Celebrating the Color Pink (and playing a little game!)

Last year I did a blog "Celebrating the Color Red."  I promised myself I'd do more of these celebratons of colors, but it's taken me until now to collect some images I like, and to come up with a bit of a twist.

You're invited to join me in a game.  The rules for the game are at the end of this piece.  And it should be fun.   And it can possibly even be evil   heh heh heh . . . .

Today we're going to Celebrate the Color Pink.  Once again, I used Kate Smith's wonderful website, SensationalColor.com.

 

 

Introducing pink

Brighter pinks are youthful, fun, and exciting, while vibrant pinks have the same high energy as red; they are sensual and passionate without being too aggressive. Toning down the passion of red with the purity of white results in the softer pinks that are associated with romance and the blush of a young woman's cheeks. It's not surprising that when giving or receiving flowers, pink blossoms are a favorite. Pink is the color of happiness and is sometimes seen as lighthearted. For women who are often overworked and overburdened, an attraction to pink may speak of a desire for the more carefree days of childhood.

How the color pink affects us physically

• Bright pinks, like the color red, stimulate energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate. They also encourage action and confidence.

• Pink has been used in prison holding cells to effectively reduce erratic behavior.

Pink around the globe

• The pink ribbon is an internationally recognized symbol of hope and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

• In Japan, the color pink has a masculine association. The annual spring blooming of the pink-blossomed cherry trees (the Sakura) is said to represent the young Japanese warriors who fell in battle in the prime of life (the Samurai).

Jaipur City is a foremost tourist attraction in India because of its superlative forts, grandiose palaces, vivacious temples, multicolored bazaars, pulsating streets, and its distinguished pink color to which the city owes its oft-used name "The Pink City."

• The Chinese had not recognized the color pink until they had contact with Western culture and the Chinese word for pink translates as “foreign color.”

• Marrakesh is another city associated with the color pink. It is sometimes refered to as the "Rose City" because of its salmon-pink colored buildings and the red clay of its terrain.

Religious & mythological associations with pink

• Pink signifies happiness and joy in Catholicism.

Political associations with pink

• A pink triangle is frequently used to represent gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The origin of the pink triangle goes back to when Nazis labeled their prisoners in concentration camps. Men who had been jailed because of supposed homosexuality had to wear the pink triangle on their clothing. In more recent times, this symbol is a sign of pride.

Interesting information about pink

• In 1947, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the color "hot pink" to western fashion. She dubbed the shade "Shocking Pink," though today the color is more well-known as "magenta."

• First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, who loved and wore pink so much it became known as “Mamie Pink”.

• Pink encourages friendliness while discouraging aggression and ill-will.

• Since the color pink is said to have a tranquilizing effect, sport's teams sometimes use pink to paint the locker room used by opposing teams.

• Some studies of the color pink suggest that male weightlifters seem to lose strength in pink rooms, while women weightlifters tend to become stronger around the color.

• Pastries taste better when they come out of pink boxes or served on pink plates (it only works with sweets). Pink makes us crave sugar.

Companies or brands identified with pink

• Victoria’s Secret

• Pepto-Bismol

• Mary Kay

Popular phrases that include pink

• Tickled pink: to be happy

• In the pink: in good health

• A pink elephant: term to describe hallucinations during intoxication

• Pinkie finger: the smallest finger on the human hand

• Pink slip: notice that employment is ending

• Pink collar: refers to a particular class of jobs once only filled by women

Songs with pink in the title

• "Mr. Pink Eyes" by The Cure on the "Lovecats" single

• "Pink" by Aerosmith

• "Pink & Blue" by OutKast on "The Love Below"

• "Pink Cadillac" by Bruce Springsteen

• "Pink Cashmere" by Prince on The Hits 1

• "A Pink Dream" by The Cure on the "Mint Car" single

• "Pink Elephant" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies

• "Pink Houses" by John Cougar Mellencamp

• "Pink Maggit" by Deftones

• "Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini

Pink and our sense of smell

• Victoria's Secret PINK® Eau de Parfum Spray. Bright. Effervescent. Sophisticated. Sexy. Modern. Confident. Playful. Dab it on. Expect the unexpected.

• Grapefruit: A tart, citrus scent. A great refreshing summer scent. Aromatherapy benefits: Balancing, refreshing, cheering. -Scent It.com

• Peony: A scent as sweet and fragrant as the flower itself. A great spring and summer scent. Aromatherapy benefits: Soothing, Romantic, calming, uplifting. -Scent It.com

• "Bubblegum" was the original scent of the pink colored Magic Scents Crayons from Binney & Smith Inc., introduced in 1994 with mostly food scents. However, there were numerous reports that children were eating the food-scented crayons, so the food scents were retired and replaced with non-food scents. The scent for the color pink became "shampoo."

Now - go back and choose your favorite images and build your own story around them.   I've given you loads of material to work with.


This is all about having fun.

Don't worry about how "good" it is, it's all about how "pink" it is!  

Okay - Here's mine:  "Isabella tossed her pink ballet slippers into the corner of her sweet pink bedroom.  Tired of practice, it was time to have some fun.  She pulled on jeans, her pink Frye boots, pink leather jacket and a long pink scarf.  Then she panicked until she finally found her favorite beat up old pink Willie Nelson baseball cap, grabbed her new pink bag on the way out the door of her big pink house and hopped on her old pink bike.  Off she flew down the shady lane through the fall leaves that had a pink glow in the sunshine, heading to the new little pink cafe in town to meet up with her girlfriends. They had promised themselves a day of laughter and indulgence, which included pink cupcakes and pink champagne.  Then she would kill the bastard with her little pink gun."

It's awful?  Well, of course it's awful!  But you get the picture.  It's all about pink.  and having fun.

Your turn!

Have fun!!!