her photos feature this almost kitsch style, of mixing high and low culture. Her photography is stunning, but it has a very Tumblr aesthetic, which is something that is extremely popular today. She is very to-the-point in her photography and captures the essence of being a millennial woman. Her intention is to render a world where anyone, regardless of their gender, can wear anything they want and be anything they want, even if it is stereotypically feminine⁹.

GENDER POLITICS

PINK MASCULINITY How pink has been perceived amongst men in the past and how the colour has challenged masculinity in today’s society. s a young adult, it is easy for me to think back and remember a time when pink was not considered cool on a man. I can immediately recall a friend of mine’s pink collared shirt in highschool. Of course, we had uniforms, so everyone saved their best clothes for parties. This pink collared shirt was seen almost every time. My guy friend clearly loved it and did not care what other people thought of it. Yet, every single person we were friends with thought he was gay for wearing it. It’s important to note that he and his friends were all hockey players who lived and breathed masculinity so anything remotely feminine caused an uproar. But, my friend

was not gay. He constantly argued and retaliated his friend’s remarks about the colour of the shirt. I have thought about this often while doing research for this topic. Why did he keep wearing the shirt if his friends made fun of him? If I can remember anything important from my high school experience it was about staying away from an embarrassing image. I saw him a few months ago, and he was wearing another pink shirt, obviously a different one, but it was still pink. Some of our friends were there, yet no one was making a single comment about the colour of his shirt. Seems like the colour was suddenly cool amongst them, and the history of verbal abuse was long forgotten. 46

GENDER POLITICS

A men’s rugby team in pink uniforms.

The relationship between pink and masculinity is a troubled one. There has been a long history of hate and abuse between the two. Because pink has so consistently been a female colour, the very idea of it representing anything masculine has been rejected for years. The idea that pink is linked to femininity is so embedded into our minds at such a young age, that the idea of pink and masculinity is linked to negativity just as fast. As seen amongst the teenagers in my high school, pink on a man has traditionally connoted homosexuality¹⁰ The stereotype of a man wearing pink leads to too much hate. The bullying happens in high schools and at an early age, as boys take much longer to mature than girls. As said by Diane Naugler, “within the gendered stereotypes of contemporary North American society, pink on a boy is at once shorthand for effeminacy and homosexuality, a disruption of common sense gendered attributes, and an invitation for peer group policing¹⁰.”Although this behaviour is terrible and unacceptable, it's accepted, and not just in high schools. In many places in North America, men have traditionally received rude remarks if they are wearing pink. If we think specifically about the extremely conservative southern states of the USA, it seems that pink on men is almost dangerous as it could connote homosexuality, which is so negatively experienced there. It seems that the pink bias comes naturally to some men. It is something they are raised knowing, and something they are not aching to change¹¹. Yet things are on the mend. According to Pantone (and everyone, if you ask me), pink is

“Within the gendered stereotypes of contemporary North American society, pink on a boy is at once shorthand for effeminacy and homosexuality, a disruption of common sense gendered attributes, and an invitation for peer group policing” 48

now being adopted by more men than ever before.¹¹ The younger generations are more accepting and open to colour choices and maybe don’t have the same prejudices as our grandparents.¹¹ Pink is now part of the battle in resisting gender norms. It has been seen in collections in 2018 and 2019 for menswear. And if we know anything about the fashion cycle, Millennial Pink will trickle down into our affordable brands, remaining popular for future seasons. Thinking back to my high school guy friends, they are a lot more mature. The hegemonic ideologies surrounding masculinity and pink do need to be changed though. In current society, it is important to teach young girls and boys that anyone can wear whatever they want, and deserve to be treated as respectful as anyone else. Pink masculinity is something that may take a little while to be completely normal, but Millennial Pink is here to challenge our dominant ideologies, and it is making strides.

From right to left: Loewe Fall 2019 menswear, Berluti Spring 2018 menswear, Ermenegildo Zegna Spring 2018 menswear, Valentino Spring 2019 menswear.

GENDER POLITICS

“Pink is the only true rock & roll colour.”

Millennial pink is an agent of change that is dominating the standardized way we, as a society, view things. Historically, pink was never totally acceptable to be worn by a man, but Millennial Pink ia changing this! It is now basically a neutral colour that promotes inclusivity for all. Thanks to millennials, we can all feel more comfortable and confident in the colour pink. Also, we owe a special thanks to all of the male celebrities who have worn the colour to make it more gender neutral. It is essential to mention Harry Styles in this conversation surrounding men and Millennial Pink. The former bandmate of One Direction has since become a solo rockstar. The mysterious manner of him and his life makes him extremely

interesting. He released his debut self-titled album in 2017. The cover and album artwork was Millennial Pink and quite traditionally feminine, as it featured him in a pink bath with flowers. Followed by the album was a world tour that featured plenty of handfuls of amazing and iconic outfits. Due to his colour and tailoring choices, his sexuality was beginning to be questioned amongst his entire fanbase. His past relationships had always been with women, yet rumours always did circulate about his relationships with various men. Harry Styles eventually commented that he had “never felt the need to label himself ” further fueling the fire¹². His mysterious personality and sexuality were constantly being discussed on his tour. But anyways, back to his amaz-

RY ST R A

S AL B UM

ing suits. While he was on tour he was also named the new face of the Gucci tailoring campaign, probably because he rocked the brand’s suits so iconically. His suits were full of sparkle, pussy bows, ruffles, wide-legged pants, and pink. I’m pretty sure his tour wardrobe was one of the most expensive of all time, because well, how could it not be when you’re wearing custom Gucci and McQueen every night? Women and men all over the world were amazed at his style, and he was on the top of many best-dressed lists of the year. Harry Styles bent the rules surrounding men’s fashion, and it seriously paid off. His rockstar attitude and music combined with his pink suits was a recipe for success. In fact, Harry’s original album title was Pink as “pink is the only true rock & roll colour ¹³.”

This album art brings out a feeling of nostalgia for me. It makes me think of the five months I spent in London, England. The album came out near the end of my stay and whenever I see it I think about the many sunny spring days I spent listening to it in my favourite places in London. It’s as is if the aesthetic of the album cover matches how I remember the last few months of my England experience being–bright, meaningful, fresh. The fact that he chose to use Millennial Pink as the main colour scheme was a smart business decision and a statement in itself. He clearly knows his audience and isn’t afraid to show it. With it being his first solo album out of a very popular boyband, he could’ve strayed away from the feminine aspects in order to separate himself from the “teenage fanbase” narrative behind him. The fact that he didn’t and instead fully embraced it was bold and shows he isn’t ashamed of his image or how people perceive him. He helps break down the barriers that pink can be for anyone, even a tattooed, 6 foot tall, 24 year old male Rockstar. I think the best way to describe what I think it meant for him to use pink is from a quote from Harry himself, in conversation with Timothée Chalamet for i-D magazine last year “I think there’s so much masculinity in being vulnerable and allowing yourself to be feminine, and I’m very comfortable with that.” Plus, pink is pretty so why wouldn’t you use it?

- Ashley Puch

Harry Styles in custom Calvin Klein.

GENDER POLITICS

Drake has also worn pink relatively recently. In 2017, he wore a pink bomber jacket to the NBA All-Star game. The bomber was actually his own merch, with an embroidered “October’s Very Own” logo on it. Additionally, Drake wore a puffer jacket, a staple fashion of his, in Millennial Pink as well. We cannot forget his Hotline Bling music video and single cover art, both were Millennial Pink. Although Drake is Canada’s hip hop God, he embraced the colour pink, something not as successfully done since rapper Cam’ron’s 2002 all-pink Baby Phat outfit. Did he use pink to spread the message of inclusivity for men and pink? Or did he do it to gain attention or profits? Most recently, the man that his been everywhere on the best-dressed lists is Billy Porter. Billy is known for his LGBTQ representation in Hollywood and on screen. The American actor, artist, and entertainer has had two groundbreaking red carpet looks in 2019 alone. For the Golden Globes, he wore a creation from New York bridal designer Randi Rahm, and it took over six months to make¹⁴. The look was a partially embroidered jacket with a fuschia-lined cape. The look was amazing, and he was instantly iconic, with his poses helping to serve the look justice. At the 2019 Oscars he showed up on the red carpet in a black Christian Siriano gown. Yes, this gown is not pink, but it was too glamorous and fabulous to not include. Billy said, “My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean¹⁵?”Could his view on fashion be any more relevant? The only thing that would make this look better is if it was pink, but Billy killed the look while simultaneously adding to the conversation around masculinity in fashion. 52

HOTLIN

BLING The Hotline Bling cover art makes me think of a good memory: when I went to see Drake live at Scotiabank Arena. This is a particularly good memory for me because Drake has always been a favourite rapper of mine and I enjoy his songs. All the pink surrounding Hotline Bling makes me think of all the fun and exciting pyro stage effects. The show was very exciting and there was a ton of colour, so Millennial Pink reminds me of all the fun and energetic colours that night. I think that the colour choice does make a statement because pink is a very bold colour to me. This pink may seem to be light coloured and dainty, but I feel that this cover art is more bold and pops out due to the pink. I think that the narrative fits very well with the culture of Millennial Pink because this song was released in the 2010s which is when millennials were growing up. I feel that this song reminds me of earlier rap in the 2000s. I also feel that when reading the text, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hotline Blingâ&#x20AC;? I think of jewellery and pretty things, and when accompanied by the colour pink, makes it a lot more interesting. I think that this colour is appealing to me because it is a neutral pink. Millennial Pink is a colour that looks good with almost anything. The white and pink play very well off of each other and I would probably purchase other items that are Millennial Pink.

- Austin Richardson

Bill Porter at the 2019 Grammys (top) and the 2019 Oscars (right).

