In Western culture, the colour pink has traditionally been associated with sweetness, tenderness and romance. But where does this come from? As with other colours, pink is closely linked to values and practices in our culture, which, when perpetuated, generate social codes and individual perceptions of the objects of the world.

The above has been extensively researched by the psychology of colours, thus generating different answers about the meanings of the colour pink , and about its connotations or effects in cultural terms. We will see below a brief description of this.

Psychology of the chromatic

Among other things, colour psychology has taught us that colour stimuli are an active part of our development . They are found in our environment and, moreover, are not neutral stimuli: they are loaded with cultural meanings, while allowing us to evoke sensations, perceptions, thoughts, ideas, judgments, attitudes, etc. In other words, they generate effects on a psychological level.

They can even predispose us to act, for example, if we find a red signal it is likely that our alarms in the nervous system will be automatically activated and we will prepare to run away in case of possible damage. Or, without necessarily being aware of it, colours can influence the addition we feel towards certain objects , which finally has consequences on our approach to them.

This is because through perceiving colors, we activate certain impressions on objects, that is, through them we can condition our perception of what surrounds us. This happens because of the symbolic meanings that we have placed on them over time.

For example, during the association of colours with natural phenomena and elements, and also through their association with cultural variables. Goethe already said that colours, which are finally sensory codifications of the decomposition of natural light, produce an individual effect always linked to the moral sphere. Thus, colours transport social codes and carry with them the opportunity to establish individual taxonomies and positions, in permanent linkage with social norms.

Specifically, the colour pink is obtained from the mixture between red and white, and its name in Spanish comes precisely from the varieties of roses that have flourished in many places in the world. This word comes from Latin and Greek, which were used to name the same flower, and which in turn come from a proto-Indo-European root meaning “hawthorn”.

Meaning of the color pink in psychology

According to the research of Eva Heller (2004), pioneer in the studies of color psychology, pink increases its preference index according to the age of the people . Being a youthful colour, it is usually more valued by older people.

It also often evokes positive feelings related to kindness, gentleness, softness, as well as childishness and dreaminess. However, this also generates an ambivalent meaning, since is also related to “the corny”, which can cause rejection for several people .

This becomes more complex when pink is mixed with other colours. For example, next to white it can represent innocence; and next to black and violet it can be more related to eroticism and seduction. Also when mixed with black it can be associated with the tensions between the delicate and the rough, the sensitivity and the insensitivity.

To study the above, Manav (2007) evaluated the relationship between emotions and chromatic stimuli, finding that the sensations of enjoyment, joy and warmth were related to the pink and yellow stimuli, mainly.

Something striking was the practical use derived from this association. For example, the participants showed a preference for placing the color pink inside their rooms, and especially in the rooms where the children sleep.

Some cultural connotations of this color

We have seen that in Western culture the color pink has traditionally been related to the ethereal, the sweet and pleasant, love, tenderness and innocence . It has also been associated with optimism, which we see, for example, in phrases such as “everything is pink”.

On the other hand, in Catholicism, the color pink has been used to represent joy, and in some countries also in the West, the political use of pink or light red symbolizes socialism.

In addition, the colour pink in some Eastern countries such as Japan has an association with eroticism , while in Western Europe it is related to novels and romantic stories as well as to the private environment and intimacy. On the other hand, in feng shui (which relates colors to daily activities), the color pink is linked to marriage and emotional ties.

Pink and Gender Stereotypes

This has been closely connected with Western imaginaries of the feminine , which have ultimately perpetrated a series of gender stereotypes. In this context, the colour pink has been linked to the values associated with femininity, and has had an important impact on binary gender education.

This is visible, for example, in the entire range of products for girls and women that are presented in this colour. From the first toys and the simplest accessories to personal hygiene utensils, the objects of the domestic space, or the festivities related to maternity and love .

Regarding the meanings associated with the color pink and its gender differences, Rivera (2001) found that women relate pink to “tranquility” and to the adjectives “pretty”, “tender” and “cute”. Men, on the other hand, related pink to “pig”, “babies”, “sausage”, “meat”, “ugly”, “woman”, “ham”, “nothing” and “horrible”. The participants in their study had in common the association of pink with “tenderness”, “skin”, “girl”, “love” and “cake”.

Some studies on the history of the use of colours indicate that the marked gender symbolism of pink began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western Europe and the United States, when homes for abandoned children began to differentiate boys and girls with light blue and pink colours respectively. In more recent times, since the sexual revolutions and the gender claims, the color pink has gradually changed its uses , normalizing for example that it is worn in male clothing.

Bibliographic references:

  • Clarke, T. and Costall, A. (2008). The Emotional Connotations of Color: A Qualitative Investigation. Color Research and application, 33(5): 406-410.
  • Heller, E. (2004). Psychology of colour. How colours act on feelings and reason. Editorial Gustavo Gili: Spain.
  • Koller, V. (2008). Not just a colour’: pink as a gender and sexuality marker in visual communication. Visual communication, 7(4): 395-423.
  • Llorente, C. (2018). Comparative analysis of chromatic symbolism in advertising. Nike in China and Spain. Vivat Academica. Journal of Communication, 142: 51-78.
  • Manav, B. (2007). Color-Emotion Associations and Color Preferences: Un estudio de caso para residencias. Color Research and Application, 32(2): 145-151.
  • Rivera, M. A. (2001). Percepción y significado del color en diferentes grupos sociales. Revista Imagen, 53: 74-83.