Tickled Pink

“Most remarkable children I ever saw. Which is which?...Amy put a blue ribbon on the boy and a pink on the girl, French fashion, so you can always tell.” (Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Chapter 28) The connotation that girls are associated with the color pink dates much farther back then Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, rather as early as the 17^th century the color pink was associated with things such as rosy cheeks, flowers, Valentine’s Day, love, etc.; all things commonly associated with women. The 17^th century is also the first time the pigment, pink was created by mixing red and white pigments together, (Collins Dictionary).

The pink pigment is most commonly found in flowers when related to nature. Peonies and roses are two flowers that are perfect examples of the color pink personified. As flowers are often given as a symbol of love, so did the color pink become associated with the emotion, love. Though, some cultures have other meanings for the color pink as well. In Japan, the color pink is actually associated with masculinity and in Persia the color pink is often referenced when talking about people’s faces, (www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-pink.html, 09/06/2012. But when I think of the pink, I think babies; girl babies.

Louisa May Alcott’s description of the differentiation between the twin babies is so classic to me. When I think about girls I think pink and when I think of baby boys, I think blue. So while this may be a bit skewed, I believe the best place to use the color pink in design is in a baby girl’s bedroom. While the worst place to use pink is in a baby boy’s bedroom. After all the pink ribbon is the universal symbol for breast cancer which affects 90 percent more females than males.