REFERENCES: GENDER POLITICS

references TEXT ¹ Canadian Cancer Society. (n.d.). Breast Cancer in Men. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/breast/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-in-men/?region=on ² Stoper, E. (1991). Women’s work, women’s movement: taking stock. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 515, 151-162. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1046935 ³ Pussy Hat Project. (n.d.). Our Story. Retrieved from https://www.pussyhatproject.com/our-story/ ⁴ Johnson, N. (2016). Acne studios founder Jonny Johansson is not down with our celebrity fashion obsession. GQ Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.gq.com/story/acne-studios-designer-jonny-johansson-interview ⁵ Steele, V., Landis, D. N., Albinson, A. C., Blaszczyk, R. L., Grisard, D., Melendez-Escalante, T., Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.). Museum. (2018). Pink, the history of a punk, pretty, powerful color. Thames & Hudson. ⁶ White, R. (2018). The Petra Collins starter pack. i-D Magazine. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/evq854/the-petra-collins-starter-pack ⁷ De Berker, E. (2018). Petra Collins leads a new wave of feminism through photography. Retrieved from https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/a9541895/petra-collins-photography-feminism/ ⁸ Yotka, S. (2015). “I’m not an airbrushed, perfect thing”: Petra Collins riffs on feminism and nudity today. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/ article/petra-collins-feminism-nudity-interview ⁹ Stoppard, L. (2014). Girly: Bystrom & Lou Stoppard in conversation. Retrieved from http://showstudio.com/project/girly/interview_arvida_bystrom ¹⁰ Naugler, D. (2010). Wearing pink as a stand against bullying: Why we need to say more. Journal of Homosexuality, 57(3), 347-363 doi:10.1080/0091836090354295 ¹¹ Bhattacharjee, P. (2018). The complicated gender history of pink. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/12/health/colorscope-pink-boy-girl-gender/index.html ¹² Britton, L. (2017). Harry Styles opens up about his sexuality. Retrieved from https://www.nme.com/news/music/harry-styles-talks-sexuality-2072171 ¹³ Sheffield, R. (2017). Review: Harry Styles Is a True Rock Star on Superb Solo Debut. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-harry-styles-is-a-true-rock-star-on-superb-solo-debut-119736/ ¹⁴ Weinberg, L. & Beresford, T. (2019). ‘Pose’ star Billy Porter named ambassador for Men’s New York Fashion Week. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pose-star-billy-porter-ambassador-new-york-fashion-week-mens-1182010 ¹⁵ Thomas, Eric. (2019). Billy Porter just won every red carpet past, present, and future. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a26500852/billy-porter-christian-siriano-oscars-2019-red-carpet/

IMAGES

Fenty Beauty. (2017). Fenty Beauty products and packaging. [Photo].

Femininity & Feminism

Pink & Sexuality

Everett Collection. (2015). Elle Woods. [Photo].

VS Pressroom. (2018). A. Arrington for Victoria’s Secret show 2018. [Photo].

Alice and Olivia. (2018). Pink power suit. [Photo].

Collins, P. (2016). @petracollins, Various posts. Instagram. [Photos].

Instagram. (2019). @i-d, Aries x i-D no problemo sweatshirt. [Photo].

Bystrom, A. (2018). @arvidabystrom, Various posts. Instagram. [Photos].

Stapleton, S. (2017). Pink Pussyhats at women’s march. [Photo].

Pink Masculinity

Voisard, A. (2017). Pink pussyhats. The Washington Post. [Photo].

Boyce, R. (n.d.). Men’s rugby team. [Photos].

Viero, A. (2019). Acne Studios fall 2019 menswear. Vogue. [Photo].

Fior, F. (2019). Loewe 2019 fall menswear. Vogue. [Photo].

Acne Studios. (2018). Crewneck sweatshirt pink melange. [Photo].

Weston Arnold, K. (2018). Berluti spring 2018 menswear. Vogue. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @acnestudios, Acne Studios Musabi handbag. [Photo].

Tondo, M. (2018). Ermenegildo Zegna spring 2018 mens. Vogue. [Photo].

Fashionista. (2016). Acne Studios packaging. [Photo].

Vlamos, Y. (2019). Valentino spring 2019 menswear. Vogue. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @glossierplay, Troye Sivan for GlossierPlay. [Photo].

Wenner, T. (2018). Harry in Alexander McQueen. Rolling Stone. [Photo].

Glossier. (n.d.). Haloscope highlighter. [Photo].

Pambrun, E. (2018). Harry Styles pink Calvin Klein suit. [Photo].

Glossier. (n.d.). Body hero. [Photo].

Marchblinch. (2016). Drake at 2016 NBA All-star game. [Photo].

Glossier. (n.d.). Milk jelly cleanser. [Photo].

Cochran, D. Rosa. (2002). Cam’ron at 2002 Baby Phat show. [Photo].

Glossier. (2019). GlossierPlay glitter. [Photo].

Harrison, F. (2019). Billy Porter Oscars 2019. Getty Images. [Photo].

Glossier. (2018). Glossier lash slick. [Photo].

Djansezian, K. (2019). Billy Porter Golden Globes. Getty Images. [Photo].

Brockington, R. (2017). Fenty Beauty shoot killawat highlighert. [Photo].

Vlamos, Y. (2016). Comme des Garcons fall 2016 fashion. Vogue. [Photo].

part three

m a rk e t i ng

n i p k

MARKETING to W O M E N A visual guide to how women have been marketed to in the past and the present. alking through your local mall, Walmart, or even grocery store, there is no doubt about it, pink is only marketed to women. Unfortunately, it’s something we’re used to. It is common for millennial girls to have grown up on Barbie, Polly Pocket, and Princess Peach as these were some of the most popular characters at the time. The pretty blond girl in a pink dress is something many young women today remember, and is probably one of the reasons we have that dumb-blond stereotype now. By purchasing and playing with these toys, we are subconsciously growing up with these women as an ideal figure in our lives. These artificial figures are some-

thing we would idolize and dream to be one day. The association with pink indicates, from a young age, that it is a girls’ colour. 20 years later and the pink toys have not slowed down. In 2011, a little girl named Riley went viral for scrutinizing the ‘pink aisle’ of a local store for their gendered toy marketing. Everyone seemed to agree with Riley. Why did girls’ toys feature pink dolls, beauty sets, and domestic playsets, but the boys’ aisle was blue and had action heroes, sports equipment, and cars? Why are there even gendered toy aisles? Since the movement of Millennial Pink, it will be interesting to see if the gendered colours for kids toys and products will change. 58

in the past In the past, women have always been marketed as the lovely, graceful, and fulfilled women who were always happy to stand by their husband’s side¹. Post World War II, when the economy was booming, it was evident in advertisements that women were drawn into purchasing classic domestic and beauty products because they had the time and money. As you can see, marketing pink in the past involved only women and primarily beauty products. Lipstick, soap, and nail polish seemed to be the most popular things women were remotely interested in based on advertisements from the 1950s and 1960s. In these advertisements, it is easy to see that pink is a common colour associated with women. It’s easy to see sexist marketing in each of these advertisements too. Most ads also feature some sort of tagline that implies pink beauty products will make you, as a girl, look and feel more pretty. These ads make it easy for us to understand why society sees pink as such a feminine and girly colour, it has been used excessively in marketing to women since it became “for girls.” The genderization and constant reminder that pink is a girls colour is most likely how pink toys and clothing today became only associated with women.

Vintage ads featuring the use of pink.

“thats why LustreCreme is pink. Because it’s made just for girls. Lustre-Creme has a gentleness guys just wouldn’t understand.”

MARKETING PINK

in the present Besides the pink toys and clothing for little girls, pink is still being associated with women in marketing today. The advertisements have definitely been toned down, for the most part, since the 1960s, but it is still evident. However, accompanying the colour pink now is an ambivalent sexiness. I’m sure everyone has heard of Victoria’s Secret or PINK, these two brands sell underwear, but also sexiness. They’re known for their use of pink (hence the VS sub-store named PINK) and their provocative advertisements. Pink is symbolic of love, lust, and women. This is essentially what the Victoria’s Secret brand epitomizes. In society today, pink sells femininity and sexiness, and perhaps brands like Victoria’s Secret and PINK are responsible for this trend. It is important to note though, that the definition of sexiness has shifted now, and there are different kinds of sexy besides the “glamazon princess²." According to L Brand, the parent company of VS and PINK, sales have dropped in the past six quarters². Could this be due to Millennial Pink? That’s a bold statement, but there drop in sales have come after a few woke millennial-media-dominated years.

PINK brand advertisements.

Victoria’s Secret vs. PINK advertisements Victoria’s Secret campaign.

