Variously defined as a lighter shade of red or a hue between red and purple known as magenta, pink has become a fundamental color term in the English language. The symbolic use of pink is ubiquitous in modern culture, but many of its most deeply-ingrained meanings in the West are not even Older Than Steam. Pink, this past century, has usually been associated with femininity (especially young girls), romance, love, and cuteness. Prior to the 1940's however, pink was largely seen as a masculine color due to it being a shade of red. In Japanese culture, it is the color of blossoming cherry trees, and as such associated with springtime and rebirth, but also death.
In German, Russian, and the Romance languages, rose is used as a color term for pink, as ancient and medieval portrayals of wild roses were often colored pink, and it's the oldest color that's cultivated. "Pink" in English is named after a type of carnation
, while Japanese, despite the prevalence of pink cherry blossoms, use "momo-iro", named after pink peach blossoms.
If you were looking for the pop singer P!nk, her page is here.
Tropes
- Cheery Pink: When a character is or wears pink to symbolize their cheerfulness.
- Cherry Blossoms: Pink cherry blossom petals means Japan and its symbolisms.
- Cherry Blossom Girl: A character whose name and Flower Motif is the cherry blossom.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Boys wearing blue and girls wearing pink.
- Pink Heroine: The color pink associated with superheroines.
- Pink Is Erotic: When pink is used to highlight the act of sex and to symbolise perversion, sensuality, and sex appeal.
- Pink Is for Sissies: The idea that a male character, when wearing pink, actively manages to lose a great deal of his more masculine qualities or is accused of being gay (where Real Men Wear Pink, which sounds like such a trope, can be taken literally).
- Pink Means Feminine: The color pink associated with femininity.
- Pink Product Ploy: Making a product marketed towards girls or women pink.
- Princesses Prefer Pink: When princesses wear pink.
- Psycho Pink: Pink-themed character or object turns out to be psychotic or dangerous.
- Real Men Wear Pink: (not necessarily) Males who wear shades of pink as sign of masculinity.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: When a girl or woman with pink hair has a sweet and cheerful personality to match.
