Photographer Explores The ‘Pinkification’ Of Young Girls, Claims The Influence Of Pink Limits Personal Choice
However you feel about the choice–or lack thereof–of clothing and accessories for young girls, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: pink is everywhere. Now, I’m not saying I personally have anything against the color pink. Or that the color pink is inherently bad, or that we should steer clear of it. I think if a little girl likes pink, she has every right to wear it proudly. You can be smart, strong, independent and still like the color pink. I don’t think we should condemn an entire color, because I think doing so gives too much power to said color. But the ‘pinkification’, as photographer Kirsty Mackay calls it, is a worthy concept to consider. I am not a huge fan of pink, mostly because you can’t look for clothes or bedroom accessories for young girls without being enveloped in pink, pink, pink. Which is one thing that lead Mackay to explore the color in her photography series, My Favorite Color Was Yellow.
“I was aware of the huge presence of pink in the children’s market, but it was only when my daughter was born, that I became interested as a subject for my work. Even though my family had not chosen to buy into pink, we were still inundated with all things pink. My daughter had so many pink clothes, that I could do a whole pink wash. It was then I started to realize how powerful this had become.”
Her photos, while poignant, are also kind of haunting. Each of them captures the color pink in a surreal way, and the photos that feature young girls showcase the power the color has over its subject. Mackay says while she was photographing the girls in the book, she sees them “being dictated to” because of the “lack of choice and personal freedom.”
I’m sure some of you will agree and some of you won’t, because it’s easy to brush off an issue like this as ‘harmless.’ But before you dismiss her thoughts, consider this:
“I’m always reading about the lack of female politicians, scientists, CEO’s etc, well its starts here with young girls and pink is part of that problem.”
I am a girl. My favorite color growing up was also yellow. These days I naturally gravitate to blues and greens. I can’t explain why, but I always feel an instinctual need to rebel against the color pink when I see I’m surrounded by a sea of Pepto Bismol girls’ clothes. Because those clothes are usually sending the message “I’m cute and that’s all that matters.”
If you need me, I’ll be over here donating to the Princess Awesome kickstarter again.
(Photos: Huffington Post)