Recent advertisements that use pink to market to women.

mascara, perfume, & deoderant are all common subject matter for the use of pink in ads as they are directly tailored towards women. However, not all ads are as provocative as Victoria’s Secret. Many advertisements that feature pink are within the beauty industry. Just like in the 1950s and 60s, lipstick, perfume, and mascara ads commonly use pink. These advertisements do have a strong girlyfemme presence though. As you can see from the advertisements, pink and flowers are a common occurrence. You might think they are placed there for aesthetic purposes, but everything must be intentional in advertising. In the mascara advertisements, the mascara is supposed to be “full like a flower” which explains the use of the flower, an interesting reference. Viktor & Rolf ’s Flowerbomb perfume is an ode to flowers, the advertisement clearly displays this, as well as a halfnaked model. Yes, the ad is aesthetically pleasing, but why would anyone want a perfume bottle shaped like a grenade? Dove has been known for its contro-

versial advertisements. This product is a deodorant that minimizes the stubble feeling after shaving your underarms and features a girl nonchalantly throwing a cactus over her shoulder. This ad did not have to be pink at all, it could have been any colour, but it was pink because it was talking about female underarm hair, a conventionally unpleasant topic. Also, no man could ever be caught minimising the hair under their armpits, so why would they have used a “gender-neutral” colour when they can just use pink? All of these advertisements conform to traditionally feminine symbols and are meant to attract a woman and make her want to purchase it. However, they do seem a bit too sickly-feminine for a millennial market. I think that most pink advertisements found today, or recently, indicate some form of femininity. I have yet to find a pink advertisement that markets to men only. 61

MARKETING PINK

the pink tax So how do we market to women today? Well, the answer is not through the “pink tax.” We’ve all seen it before, whether it be called the “pink tax” or “gender tax”. It is when an item marketed for women is priced higher than the exact same product made for men. For example, it’s seen a lot with men’s and women’s razors. The women’s item, usually advertised with pink, is priced higher than the men’s even though the product is virtually the same—hence the term “pink tax.” Many women's items priced at a higher rate are possibly due to the breast cancer pink ribbon campaign. The breast cancer pink ribbon campaign is an example of a highly commodified market as fashion, fitness, and beauty brands use the breast cancer campaign to market to and make money off of women³. Based on the packaging of items it isn’t clear if the higher price point is going directly to the breast cancer campaign, or if it is just a way to get women to think this is what is happening. What is clear now though is that on average, women’s products cost 7% more than men’s⁴. Pink is not always a strategy to market to women, but sometimes it can be.

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The pink Nintendo DS brings back so many memories, my favourite one being the day I got it. I kept bugging my dad about it and finally, after getting tired of my begging, he bought me the console. I also got the game Super Princess Peach. I was addicted instantly and beat Super Princess Peach in about a month. After nonstop playing, I returned to my original favourite Gameboy game, Pokémon Ruby (I would always have both games in my DS so I had options). Finally getting bored of my two absolute favourite games, I was introduced to Animal Crossing which I played with my friends. I really liked this game because you could actually have your friend enter your game and you could play together which made playing the DS more social. The pink Nintendo DS was all the rage when I was younger, I remember finding out that it was coming out and I needed to have it because to me it was a unique colour for a console and being the only one with a pink one made me feel “cooler.” The colour of this DS is very in right now. Millennial Pink is everywhere I look–on red carpets, clothing, hair, Instagram aesthetic, and everything in between. I myself had sparkly Millennial Pink nails and Millennial Pink hair twice last year. The colour was very popular back when the console first came out as well–Paris Hilton was wearing pink all the time and having everything made to be pink. Plus, we can’t forget about Baby Phat and Juicy Couture velour sweatsuits. Millennial Pink is definitely having a moment and I am here for it.

- Veronika Krzyzanowska

MARKETING PINK

PURCHASING PINK TODAY The ways in which Millennial Pink has changed the way we view products and the way we shop. ou may be wondering, how can pink be so popular even though not everyone likes it? Why are so many brands coming out with pink products? Pink only took up 5% of the US market colour mix, so it was not in fact totally taking over the colour market⁵. White, black, and grey were the top 3 colours taking up over half the colour market percentage⁵. So, pink did not, in fact, take over the world as we knew it. However, in the US new arrivals in shades of pink did increase in the mass market by 9.4% (yes, thanks to millennials)⁵. 64

A colour sample photo from Pantone’s SS19 lookbook.

So now we know Millennial Pink was not actually soaring in the retail world amongst everyone, it’s a colour trend embraced by millennials. Millennial Pink is a colour that was adopted by millennials, for millennials. Yes, it means more to the cohort that it is identified as androgynous, but it also helps that it goes with everything and is a beautiful colour for any sort of visuals. Thinking back to 2016 and 2017, when the colour was in its prime, I think I detested it, constantly rolling my eyes at the fact that it was everywhere. But, come 2018 it was all over my room, as the brands I loved embraced the colour too. I guess that classifies me as a late adopter in the fashion cycle. Regardless, I caved, the colour was so trendy and looked great with everything, so I couldn’t resist. Considering I was not initially a fan of the colour, rejecting it because it was used too often, and clearly, I thought I was too cool for it, makes me wonder what exactly made me switch sides. I think this quote from The Cut’s article on the popularity of the colour sums it up: “But ask yourself: Do I like this because I like this or because I’m buying back my own re-packaged childhood in the form of blush-toned lip gloss and stickers? Or because the Pantone industrial complex is direct-marketing to my generation⁶?”

“But ask yourself: Do I like this because I like this or because I’m buying back my own re-packaged childhood in the form of blushtoned lip gloss and stickers? Or because the Pantone industrial complex is direct-marketing to my generation?” 65

A look from Fendi Resort 2019.

#millennialpink Here we are, full circle, hopefully understanding why Millennial Pink speaks to us and makes us think everything decked out in that colour is necessary to buy. Brands and blogs have adapted pink into their products in order to reach millennials to hopefully make an impact on them. Looking into my saved folder on Instagram, or even my likes, it is all pink. The trend can be seen most easily on Instagram as a quick search of #pink or #millennialpink turns up thousands and thousands of posts. The colour generated an aesthetic that is very popular and over photographed. With over 65,000 posts using the hashtag #millennialpink, it is apparent how popular the colour is used to create a distinct aesthetic.

the millennial pink aesthetic It is difficult to describe the millennial pink aesthetic, but you know it when you see it, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all seen it. Brands, publications, bloggers, designers, and just Instagram users, in general, all use Millennial Pink to create the perfect and aesthetically pleasing photo. Pink is popular now, and it sells! It has to have at least one of the following in some shape or form:

pink beauty product pink fashion article pink background pink filter pink flowers

MARKETING PINK

VERSATILITY of

MILLENNIAL PINK The different shades of Millennial Pink and the many ways they have been used. hile conducting research for this capstone, I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really thought about any other shade of Millennial Pink besides the early muted coral-pink shade. But, after heaps of image research and combing through Instagram, I was able to determine that, even though it runs on a spectrum, there are three main shades of pink that are most popular and most often used. Each shade sort of speaks to a different time period within the Millennial Pink reign. The versatility of the colour is part of the reason it is so popular. From publications to fashion to homeware, the many shades of Millennial Pink have been adapted to suit the millennial market accordingly. 70

salmon-pink This shade is one of the first of the shades I considered to be Millennial Pink. The salmon-coral colour came onto the scene as an early Millennial Pink. Acne was one of the first brands to use this particular shade, which could have made it popular. Following Acne, the publication Kinfolk put the colour on their front cover in late 2014. It seems the independent magazine was a step ahead of the game, following trendy Acne. Two years later, Pietro Nolita Restaurant in New York City re-opened with an entirely pink interiorâ ˇ. In total, the restaurant is painted in eight different shades of pink, from the ceiling to the floor, but the lights make it reflect the sort of salmon-Pepto Bismol hybridâ ˇ. This shade has since been on the covers of books, the runway, and in the 2019 IKEA catalogue as a staple colour. 71

PART ONE

neutral-pink This is by far the most popular Millennial Pink shade. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the shade that has been everywhere from skincare to the runway. The soft-pink hue goes with everything, as it is a neutral colour. The tone is appealing in all kinds of products. Le Creuset released a Millennial Pink shade of their products, proving that the colour really can be popular everywhere. The Gallery at Sketch London is a restaurant with pink walls and pink velvet sofas as of 2014. Usually, they redecorate the room every two years with a new artist, but it proved to be so popular they kept it for goodâ ˇ. But the tone is probably most popular in beauty brands. Obviously, Glossier is one of the most popular brands it is used in, but Herbivore, Saturday Skin, and Glow Recipe have all taken the colour as their own as well. The colour has graced the cover of albums, fashion collections, and iPhones. It is not slowing down at all, it is very popular and still very pretty. 72

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Hot pink is by far the newest shade of Millennial Pink to become popular. The pink Pussyhat is where we saw it first. The hot pink shade was a reclamation and representation of women’s opinions and equality. Since then, it has been a shade of pink worn as a political statement. The November 2018 issue of Harper’s Bazaar featured Julia Roberts on the cover. Her cover shoot involved hot pink couture dresses while rock climbing, as this was the ‘bravery’ issue. On the 2019 Grammys and Oscars red carpets, women wore hot pink non-stop. The colour seems to stem from the Pussyhat movement, as women could be dressing in solidarity with other women. As a stereotypically feminine colour, I think the celebrities are taking a stand against the stereotypes and reclaiming the colour as powerful. The pink has also popped up on spring/summer and fall/winter runways for 2019. Hot pink could be the new Millennial Pink!

BBLE G U

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Growing up, it was always a treat for me if I was given Double Bubble bubble gum. I remember it would always be in some prize basket or part of a treat bag at birthday parties, and I even remember having bubble blowing competitions with my friends and family. It was also a treat that my sister and I would buy at the snack shack during my brothers hockey games, and during my own baseball games we would often have a bucket of double bubble on the bench (its a baseball thing to chew gum...idk why lol). The bright pink packaging is attention catching, and it would make me excited to open it and chew it. The jokes on the inside of the wrapper were also a nice touch. Thinking back on those fond memories, it is clear that they have impacted me and who I am today. Double Bubble has effected my consumer choices today because whenever I purchase gum anywhere, I tend to gravitate towards a bubblegum flavour. Overall, double bubble makes me think of my childhood and good times with my family and friends.

