I can’t imagine anyone not loving pink! As I start to unfold my Spring/Summer wardrobe I can see that pink (lots of magenta) is a dominant color. I have mentioned, as a child, one of my favorite things to play dress up in was a full length, pink chiffon nightgown with a matching ostrich feather cuffed robe and rhinestone belt buckle. It was like walking around in a swirl of cotton candy. I have no recollection of my mother actually wearing this ensemble, but I’m sure she looked very glamorous when she did.
As I discovered with purple last month, pink is a color that makes friends with all the other colors. It is the passion and power of red, softened with the purity and openness of white. Pink represents gentle, loving energy, compassion, hope and playfulness. Soft, pale pink hues convey a sense of calm and can reduce feelings of aggression, while deeper pinks, like magenta, exhibit more energy which can be exhilarating but in large doses can cause feelings of hostility.
Colors are tied to our emotions as well as our intellect. Every color has a meaning that we have learned from someone else or we innately sense. Take for instance the idea that pink is for girls. This is something we believed because it has been marketed that way since the 40’s. At the turn of the century, pink was actually associated with boys because it’s a watered-down version of red. At that time, pink was thought to be stronger while blue was considered daintier.
We also learn color meaning by association or conditioning. This may be why some people have a negative or positive reaction to some colors. For instance, if I had a pink bike when I was a little girl and all my friends thought it was cool, I might subconsciously associate pink with acceptance. However, if I had been made fun of when I rode it, I might associate pink with shame or ridicule. Typically, when we acknowledge a negative association with a color, it frees us of that emotion and allows us to see that color in a new light.
Pink can be playful like cotton candy, delectable like bright pink icing on a cupcake, or provocative like magenta lipstick. Whether you want to express head to toe loving energy or just a splash of hope, pink may be just the color you are looking for.
XO-
Mel