The complexity of colour

By Raman Singh

Most changes stem from grassroots. Thus, when it comes to colour choice in fashion, it all boils down to the people who wear garments for the first time. Babies. Before fashion took over the lives of newborn children, people did not care much about the clothes their babies wore and generally dressed them in white through the 1800s. This changed, when through the 1900s, the use of pink was glorified in western media. The Ladies’ Home Journal, in a 1914 article, stated that young men should be dressed in the stronger, more fiery, red-like pink, while girls should be dressed in the more dainty, delicate and beautiful blue. This idea was echoed in the Sunday Sentinel and TIME magazine, where aristocrats were described as waiting for young boys with cradles decorated in pink. At the time, aristocrats set the benchmark for society. So when did this masculine colour become feminine?

Well, war changes everything, including the colours we associate with different genders. Towards the end of the 1940s, the West had recently emerged victorious in the second World War. After the horrors of the War, people wanted to get rid of the dull, drab colours of the war and wear brighter colours. Cosmetic companies and magazines started encouraging women to rekindle their femininity, arouse sexuality, and attract men through the use of clothes, makeup, and accessories of the new age. All pink. Men, on the other hand, were now associated with colours that Generals and Soldiers wore, like blue, black, and brown. All men wanted to exude the power and confidence that their role models had. Thus, stereotypical colour choices saw another shift.

The view of only women being associated with pink remained potent through the late 1900s.The idea of girls being associated with pink was reinforced time and again through clothing lines, dolls, toys and almost every other object a young woman possessed. However, today, in the 2010s, we’ve see another shift. Designers like Raf Simons, Paul Smith, Marc Jacob have introduced, or rather re-introduced, pink clothing for men. Whether it be bright pink oversized hoodies, pink suede hats, or pink sneakers, pink garments can now be worn by men and women alike. Pink is now seen in a neutral perspective. It can be used to raise awareness for breast cancer, or as a fun spring tone that people of all genders can enjoy. The complex colour forever changes shades.