The History of Pink

In the pink” — CBS Sunday Morning, 2019, 5:57https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuPAN0CEZo

How did pink become a feminine color? This video examines the history of pink within fashion trends, children’s books, and activism. We learn about how American retailers marketed pink to women and girls as well as how the color was reclaimed by feminist activism. There is also a short discussion on stereotypes and feminine ideals of submissiveness. What does pink mean to you? Is it a color of oppression or empowerment? Why is pink a more “controversial” color than blue?

From the video’s description: Pink is the most divisive color in American society, associated with gender stereotypes that leave some seeing red. After gaining favor in Europe as the preferred color for the fashionable and aristocratic, pink became linked with notions of sugar and spice and everything nice – and that's when businesses started seeing green. Faith Salie offers a colorful history of pink, taking in a recent exhibit at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, and talking with Hilary Knight, illustrator of "Eloise," whose mischievous heroine wore pink as a badge of honor.