- Cassie Gingerich

MARKETING PINK

LONGEVITY of

MILLENNIAL PINK How Millennial Pink can be paired with other colours to help it remain popular.

lthough Millennial Pink looks great on its own, the colour mixed with others is just as successful. Many people think Millennial Pink is long over, appearing over-used and tacky. But, pairing it with other colours increases the longevity, making it even prettier when it has a cool sidekick. It freshens up the colour, making it more exciting and less pastel. Pairing pink with another colour allows it to stay popular and more trendy. Green and red are two colours paired with Millennial Pink that have been popping up in various products and branding keeping the colour fresh and relevant.

pink & green An unlikely duo because they are opposites on the colour wheel, but the popularity of Millennial Pink mixed with a millennial’s love of plants, makes for a perfect pair. There is even an Instagram account dedicated to the pair called @plantsonpink, which is exactly what it sounds like. With over 100,000 followers, the account only posts images of various cacti, palms, and leaves on pink backgrounds. The description for the page is, “When you come eye to eye with the fine combination of #PlantsOnPink.” Simple, but effective! The trend carries into the interior design world as well as in fashion, making it a lot more popular as of the late.

MARKETING PINK

pink & red Traditionally, red and pink together connote serious Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day vibes. With Millennial Pinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advance away from traditional social norms, the pair are a perfect match outside of Valentines Day too. Various fashion brands have used pink and red together in several designs for F/W 2019, so the trendy colours will last for at least another year. The burst of red mixed with the neutral pink works not only in fashion but in art, branding, and interior design as well. Glossier has been known to use the colours together in various products like their zit stick. They are also often paired together in art and typography works, working well in interiors as an added design element.

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For some reason the Acne shopping bag makes me think of my first year of university, which would have been during 2014. By then the shopping bag had been around for years, but I think it takes me back to this time because during then, Acne as a brand was very prominent and inspirational for my age group. It represented that very simplistic style that was so prevalent, but still maintained a type of fun youthfulness that I think a lot of us appreciated. I definitely think the Acne shopping bag’s colour choice makes a statement, even if it wasn’t intended to in its creation. I read somewhere that the designer chose the colour of the bags based on the colour of a food wrapper that sat next to his computer as he worked, and he liked it so he created the bags in that same colour. I don’t think even he intended for the colour of the bags to make such a statement, but I think that this influence goes back to the consumers and the millennials who took the inspiration from this brand and ran with it, effectively turning “Millennial Pink” into what it is today. It contributes to a larger narrative around pink because it sort of kicked off the whole idea of “Millennial Pink” as a trend. If it was another brand that created this bag, I don’t think it would have really had the influence that it did. I think that because Acne was such a popular brand for the millennial generation, this item and its colour became somewhat of an icon that marked the beginning of a cultural trend. I wouldn’t say the colour made me want to buy an Acne product particularly for the bag, but it did have influence in making me want to purchase Acne for the name since it sort of popularized the brand to have that “it” status. Aside from that, as the popularity of millennial pink grew, it definitely had an influence in making me want to own other products in this colour.

- Mackenzie McIntyre

REFERENCES: MARKETING PINK

references

TEXT ¹ Miller, M. (2005). Sexism in advertising and marketing to women. International Journal of Advertising, 24(1), 113. ² Rupp, L. (2018). Victoria’s Secret is still advertising to women like it’s 1999. Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/ victorias-secret-is-still-advertising-to-women-like-its-1999 ³ Sweeney, E., & Killoran-McKibbin, S. (2016). Selling pink: Feminizing the non-profit industrial complex from ribbons to lemonaid. Women’s Studies, 45(5), 457-474. doi:10.1080/00497878.2016.1186492 ⁴ Ayres, I. (2016). Which retailers charge the largest ‘pink tax.’ Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/whynot/2016/01/07/which-retailers-charge-the largest-pink-tax/#5aabc62381b6 ⁵ Smith, K. (2017). How big a deal is millennial pink really? Retrieved from https://edited.com/blog/2017/03/millennial-pink-retail-data/ ⁶ Hyland, V. (2016). Why is millennial pink suddenly so popular? The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/non-pink-pink-color-trend fashion-design.html ⁷ Schwartzberg, L. (2017). Why millennial pink refuses to go away. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/why-millennial-pink-refuses-to go-away.html

IMAGES

Raasch, N. (2019). @vogueitalia, ‘Poolside Princess.’ Instagram. [Photo].

Marketing to Women

Instagram. (2019). @laneige_us, Laneige product swatches. [Photo].

The Advertising Archive. (1967). Vintage retro max factor pink-a-pades lipstick ad. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @jorea.journey, Chanel perfume. [Photo].

Dove. (1962). Vintage pink Dove soap bar ad. [Photo]. Lustre-Creme. (1967). Vintage pink is for girls Lustre-Creme ad. [Photo]. Revlon. (1960). Vintage Revlon pink advertisement. [Photo]. Black Friday Archive. (2015). PINK best outfit ever ad. [Photo]. Urban Muses. (2014). Victoria’s Secret body by Victoria campaign. [Photo]. New York Models. (2014). PINK super smooth ad. [Photo]. Advertising Archives. (2010). UK Maybelline magazine advert. [Photo]. Schafrick, P. (2010). Dove deodorant ad. [Photo]. Covergirl. (2010). Katy Perry full lash bloom ad. [Photo]. Inez and Vinoodh. (2016). Viktor & Rolf flowerbomb perfume. [Photo]. Purchasing Pink Today

Versatility of Pink Acne Studios. (2016). Acne studios box packaging. [Photo]. Kinfolk. (2014). Issue 14 the winter issue cover. [Photo]. Good Reads. (2016). Sweetbitter book cover. [Photo]. Pietro Nolita. (2016). Pietro Nolita restaurant in New York City. [Photo]. Vlamis, Y. (2016). Gucci Spring 2016 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Le Creuset. (2016). Le Creuset bonbon products. [Photo]. Glossier. (2018). Solution product photography. [Photo]. Rosie the Londoner. (2016). The gallery at Sketch London. [Photo]. Saturday Skin. (2018). Saturday Skin products. [Photo]. Herbivore Botanicals. (2017). Pink cloud cream. [Photo]. Voisard, A. (2018). Pink pussyhats. The Washington Post. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @pantone, Pantone London s/s 19 colour trend report pink. [Photo].

Lubomirsky, A. (2018). Julia Roberts cover. Harper’s Bazaar. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @fendi, Fendi Resort 2019. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @voguerunway, Chanel runway pink tailoring. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @millennialpinkpennies, Pink flowers and books. [Photo].

Harrison, F. (2019). Gemma Chan 2019 Oscars. Getty Images. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @missenocha, Asos dress and Mango purse. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @ohheystore, Pink palace.[Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @a_.rose, Pink wall with blue shutters. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @homestretchinteriors, Pink bowl. [Photo].

Longevity of Pink Instagram. (2018). @plantsonpink, all plants on a pink backdrop. [Photo]. The Red Online. (2018). Green room with pink accent. [Photo]. 87 Home Design. (2018). Pink walled bathroom. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @lucamonta, Pink building in Milan. [Photo].

Weston Arnold, A. (2019). Delpozo spring 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @thecryermagazine, French Bedroom Co sheets. [Photo].

Slijper, D. (2019). April 2019 cover. Harper’s Bazaar. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @commision.co, Norman Copenhagen collection. [Photo].

Vogue. (2019). Monique Lhuillier spring ready-to-wear. [Photo]. Vlamos, Y. (2019). Valentino spring 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @spaghettimeatballs, Succulents against pink wall. [Photo].

Real, J. (2017). Pink and red striped outfit. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @jenatkinhair, Ouai perfume in Melrose Place. [Photo].

Lucioni, A. (2019). Jacquemus fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @ellecanada, Pink haze photography. [Photo].

Society 6 Website. (n.d.). Girl you totally got this print. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @vince, Pleated outfit. [Photo].

Loeil. (n.d.). Pink and red outfit head to toe. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @herbivorebotanicals, Pink products set. [Photo].

Glossier. (n.d.). Zit stick product. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @pinkandpeonies, Pink product still life. [Photo].

Glossier (n.d.). Glossier 'You' perfume. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @chanelofficial, Chance Chanel perfume. [Photo].

Vogue US. (2019). Delpozo pre-fall 2019. [Photo].

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POPULAR CULTURE

the PINK LIFESTYLE The different ways to adapt to an entire Millennial Pink lifestyle. Because yesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;it is possible in 2019. have grown up on pink my whole life, and continue to admire the colour as I get older. I do surround myself with the colour far more than I thought I did. My bucket list of places to visit around the world does have quite a few pink landmarks and my Pinterest pins for my dream house are curated around a highly desired pink velvet sofa. As a little girl, I always dreamt of living in a beautiful pink castle to fulfill the dream of really becoming a princess. And now, thanks to Craigievar Castle in Scotland, I can at least visit my dream home. Would I say I live a pink lifestyle? Probably not, but I am betting some people do. Millennial Pinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence on popular culture has shaped trends and social media alike. The spread of the colour on social media has influenced hundreds of thousands of people, as it kept being shared and adapted into new products. When pink was gaining momentum and becoming popular, the colour was just seen in advertisements, a few products, and in some social media posts. But now, three years after the colour officially became Millennial Pink, you can live an all pink lifestyle. Using pink, wearing pink, and sharing pink all contributes to the pink lifestyle. You can take part in a pink lifestyle in the simplest ways, or you can live entirely surrounded by the colour. Thanks to millennials, pink has been adapted into hundreds of products, making pink more accessible than ever before. 82

Craigievar Castle in Scotland.

