COLOURS: PINK

I was set the task in one of my seminars to create a positive and a negative mood board for the colour pink. I began my process by writing down the immediate things which came to mind when thinking about how pink can be used and perceived negatively and positively. I then searched Pinterest for pink photos to fit into each category and organised them into the two mood boards. When I put together the images I decided I wanted to add more to the boards so I chose to annotate the images with words and point out details I felt were important and these are my outcomes:

The left one is the positive board, the first images I included were the ones of pink eyeshadow looks, as I feel the pink allows them to create unique and experimental makeup looks for people to express themselves through as so many people have such a deep passion for makeup. The next images were of outfits and accessories I found that were pink, I found through my research that there is such a wide variety of styles and shades of pink fashion and it allows people whatever their style to embrace the colour and create their own unique fashion and explore different outfits and possibilities. For example the Balenciaga and the Louis Vuitton mini bags both have the same shape but the shade of pink and the material used in each are very different to one another and give off a completely different vibe and would be worn with very different outfits by different women and I love how the colour pink is still incorporated in both and how its so adaptable for anyones style. The next images were of a very pink cafe and one image from the ice cream shop pop up both hugely incorporating the colour pink as a way of making a pretty background. The use of majority pink within these spaces with attract people for photos as its so aesthetically pleasing and for people who love pink as a colour would definitely enjoy these spaces. Somewhere else that uses a lot of pink in their spaces is EL&N cafe in London, therefore I included some of the photos I found from the location tag on instagram, proving that this pink aesthetic is working at getting customers in and sharing about the beautiful place, resulting in better business for the cafe. The next image is of the GUCCI sign which is in all pink and it looks very sleek and expensive, the different shades of pink and the texture added and also the luxury brand being used gives the colour pink a lot more adult feel and that it isn't just for kids. The main image I placed in the centre of the board is the pink neon sign that says GRL PWR, which is shortened from Girl Power, I loved this image because although its bad that we use pink as a stereotypical colour for girls, it can be used as a way of empowering girls as its their colour, boys usually stay away from anything pink as they feel it isn't masculine so we could actually use this stereotype to our advantage as empower women as its our colour, something that men can't take away.

To start the negative board I looked at how pink is so well known to be stereotypically a girls colour and this is constantly being supported when we should be embracing change as the world develops and become more open to the changes in society and stop seeing pink as girls and blue as boys. I added photos from popular films and series where women are perceived negatively and pink is linked to them. The first is legally blonde, in the film Elle begins off by being shown as a dumb blonde who just cares about how she looks and her boyfriend, she is shown always wearing pink and everything she owns is pink. When she works hard and gets into law school she starts wearing less pink and more dull colours, as seen in one of the bottom photos in the collage, this change in outfit colouring makes us relate the dumb blonde, basic girl with pink and then the empowered hard working one to more dull colours. Another example is Grease, the group of girls are literally called 'Pink Ladies' and they always wear their pink jackets, it's the sign of their group. In the film they are shown as bitchy and male obsessed, they are always needing to be with a man or protected by a man, giving the sense of being inferior. I also included an image of when Frenchie is singing beauty school drop out, where her hair, outfit and background is all pink again linking together a dumb girl and the colour pink. Another one included is Mean Girls, this poster includes a pink background and the three mean girls all in pink tops, the film also has a very well known quote of "On Wednesdays we wear pink". Pink is referenced and displayed so much throughout the film which is all about basic, mean girls which again makes that link in our minds. Another way in which we support the stereotype is through gender reveals, this is when expecting parents reveal the gender of their baby and this can be done through a variety of ways but they always use pink to show a girl and blue for a boy. The next image is of the 'pink drink' from Starbucks, it was a secret menu item which blew up on the internet because of its aesthetic, but whenever I hear people talk about it they call it 'basic' as in its for basic bitches, once again linking together the pink colour to what they feel in negative. The final images are of beauty products which are pink or in pink packaging, the beauty community is aware of this stereotype of pink being for girls and by creating their packaging and products in the pink colour gives off the feeling that they are targeting at girls and that the makeup is only for girls, but we live in a world now where everyone uses makeup, all genders, and they need to keep up and diversify their products.