In the movie "Legally Blonde" Elle Woods enters the court room headed to her first big case. She struts in confidently, but theres one thing that is catching the eye of those in the courtroom: She is wearing an all pink suit, complete with a Jackie Kennedy style pill-box hat. She stood out aggressively in the all black and grey wearing crowd. Those viewing the trial doubted her simply based on her appearance. However she showed us that maybe pink is a power color, and won the case.
I don't think this comes as a surprise, but pink is my favorite color.
In society today, the color pink is seen as a symbol of femininity. It is used by marketing companies and brands alike to exude "girly-ness". It hasn't always been this way. Pink, a muted version of Red was considered to be a mans color up until around World War II. Blue was associated with females, being the color of the sky, water, and bringing about a feeling of calmness.
The color psychology of pink is described as a color that is soft, nurturing, calming, and youthful. Also, it can carry a connotation of immaturity, or over-sensitivity. I have been told multiple times to not wear pink to a professional setting , even in the most appropriate styles of clothing. My freshman year, I took a course called "Fashion This", and we discussed the topic of color psychology often. I always wondered: what deemed grey and black as the colors of our professional world? Why do certain colors act as an outward symbol of your personality?
With my research, I found this list of colors associated with different desired qualities in an employee:
Black – Leadership· Blue - Team Player· Gray - Logical/Analytical· White – Organized· Brown – Dependable· Red – Power· Green, Yellow, Orange or Purple – all four colors were associated with creativity
As someone who has been working in fashion retail for the past four years, associating color with personality did not surprise me, as I see clothing as an outward expression of who you are. Its hard to say if every person that puts on a white shirt is organized, but its a good thought to hold on to as a future manager.
I was thinking after looking at this list, if pink is derived from red, shouldn't it be a power color too? I don't think I will be walking into my first day on the job in an all pink suit, but I hope that the unprofessional connotation that the color pink holds will change with time, and it will sit with the rest of the strong colors on that list.
Its funny how the littlest things can make such an impact on people. Its really odd to me that I could potentially not get a job or not be taken seriously because of the shirt that I wear to an interview. I find myself wearing black constantly though but if you ever find an all pink suit I'm game to wear it to my first day this summer.
ReplyDeleteGreat essay!
ReplyDeleteMen wear blue or black suits in professional environments, with white or blue shirts. It's pretty dull.
Economists talk about a concept called signaling. How do we send messages about ourselves to others. Clothing is a form of signaling. What an action- like what clothes you wear or car you drive - means is socially determined and depends on the community you are a part of. If your community regards pink as feminine and not indicative of leadership, you might want to stay away from it until your position is strong enough to overcome the community's belief.
In Silicon Valley, if you show up in a suit and tie (as a male), no one will respect you. People who wear suits are regarded as all form and no substance. On Wall Street, if you show up in a hoodie, they will likely call security and have you thrown out of the building. Fashion is all relative - what your clothes signal is socially constructed. You have to know your audience and dress appropriately for that audience.
ReplyDeletesaw this in Paris and thought of you: https://flic.kr/p/WrGrYB
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