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pink products A pink lifestyle has to involve pink products. Millennial Pinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence on advertising eventually spread into various products and product ranges. As discussed previously in Femininity & Feminism, brands like Glossier and Acne had already used pink in their products and branding, making them ahead of the game. But now, products in all shapes and sizes are coming in pink, marketed to all genders. Beauty products, fashion, and even home appliances are all coming out with ranges of pink to try and stay on top and trends and reach the millennial market. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BEAUTY: Herbivore Rose Quartz body oil, Slip silk pink eyemask, Overose Anthurium candle. HOME: Acne Studios homeware mug, Smeg blender, Le Creuset Bonbon product line. FASHION: Fendi Peekaboo X-Lite bag, Jen Atkin x Calpak luggage, Loeffler Randall Rose Gold Emelia Sandal.

interior design The pink trend is something you can experience from morning to night. By decorating your house with various pink products, the emotional aspect of the colour works as a catalyst to relaxation. A pink accent can be used wherever, even as an accent wall, as it is not strong or intrusive. Popular Scandinavian designers began to use Millennial Pink around 2015 when it was then known as Scandi Pink.Âš There are so many ways pink can be incorporated into any sort of room. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s furniture, flowers, or simple design elements, living the Millennial Pink lifestyle at home or at work is accessible. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BEAUTY: Pink pastel wall, Ferm Living designed room, Dream Decor designed bedroom. FURNITURE: Mia Fleur book weights, Unknown pink chairs, Fritz Hansen couch. BATHROOMS: Urban Outfitter's bathmat, Kmart pink bathroom accessories, Unknown pink bathroom renovation.

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pink experiences Social media is one of the many places we share our experiences. Influencers, bloggers, and celebrities are responsible for leading our taste in various trends. Millennial Pink managed to make it from a trend in fashion to a trend in popular culture experiences as well. The blend of a millennial experience and Millennial Pink creates the ultimate magnet for our generation. Getting a picture or sharing an experience with pink is part of the reason the colour made such a movement. It is flattering against all skin tones, making it popular amongst the younger age groups. Making the perfect insta-worthy backdrop, a pink location creates a specific aesthetic and contributes to the Millennial Pink lifestyle. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BEACHES: Pink Beach of Komodo, Elafonisi Beach of Crete, Harbour Island of the Bahamas. EXPERIENCES: Color Factory in New York City, Museum of Ice Cream in Los Angeles, La Muralla Roja in Spain. RESTAURANTS & SHOPPING: Gallary at Sketch London, Pietro Nolita of New York City, Glossier Showroom in Los Angeles.

POPULAR CULTURE

CONTEMPORARY PINK FASHION & BEAUTY BRANDS How the selected brands use pink in their brand on a daily basis, and the overall message each shade of pink says about their brand. he following brands use pink in their products on a daily basis. The colours of Kate Spade, Glossier, and Fenty Beauty are all different shades of pink that classify as Millennial Pink. In my opinion, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret stands for anything progressive or diverse, so their pink is not Millennial Pink to me. The uses of pink imply a specific message about each of the brands. The brands use pink on their products, packaging, and advertising, curating an entirely pink brand for consumers to shop. Although these brands have mostly been mentioned in previous sections of this book, I thought it was important to provide a specific section surrounding each of their particular use of pink.

kate spade Never famous for their use of pink, Kate Spade is changing the game. Since the new creative director, Nicola Glass has started, the brand has had a major facelift. Gone are the vibrant colours covering all of the designs, and in with a more muted palette with the same quirkiness the brand is known for. Glass is modernizing the brand but keeping the same novelty items and fun the brand is recognized for². A new youthful spirit along with new colour combinations are in the forecast in both ready-to-wear and the leather goods². The brand took to their Instagram account to introduce a bunch of their new features and redesigns. Sticking to their traditional feminine aesthetic, the brand has developed a new shade of pink to be their signature shade. Titled, “pink kiss” the colour covers their new boxes, dust bags, garments, leather, and more. The bright pink shade pays homage to their eclectic sense of style. Additional colours of green, yellow, and a light pink are used as well within the new branding to provide a fresh new look.

POPULAR CULTURE

glossier One of the most popular and buzzworthy brands in the beauty industry is Glossier. Their brand colour, Glossier pink, has been discussed multiple times throughout this book already (incase you can't tell, I love it). Being primarily an online-only platform, the brand prides itself on its success targeting millennials. Glossier pink is a colour the brand eventually developed after saving endless pink photos to a photostream, to then be used as a mood board. Within this mood board, there were photos of all the cool ways pink can be used on both girls and guys. And thus, Glossier pink was born! The colour was specifically rendered to be neutral, making it cool and androgynous³. The shade, which is specifically a 70% saturation of PMS 705, is a shade of cool pink which is also slightly translucent, making it tricky to completely replicate³. The brand was inspired by all the famous ways pink has been worn in the past by celebs. Think, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar dress from 1999, Madonna on the Blond Ambition Tour in 1990, and every pink outfit Princess Diana wore. The brand doesn't take all of the credit for the reason pink became so popular in 2015, but they are flattered people have made the connection³. Glossier pink is used in the majority of their packaging, advertising, and stores. The brand has done a great job marketing the pink colour, as it is instantly recognizable. They have even darkened the shade to be a part of their iconic pink pouches. These pouches are included in every purchase from the brand, becoming another brand staple.

Glossier pink from their Instagram posts.

COM Millennial Pink represents a sort of reclaiming of femininity. It’s a reinvention of the colour that has been forced on us for the majority of our lives. It starts with hospital blankets, then barbies; and it doesn’t stop there, companies automatically slap the colour pink on something any time they are marketing to women. Growing up I rejected the colour pink. In a world where it’s always better to be “one of the guys” I feared that associating myself with pink somehow made me seem less capable, strong, or cool. However, millennial pink isn’t the same tired, old, Barbie pink that has been shoved down our throats for all of eternity. Millennial Pink is a reclamation and a reinvention of the colour pink, our symbol of femininity. Millennial Pink is by women and for women. This is especially evident when considering the fresh new brands that market to women. These brands, such as Glossier, are run by women and are unapologetic about their use of Millennial Pink. Glossier’s Balm Dotcom is not only a beauty product, but its Millennial Pink packaging has put the product on the map as a must-have accessory. Women proudly sport their Millennial Pink outfitted Balm Dotcom on their keychains, carry it in their clear clutches, and display it for all to see on their office desk. It’s our grown-up version of the pink lipsmackers we used to carry in our tiny purses while we were still brave enough to love pink. After many of us rejected pink for so long, we can now make the choice as empowered women to embrace a new version of pink, and a new version of what it means to be feminine. We can tell our inner little girls that it’s okay to come out now, femininity isn’t something we have to hide anymore. Millennial pink is here to stay, and so are we.

- Jamie VanVliet

The Gentlemen’s kit products and model.

fenty beauty Created by Rihanna in 2017, Fenty Beauty is a brand that was designed with all women in mind. The brand features over 40 shades of foundation and concealer designed to match every skin tone out there. Rihanna took advantage of the gap in foundations available, launching a makeup brand that includes all women and men. As I have mentioned before in Femininity & Feminism, the packaging is geometric, magnetic, and a shade of Millennial Pink. Personally, I think the pink used stands for diversity and inclusion. On their website, Fenty Beauty has a kit titled, “Gentlemen's Fenty Face” which is targeted towards all men. The kit includes foundation, concealer, blotting powder, blotting paper, and a mini travel brush. As Fenty says, "it’s all of the essentials for men because they deserve to have perfect skin too⁴." The use of Millennial Pink was a forward choice for Fenty Beauty as they are supporting and promoting the androgyny of the colour pink. 94

Victoria’s Secret advertising posts from Instagram.

v i c t o r i a ’s s e c r e t As discussed previously in Marketing to Women, of one of the oldest brands surrounding the colour pink, Victoria’s Secret is the most popular. Since 1977 the brand has been creating underwear and lingerie for women to be worn as an everyday item, instead of for something special⁵. But, the brand was not technically even created for women. The creator, Roy Raymond, wanted to buy underwear for his wife as a gift but didn't want to look suspicious buying women’s underwear, so the whole store was designed to help men feel more comfortable⁵. Since then, the brand design and stores have changed to appeal to women primarily. The colour pink used in the brand Victoria’s Secret connotes a sexiness that is only for women. It is a highly feminine colour, meant to appear suggestive and loud. The use of pink and black creates a contrast that women are assumed to enjoy. The sub-brand of Victoria’s Secret is PINK. The name PINK suggests a more innocent version of women and is meant to appeal to young girls. The fashion is less sexy and more sporty, but still full of pink and girly connotations. However, it is important to note that the brands aren't succeeding as much as they have in the past. The iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show receives less and less viewers every year, and the brand’s sales have been declining⁶. The definition of sexy has changed within the last few years, and Victoria’s Secret and PINK have been falling behind. The meaning of pink within these brands aligns with old feminine values, and millennials are calling them out. Body diversity is lacking, making the hot pink hue associated only with thin and perfect models, which isn’t realistic to an everyday woman.

BOTTOM: An example of PINK’s advertising RIGHT: store shopping bags and gift wrap.

POPULAR CULTURE

a FIXED IDEA of FEMININITY The ways in which society still views pink as a feminine colour, and the ways characters and artists have reclaimed the colour to mean something more. he women of history and their role in standing up for themselves have paved the way for millennials today who are fighting against gender norms. Of course, pink no longer needs to be a girly colour, but it still is. Popular womenswear brands are using the colour often and in a normal way, but the menswear brands are not significantly changing the use of the colour. However, one brand that is incorporating it into menswear is Acne Studios. They use pink often in their collections now, possibly making it more popular amongst millennial men. Contemporary fashion brands like H&M and Zara tend to carry pink for men, but it is not always worn. It is obvious that things are changing within the industry, more gender neutral clothing lines are coming out, men are supported wearing pink in most places, and women are wearing more traditionally “masculine” athleisure clothing. Although brands and influences today have progressed and steered away from the girly connotations always associated with pink, the fixed idea of femininity surrounding the colour remains in some cases. It is evident in fashion brands today like Kate Spade, Aritzia, and Victoria’s Secret. These brands are all marketed for women only, so the pink is always seen as very feminine.

