Pink is the new pink

Do you have a favorite color?

Mine has always been pink. Pink is a cheerfully happy, effervescent color. It is the signature shade of rosy-cheeked little girls in pigtails who ride Barbie bicycles with streamers at the handles. Pink is the sweet side of red - softer, delicate, and decidedly feminine. Pink is the color of cotton candy, tropical sunsets and frosting on a cupcake. When the weather has been stuck in a forecast of gray, gloomy, overcast days (such as it's been here in Dallas all week) wearing pink instantly cheers me up. 

Studies have shown the following physical and mental effects of the color pink:

• Has a calming effect on the nerves and creates physical weakness in people.
• Alleviates feelings of anger, aggression, resentment, abandonment and neglect.
• Is a sign of hope in color psychology. It inspires warm and comforting feelings, and a sense that everything will be okay.
• Is so tranquilizing that sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

According to Wikipedia, the practice of assigning pink to an individual gender began in the 1920's or earlier. From then until the 1940s, pink was considered appropriate for boys because, being related to red, it was a more masculine and aggressive color. Blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was related to the Virgin Mary and thus thought as the more dainty, delicate color. In the 1940s, the societal norm was inverted; pink became considered appropriate for girls and blue appropriate for boys, a practice that has continued into the 21st century.

My love affair with pink extends well beyond my wardrobe. I have multiple tattoos in shades of pink, from the flowers on my neck to a cupcake on my left arm. Pink lipsticks are stuffed into my cosmetics bag. During pedicures, pink is my number one requested polish color (OPI's Shopping Frenzy is amaze-balls.) My journal is pink; I write in pink gel-pen; and I fantasize about adding hot pink streaks to my hair.  

When I saw this blazer at a thrift store, I knew I had to have it.  It would be my armor against rainy-day gloom. I'd don the blazer, glide on some pink lip gloss, and charge towards victory.

Thrifted Kenneth Cole blazer; Gap long-sleeved white tee; Citizens if Humanity bootcut jeans (eBay); J Crew pink ballet flats (eBay), Marc Jacobs bag; Forever 21 necklace