The Changing Face of Pink
In our culture, pink has generally been thought of as a color for little girls who love Barbie. However, the face of pink is changing.
The color pink is all over popular culture these days. The pop artist Pink is edgy and loves to push the envelope. From the moment she debuted in 2000, she has shown hereself to be the very opposite of Barbie or bubblegum. She is fearless, independent, and driven, and she has put a new face to the color pink.
Nicki Minaj has also embraced the color pink. Minaj, a hip hop artist, named her debut album Pink Friday. Unlike the artist Pink, Minaj embraces the girlish side of pink, dubbing herself a “Harajuki Barbie” and wearing everything from pink clothes to pink hair.
Minaj’s girlish love of the color and her hardcore rhymes and hip hop swagger provide an interesting juxtaposition of femininity and edginess. Like the artist Pink, Minaj is changing the face of the color pink in the world of popular culture. Slowly but surely, pink is being seen as a color older girls and women can embrace.
What about men? There was a time when many men wouldn’t be caught dead in pink, but that has also changed in recent years. Pink ties, dress shirts, polo shirts, and sport jackets have all been seen on men. Rapper Cam’ron proudly drove around in a pink Range Rover for much of 2007.
Clearly pink is clearly not just for little girls anymore, and that is evidenced by what we see in popular culture. But what about interior design?
Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color and color forecasting, named Honeysuckle the color of the year for 2011.
In a press release, Pantone said:
While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.” 
Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
What does this mean for the color pink? Well, aside from getting a lot of media attention, this also means will likely see more pink on the runways and in interior design.
Beyond that, it means we can stop associating pink with little girls and Barbie and start seeing pink for what it is…a beautiful and versatile color.
There is nothing to fear. Whether you’re old or young, man or woman, you can embrace pink in your bedroom design. There is a wide range of tones to choose from. You can use pale pink as a neutral, bright pink as an accent color, hot pink in your bedding, or berry pink on your walls. The sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless!
It’s the Color of the Year
Pink, that is. Actually, Pantone named Honeysuckle the color of 2011. This is Honeysuckle:
Where have we seen this color before? Well, we’ve seen it in a contemporary girls bedroom and this nursery.
In a press release, Pantone said:
While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”
Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
So there you have it. This gorgeous shade of pink was named the color of the year by the the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. So what are you waiting for? Let’s think pink!