Girly connotations, with respect to pink, are still evident in today’s society. For example, Victoria’s Secret is still a highly feminine brand that uses pink, spreading the wrong definition of sexy. Children’s toys are continuing to be highly gendered, using pink to connote girls toys only. However, I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing that there are still girly connotations in some products and brands. “Girly” might not be the correct word to use anymore, as it implies that something is very feminine and dainty. But with millennials, things are changing. Millennials don't see the line between genders as much as older generations⁷, so the term “girly” is outdated. If something is very conservatively feminine, it just needs a different term to describe it, as girly is too negatively associated with gender. The word girly is used in more than just pink products. The term is used to describe anything that is remotely characteristic of a female and her actions. Things are changing, but we don't know how long it will take for the rest of the world to catch up to millennials’ forward thinking. Although brands like Glossier advocate that their brand is for everyone and all genders, it seems there are still plenty of people that oppose this, and there is still too much hate in the world.

Examples of Aritziaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pink clothing.

POPULAR CULTURE

reclamation of pink on television Traditional pink ideologies are continuing to be challenged in popular culture. From the late 1990s movies to the 2019 Oscars, pink has played a successful role in arguing the meaning on the colour. Celebrities and characters in films and media have used pink to protest and reclaim the traditional pink colour. As discussed in Femininity & Feminism, the common perception that pink is only for girls is something celebrities have been trying to challenge for years. People like Paris Hilton (in the early 2000s) and Cher Horowitz from Clueless reinforced the traditional gendered role of pink. The two personas conform to the dumb-blond stereotype that loves pink. From Parisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Juicy Couture tracksuits to Cherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fluffy pens, the two regard pink in negative performance. In 2001, the first Legally Blonde movie was released starring Reese Witherspoon. The movie was praised for its ability to prove that women can be just as successful as men. The protagonist, Elle Woods, defied gender norms and stereotypes by becoming a lawyer. At the beginning of the film, as I have mentioned in Femininity & Feminism, Elle is portrayed as a dumb-blonde sorority girl whose future seems to lie somewhere in the fashion industry only. After getting accepted to Harvard Law, to get her ex to fall back in love with her, she carries her energetic and cheerful personality with her. With this personality comes many bright apparel colours, including pink. Pink in this film is reclaimed by Elle towards the end of the movie. We all know the famous scene: Elle walks to the front of the courtroom after changing into her signature hot pink shade and becomes her friend's primary lawyer. Iconic. Elle proves she can be a successful lawyer and still maintain her bubbly fashion and personality. Legally Blonde made it possible for women to like and feel comfortable in pink as it challenged stereotypes and dominant ideologies around the colour.

Legally Blonde's final courtroom scene.

“on wednesdays we wear pink”

Mean Girls is one of the most culturally referenced films of the millennial generation. So many iconic one-liners have come from the masterpiece. Pink was such an iconic colour in this film, used to signify the popular from the unpopular and is the colour of the Burn Book. Although the movie is about a popular clique of girls who tear down the self-esteem of others, the other characters throughout the movie try to teach a message of self-love, friendship, and acceptance. Pink in this film represents sheer bitchiness. It may not be a positive colour in the film, but the messages that came out of the film speak volumes. It preached for teens to not judge one another, not dumb themselves down, and that rumours are horrible. In my opinion, â&#x20AC;&#x153;on Wednesdays we wear pinkâ&#x20AC;? is one of the most famous and popular quotes of our generation. Unpopular opinion: It is also one of the most overdone Instagram captions of our generation.

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Over the past few months, Ariana Grande has taken over the popular music scene. She has faced heartache from several different circumstances but manages to channel this energy into her career. The past two singles she has released have been anthems for her life. “Thank U, Next” is a song about thanking her previous relationships and moving on. “7 Rings” is about friendships and is “ just like….. a flex” as Ariana says⁸. The music video for “Thank U, Next” is a spoof of all of the early 2000s films we as millennials loved. Mean Girls, Clueless, Legally Blonde, and 13 Going on 30 are all reenacted by Ariana as a testament to millennial youth. The video also pays homage to the use of pink in each movie, but with a modern twist on the fashion. The music video is amazing and hilarious as it references some of the greatest pop culture moments from movies. Ariana’s aesthetic is essentially a Millennial Pink dream full of swirly pastels and glitter. In her “7 Rings” video, her aesthetic is in full force with neon pink glowing on the screen from every angle and millennial pink furniture, cars, and clothing and accessories. The video is the opposite of “Thank U, Next” as it boasts female friendship and living the dream life with her closest friends while spending all of the money she wants. Ariana uses the colour pink in her videos to express femininity and female empowerment. By having fellow celebs and friends make cameos, Ariana reclaims the colour pink, proposing a cool vibe from it.

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For me personally, the pink beauty blender represents a major shift in my level of knowledge and interest in makeup. About three years ago, my interest in makeup skyrocketed and the pink beauty blender became a staple in my everyday makeup routine. When I purchased my first beauty blender, I thought they only came in the colour pink. I had seen so many beauty gurus raving about it and the colour was so memorable. When I look at my personal collection of makeup now, most products are in neutral packaging. In an industry with more competition than ever before, I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extremely important to make a statement and be different. The bright pink beauty blender signifies a really important shift in the future of the makeup industry. In the past, the colour pink itself was traditionally a symbol of youth and femininity and makeup as a whole represented something very similar to that. Recently we have seen an improvement when it comes to inclusion regarding race and gender within the makeup industry. We now see people such as James Charles, Jeffree Star and Patrick Ta launching their own makeup products and millions of makeup lovers supporting them. Similar growth can be recognized in the fashion industry as we see more and more pinks popping up in clothing lines for men. Millennials are developing new meanings for colours.

- Kayla McLean

“deep inside we’re all just pink”

Janelle Monae’s song and music video for “Pynk” is literally heaven. The video was released in 2018, and the world was able to see exactly what was going through Janelle’s mind when she envisioned the song. The colour pink, vagina pants, and women encapsulate the message of the song. The song boasts self-love and celebrates women’s bodies. The song makes a case that pink is to be praised, and “Pynk” is for everyone⁹. It is clear that Millennial Pink is evident in this video as female sexuality and femme women are the main attraction. The lyrics and video work together to draw people’s attention and create a positive conversation about women’s bodies and their relationship with pink. Janelle ends the song with the lyrics “We’re all just pink” and “Deep inside we’re all just pink” making the case that we’re all built of pink, so we’re all really just the same⁹.

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the PINK OBSESSION

Visual evidence of the different ways fashion collections, campaigns, and magazine covers are using pink in 2019. hen looking at the latest spring/summer collections and fall/winter runway shows, it is clear that the colour pink is not out of fashion. It may not all be the neutral Millennial Pink, but the colour is everywhere. Not only has it been in recent fashion collections, but the colour is still relevant and popular on social media, in campaigns, and on the covers of magazines. The amount of pink Instagram posts I have saved on Instagram is outstanding. Almost every week since 2019 has started I have seen some sort of pink post that I have not seen before, further proving the colour has made a lasting impact on the creative industries. In the recent couture collections, pink was very popular amongst designers, especially in womenswear. Pink may not be popular on every runway for this year, but look ahead at the next few pages! These designer names are huge. There are so many different shades and textures of pink in each collection, that it's difficult to name them! One key colour that is gracing the runway often is that hot-pink shade I mentioned in The Versatility of Pink. The hot-neon-pink shade is all over the place and has been since late 2018, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still not quite over. This visual collection of images serves as a guide to the many ways pink is consistently being used. It also proves that pink is not quite over yet. I could have picked so many more designers and looks from each collection, but then this book would be 50 more pages!

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rodarte spring 2019 ready-to-wear

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delpozo spring 2019 ready-to-wear

delpozo fall 2019 ready-to-wear

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chanel spring 2019 ready-to-wear

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chanel fall 2019 ready-to-wear

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marc jacobs spring 2019 ready-to-wear

fendi 2019 resort

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giambattista valli spring 2019 couture

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alberta ferretti fall 2019 ready-to-wear

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valentino spring 2019 couture

valentino fall 2019 ready-to-wear

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gucci 2019 year-of-the-pig collection

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fendi baguette bag 2019 campaign

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dior 2019 resort campaign

v o g u e b r a z i l h a r p e r â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s b a z a a r february 2019 uk march 2019

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elle uk april 2019

REFERENCES: POPULAR CULTURE

references TEXT ¹ Marelli, C. (2018). Millennial pink, a chromatic obsession. Retrieved from https://www.elledecor.com/it/best-of/a20726318/millennial-pink/ ² McCall, T. (2018). Nicola Glass is taking over Kate Spade, New York, one spade motif at a time. Retrieved from https://fashionista.com/2018/09/nicola glass-kate-spade-new-york-spring-2019-collection ³ Into the Gloss. (2015). Pink is a neutral. Retrieved from https://intothegloss.com/2015/10/pink-moodboard-glossier-pink/ ⁴ Fenty Beauty. (n.d.) Gentlemen’s Fenty face. Retrieved from https://www.fentybeauty.com/gentlemens-fenty-face/custom-complexion-5-pc-set/gentle mens-fenty-face.html ⁵ Schlossberg, M. (2015). How Victoria's Secret's core customers have completely changed. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias secrets-crazy-history-2015-7 ⁶ Cheng, A. (2018). Here’s the real problem behind Victoria’s Secret’s dramatic fall. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/07/12/ heres-the-real-problem-behind-victorias-secrets-dramatic-fall/#6c33cc801054 ⁷ Schwartzberg, L. (2017). Why millennial pink refuses to go away. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/why-millennial-pink-refuses-to go-away.html ⁸ Bailey, A. (2018). Ariana Grande Just Released '7 Rings' And It's All About Being Rich as Hell. Elle. Retrieved from https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/ a25938429/ariana-grande-7-rings-lyrics-meaning/ ⁹ Florio, A. (2018). Janelle Monae’s “PYNK” Video About Female Sexuality Will Make You Feel Like A Goddess. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/ janelle-monaes-pynk-video-about-female-sexuality-will-make-you-feel-like-a-goddess-8746306

IMAGES

Instagram. (2019). @loefflerrandall, Rose penny heel. [Photo].

