Don’t underestimate the power of pink! While the blushful hue often gets a bad rap for being “stereotypically girly;” my family never rewarded me for acting “feminine” nor did they discourage me from taking interest in “masculine” pursuits. At the end of the day, I just liked what I liked. When I wasn’t climbing trees, catching tadpoles in the local creek or being a total badass at kickball; what I happened to like is what a lot of other little girls liked too. What can I say…sometimes you want to be a princess draped in pink as you navigate through the green jungle like GI Joe?
Contrary to what you may believe, the future founder of Pink Girls Runs the World wasn’t that little girl with the pink wardrobe and accessories. I wish I could say that my mom felt that ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ were tools of patriarchal oppression and that was why there was very little pink in my life. The reality is that indulging in pink was never discouraged during my childhood, but no one really encouraged my infatuation with it either. I remember requesting a Strawberry Shortcake doll one Christmas, only to discover that Santa had left an Orange Blossom doll wrapped up under the tree. Orange Blossom was okay, but didn’t Santa know that she was Strawberry Shortcake’s sidekick? Even the 8-year old version of me had zero interest in being anyone’s sidekick. Associating the color pink with leadership, I strategically wrote out my Christmas list where I specifically requested the leader of the pack decked out in blush hues.
While I had always dreamed of a bedroom tricked out in a profusion of pink paraphernalia, I had abandoned my pink passion by the time college dorm decorating had rolled around. Subtle hints of pink remained in my life throughout the years that followed, but it wasn’t until 6 years ago that the question “does that come in pink” slowly started to inch into my shopping lexicon. Clothes, shoes, appliances, bags…you can never go wrong with a little pink. It was a whole new pink shopping world and the options were limitless!
With my preference for La Vie en Rose, “Pink Girls Run the World” seemed like the obvious choice when I was considering names for the travel group. Pink always seemed to find a way to creep into our adventures (a rosy hued cocktail, a coral tinted restaurant, a hotel lobby adorned in blush tones, pink beaches, etc.) Inspiring comforting feelings, pink is the color of the falling sunset on the exotic beaches that have left me spellbound. The precise image that pops in my head when I think of putting life on airplane mode.
So much more than “just a girly color” and encompassing the vibe that the women that I travel with have brought to the Pink Girls Run the World group, pink represents a sign of hope in color psychology. While hope is often only viewed as an emotion, it is also tied to goal setting. A combination of red and white, both colors add a little to the characteristics associated with pink hues. Pink pulls its lust for action from the passion and power associated with the color red. Softened by the openness of its white tones that lend to the hue’s insight.
Pink is androgynous and strong, but most of all it is here to stay. Pink Girls Run the World!
“Anything is Possible With Sunshine And A Little PINK.” – Lily Pulitzer