The Pink Lifestyle

ElleDecor. (2018). Pink office. [Photo].

Monalogue Blog. (2017). Craigiever pink castle in Scotland. [Photo].

Italian Bark. (2018). Millennial pink walls, green plants. [Photo].

Herbivore Botanicals. (2018). Rose quartz body spray. [Photo].

ElleDecor. (2018). Pink monochrome bedroom. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @overoseparis, anthurium candle stack. [Photo].

TLCInteriors. (2018). Mia Fleur book weights. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @slipsilkpillowcase, Pink slip eyemask. [Photo].

Society19. (2018). Millennial pink chairs. [Photo].

Currell Blog. (2018). Le Creuset pink pots. [Photo].

ElleDecor. (2018). Pink couch. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @acnestudios, Homeware mug. [Photo].

Urban Outfitters. (2018). Millennial pink bath mat. [Photo].

Crate and Barrel Website. (n.d.). SMEG pink blender. [Photo].

TLCInteriors. (2019). Pink towels and accessories. [Photo].

Le Creuset. (n.d.). Bonbon products. [Photo].

2LG Studio. (2017). Millennial pink bathroom. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). Fendi purse on runway. [Photo].

Unseen Hong Kong. (2017). Beach of Komodo, Indonesia. [Photo].

Rosenthal, M. (2018). Calpak pink luggage. [Photo].

Creti. (n.d.). The pink sand of Elafonisi Beach. [Photo].

Getty Images. (n.d.). Harbour Island Bahamas beach. [Photo].

Everett Collection. (2016). 15 life lessons from Legally Blonde: girl group. Legally Blonde. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @ofat, Color factory exhibit. [Photo].

The Telegraph. (2016). Elle in sunglasses. Legally Blonde. [Photo].

Instagram. (2018). @museumoficecream, Letters room. [Photo].

Mic. (2014). Cafeteria pink scene. Mean Girls. [Photo]

Gallardo, A. (2017). La Muralla Roja Spain. [Photo].

Press. (2017). Making fetch happen. Mean Girls. [Photo]..

Freyquence. (2018). Sketch London gallery and photo wall. [Photo].

Thrillest. (2017). Burn book. Mean Girls. [Photo].

Pietro Nolita. (2016). Pietro Nolita dining room. [Photo].

YouTube. (2019). ‘7 rings’ music video screenshots. Ariana Grande. [Photo].

Glossier. (2018). Glossier L.A. showroom. [Photo].

YouTube. (2019). ‘Thank u, next’ music video screenshots. Ariana Grande. [Photo].

Contemporary Fashion & Beauty Brands Fior, F. (2019) Kate Spade fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @katespadeny, New branding images. [Photo]. Delarue, C. (n.d.). Glossier logo. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @glossier, Pink zip-tie products. [Photo]. Bustle. (2014). Glossier first phase products. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @glossier, Guy in cloud paint blush. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @glossier, Body hero pink ad. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @glossier, Close-up of lidstar on eyes. [Photo]. The Dieline. (2017). Rihanna’s Fenty makeup collection. [Photo]. Fenty Beauty. (n.d.). Fenty gentlemen’s collection model. [Photo]. Fenty Beauty. (n.d.). Fenty gentlemen’s collection. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @victoriassecret, Shopping bags. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @victoriassecret, Floral lace bras. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @victoriassecret, Angel Jasmine Tooks. [Photo].

YouTube. (2018). ‘Pynk’ music video screenshots. Janelle Monae. [Photo]. The Pink Obsession Vlamos, Y. (2018). Rodarte spring 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Weston Arnold, K. (2018). Delpozo spring 2019 ready-to-wear.Vogue. [Photo]. Delpozo. (2019). Fall/winter 2019 ready-to-wear. [Photo]. Weston Arnold, K. (2019). Chanel spring 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Lucioni, A. (2019). Chanel fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Vlamos, Y. (2019). Marc Jacobs spring 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Vogue. (2018). Fendi Resort 2019. [Photo]. Fior, F. (2019). Giambattista Valli spring 2019 couture. Vogue. [Photo]. Fior, F. (2019). Alberta Ferretti fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue. [Photo]. Fior, F. (2019). Valentino spring 2019 couture. Vogue. [Photo]. Lucioni, A. (2019). Valentino fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Vogue.[Photo].

Instagram. (2016). @vspink, PINK shopping bags. [Photo].

Lebone, F. (2019). @gucci, Year of the pig campaign images. Instagram. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @vspink, PINK fleece sweater. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @fendi, Baguette bag campaign images. [Photo].

A Fixed Idea of Femininity

Vivas, P. (2018). Dior resort 2019 campaign images. [Photo].

Aritzia. (2019). Wilfred Cherelle Jacket Images. [Photo].

Nunes, Z. (2019). February cover. Vogue Brazil. [Photo].

Aritzia. (2019). Wilfred Eleta Skirt Images. [Photo].

Lubomirski, A. (2019). Lily James cover. Harper’s Bazaar. [Photo].

iMBD. (2001). Final court scene. Legally Blonde. [Photo].

Jones, Q. (2019). Taylor Swift April cover. Elle UK. [Photo].

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An explanation into how the colour pink can no longer return to the way it was before Millennial Pink. fter writing this entire book, all I have to say is, pink is forever changed. Society 100% cannot go back to the way it was when pink was a weak and female-only colour. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure after reading this or flipping through this, you are probably thinking the same thing. It is kind of mindblowing what the colour has done for us in the past few years it has been popularized. It has broken conventions and defied societies previous heteronormative constraints. Millennials have essentially changed the colour forever.

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THE FUTURE

Photos of random things I have saved on Instagram that are pink.

The colour appeals to younger audiences¹ and we all know, the youth are the future! It appears that the age cohort of millennials, generation Z, and hopefully whoever is next, have changed the perception of the colour. By challenging traditional gender roles, femininity, and heteronormative norms, Millennial Pink has become a statement to all who can notice it. It is clear that when you see the colour associated with a brand, you know what that brand stands for, and who their target market is¹. I also believe that the colour changed the way we see things on Instagram. Apparently, the colour is proven to perform much better on Instagram than any other colour². Monica Khemsurov, the co-founder of Sight Unseen, an online magazine that focuses on new and upcoming trends, told The Cut, “A normal post might get 1,500 likes, and the pink ones get 4,000, so it’s hard to break out

“it’s hard to break out of the cycle because thats what people want” of the cycle because that’s what people want. It’s hard for us to say pink is over because our readers and followers still love pink².” This means that pink Instagram posts tend to perform a lot better than non-pink ones. At least, that was the case in 2017 as per the articles data. I would be interested to know if this is still occurring, or if there is a new Instagram trend that is more successful. But, I can definitely tell you I have been liking and saving every pink post that comes up on my feed.

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Pink menswear photoshoot.

Throughout this book, there are sidebars that feature a small blurb surrounding specific pink items either from the past or present. I had asked several of my millennial friends to take part in this project by answering some basic questions surrounding the colour Millennial Pink. Some were fellow fashion friends, others were friends from home who weren't used to learning about such specific dominant ideologies in society. I specifically chose each person’s item as I knew it related to them personally in some capacity. I was absolutely delighted by the answers I received. I gave them a brief explana-

tion of what my project was about but told them to just answer the questions honestly, with the first thoughts that came to their mind. They provided the most amazing, thoughtful, and woke responses that I could have hoped for, and I didn’t even tell them that was the sort of response I was looking for. It was made clear to me that each person understands that Millennial Pink does stand for something more. Their blurbs feature a personal touch and a socially aware response, proving that Millennial Pink is making a lasting impact on our youth. It is safe to say that pink is never going to carry the “girly” baggage we are so traditionally used to seeing. This colour has paved the way for other colours to no longer be seen as genderspecific. Of course, not everyone sees the impact pink has had, or supports the challenging of societies heteronormative stereotypes, but the future is looking bright. I refuse to believe that Millennial Pink is just a trendy colour that was commodified to make money.

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is MILLENNIAL PINK DEAD? The question everyone has been wondering since Millennial Pink was even remotely over-used. his is the question I have been asking myself over and over again throughout this entire year. And personally, my answer is: NO WAY. How could anyone ever think this beautiful, gender-neutral, insanely popular colour could be over? It is just the start of change for the colour pink. When I first began research on Millennial Pink for my capstone, which was in September of 2018, all of the primary search results on Google were: “Millennial pink is over,” “Is this the new Millennial Pink?,” “What even is Millennial Pink?” Obviously, none of that was reassuring to me, but after digging a little deeper, and honestly just opening up the Instagram app, I can see that Millennial Pink is still evident. 130

colour clickbait In recent months, there have been some developments in the trendy-colours movement. According to an article by Man Repeller, there are 3 new colours we should be concerned about³. The article came out in late May of 2018, but re-reading it now, they hit the nail on the head. Colour clickbait is what they are referring to when they discuss the popularity of trendy colours. This term is actually perfect for describing Millennial Pink’s early stages in the market, people love the shade and anything to do with it, by clicking on anything that uses Millennial Pink they are further promoting the colour’s success. The colours that have joined Millennial Pink’s side as colour clickbait are yellow, lilac, and green³. Obviously, those particular shades have way cooler names, just like Millennial Pink. Accompanying the article written by Harling Ross, is a photoshoot of equal brilliance and interest. The particular golden-but-bright shade of yellow is titled ‘Gen Z Yellow’. The colour is having a moment in the spotlight, sellouts of yellow products grew by 106%³ and according to a WGSN trend report, the colour had increased in

presence across all market levels in the US¹. The colour is popular on social media, mainly Instagram and is a variety of shades, similar to Millennial Pink³. Gen Z yellow's shades range from a stick of butter, to the bright and goodness of sunshine. The colour is a bright change compared to the pastel-candy of Millennial Pink, and the golden hour aesthetic it is often paired with suits the colour nicely. The name ‘Gen Z Yellow’ refers to the even brighter future of the generation after millennials⁴. Another colour that was popping up on the spring/summer 2018 runways was Lilac. According to Man Repeller,

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Vogue, and Who What Wear, all said the colour was going to be huge for 2018³. Music artist Lorde wore the lilac colour on a Monique Lhuillier gown at the MTV Music Awards in 2018 while promoting her new album, “Melodrama,” to which the colour was then coined, “Melodramatic Purple³.” Yes, the colour was briefly popular on the runways and in fast fashion stores, it still didn't quite carry the same message as ever-so-popular Millennial Pink, and Gen Z Yellow. Both yellow and lilac were trending in late 2018, but they never really progressed into 2019, in my opinion. One of the colours that is still going strong however, is green. Some call it slime green, some highlighter green, but Man Repeller called in “Miranda Hobbes Green” because the colour is “such a Miranda³." Having never actually seen Sex and the City myself, I cannot relate to this at all, but I’m sure some of you do! Regardless, this colour has definitely come the closest non-pink shade to being the new Millennial Pink. Famous models including Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner have been seen in the colour, and I am still finding it in stores and online in 2019. In my opinion, the trendy green is not quite over and will be sticking around a little longer. It may not be Millennial-Pink-level popular or clickbait-y yet, but it could be on the rise. These colours have always been around, we are just giving them new meanings and associations, making them more prominent in our culture³. As summed up by Man Repeller, “Given how successfully pink acclimated to its role as both a mascot for society and guaranteed clickbait, it’s not surprising that other shades of the rainbow would be primed and primped for the same³.” 133

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vivid pink One of the trendiest colours of 2019, and not mentioned by Man Repeller, is the hot-highlighter-pink shade. As seen before in The Versatility of Pink and The Pink Obsession, Vivid Pink (which I only just named) is the closest contender to being the new Millennial Pink, in my opinion. Yes, I still classify it as Millennial Pink because well, it is pink, but this shade is so popular it could be having its very own moment. One of the earliest places I can think of seeing it is in the Beauty Blender makeup applicator sponge. The sponge took the beauty world by storm as it revolutionized the makeup application process—and it was all over YouTube. The colour is also on spring runways, currently in stores, and all over the red carpets. At both the 2019 Grammys and Oscars, women showed up in and represented the colour (I don't think it was on purpose?) It wasn’t just Vivid Pink that they showed up in, but all shades of pink. Pink was having a serious moment, it took over the Oscars to the point that, if a woman wasn't wearing pink, she looked out of place. Which sounds weird to say because pink is not just a female colour. However, before the Grammys and Oscars of 2019, there were the 2018 Emmys, where one woman was credited for starting the hot-pink runway trend: Tracee Ellis Ross. The woman wore a glamorous Valentino Haute Couture dress and shut down the red carpet⁵. Perhaps she was the inspiration for all of the women during the rest of the 2019 award season?

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THE FUTURE

living coral In my opinion, one of the most definitive ways to prove the pink trend is not over, is Living Coral, Pantone’s 2019 colour of the year. I am pretty sure I let out a little gasp when I saw what the colour of the year was because 1. It’s my favourite colour of all time, and 2. PINK. Some people may not think it is actually pink, but it’s a hybrid of red and orange, so it’s technically kind of pink. According to Pantone, “Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment⁶.”It was chosen to remind us to be present and embodies our desire for playful expression, as said by Pantone, “representing the fusion of modern life, PANTONE Living Coral is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media⁶.” On Instagram, I have already seen the early effects of the trending colour. Specific brands like NARS and Sephora are promoting the colour in various already existing products, opening our eyes to the fact that this colour already surrounds us. It has also been seen on popular runway shows like Marc Jacobs’ spring 2019 ready-to-wear, which the brand has recently been promoting on their Instagram page. This colour could be the new trendy shade of Millennial Pink. Living Coral could further prove that pink is here to stay forever, and the orange-pink shade could appeal to both women and men, maybe even more than Millennial Pink. It falls under the same vibrancy of both slime green and hot pink, so maybe it will fit right in.

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“living coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment”

Mane Addicts living coral hairstyle.

NARS Juliette lipstick.

Vogueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promotion of Living Coral on Instagram.

March Jacobs spring 2019 ready-to-wear

Sephora promoting Living Coral coloured products on Instagram.

March Jacobs spring 2019 ready-to-wear

THE FUTURE

final thoughts... Following all of the hype around pink over the past few months has been exceptionally exciting. To see the colour through an academic lens has been both eye-opening and entertaining. I am happy to say I am kind of a pink expert? Or I can at least tell you all of the different brands that have used any shade of pink in the last year. Maybe that’s my new party trick? The main goal of this book was to prove that Millennial Pink broke barriers, gender norms, and some heteronormative ways. There is no better quote to end this book with than Helen Mirren and Jason Momoa's 2019 Oscar moment. The two presented one of the first awards for the night, ‘Best Documentary’. Helen Mirren wore a pink Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown and Jason Momoa wore a pink Fendi tuxedo, and this is the first thing they said on stage⁷,

“It just goes to show that these days, a Hawaiian god and a very mature English woman can actually wear the same color,” said Mirren. “We can both wear pink.” Momoa agreed, adding: “Finally, times are changing."

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REFERENCES: THE FUTURE OF MILLENNIAL PINK

references

TEXT ¹ WGSN. (2018). Crack the buying code: what’s the next millennial pink? [PDF format]. Retrieved from https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/crack-the-buying-code is-pink-the-new-black/?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=global-weekly-insider&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT ² Schwartzberg, L. (2017). Why millennial pink refuses to go away. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/why-millennial-pink-refuses-to go-away.html ³ Ross, H. (2018). Millennial pink, gen z yellow, and the truth about color clickbait. Man Repeller. Retrieved from https://www.manrepeller.com/2018/05/lime green-millennial-pink.html ⁴ Nahman, H. (2018). Move over millennial pink–there’s a new sheriff in town. Man Repeller. Retrieved from https://www.manrepeller.com/2017/08/yellow-is trending.html ⁵ Goldberg, C. (2018). Tracee Ellis Ross practically just invented wearing hot pink for the red carpet. Harper’s Bazaar. Retrieved from https://www.harpersba zaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/a23290822/tracee-ellis-ross-emmys-2018-red-carpet-valentino-haute-couture/ ⁶ Pantone. (2019). Pantone color of the year 2019. Retrieved from https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/color-of-the-year/color-of-the-year-2019 ⁷ Valenti, L. (2019). Jason Momoa wears a scrunchie to the Oscars, the internet swoons. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/oscars 2019-jason-momoa-hair-pink-scrunchie-lisa-bonet

IMAGES Pink is Forever Changed Instagram. (2019). @gucci, SS19 sneaker-sandal hybrid. [Photo]. Instagram. (2018). @wearesophomore, Steve Lacy with flowers. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @loefflerrandall, Rose gold emelia sandal. [Photo]. Farrell, P. (2017). Dylan Moran pink fashion shoot. The Guardian. [Photo]. Is Millennial Pink Dead?

Getty Images. (2019). Camila Cabello at the Grammys. [Photo]. Getty Images. (2019). Sarah Paulson at the Oscars. Elle. [Photo]. Getty Images. (2019). Angela Bassett at the Oscars. [Photo]. Getty Images. (2018). Tracee Ellis Ross in Valentino. Vogue. [Photo]. Pantone. (2018). Living coral colour of the year art. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @pantone, Living coral Instagram like. [Photo]. Instagram. (2019). @maneaddicts, Coral hair. [Photo].

Young, E. (2018). Millennial pink, gen z yellow, and the truth about color clickbait photoshoot. Man Repeller. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @vogueliving, Colour of the year wall. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @bellahadid, slime green top. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @sephoracanada, Living coral products. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @kendalljenner, Lime green top. [Photo].

Instagram. (2019). @narsissist, Juliette coral lipstick. [Photo].

Harrison, F. (2018). Lorde in Monique Lhuillier. Getty Images. [Photo].

Yemchuck, Y. (2019). Marc Jacobs ss19 dress images. Instagram. [Photo].

Getty Images. (2019). Linda Cardellini at the Oscars. [Photo].

Winter, K. (2019). Mirren and Momoa at the Oscars. People. [Photo].

THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY AMAZING FRIENDS F O R B E I N G A PA R T O F T H I S P R O J E C T: A M A N D A G E R I S , M E L I S S A D U N P H Y, E M I LY M O R E N O , ASHLEY PUCH, AUSTIN RICHARDSON, VERONIKA KRZYZANOWSKA, CASSIE GINGERICH, MACKENZIE M C I N T Y R E , J A M I E VA N V L I E T, A N D K AY L A M C L E A N .