A Manly Hue?
Pink & Masculinity in the 17th - 18th Century
Entering the 17th and 18th centuries, the color showed a colossal dominance in European aristocratic fashion, especially in the grand courts of France. This period viewed pink as a mark of sophistication, youthfulness, and high status; rather than delicate or strictly feminine features.
The nobles of France had their wardrobes filled with the color pink to project refinement and wealth. Luxurious pink garments were produced from velvet, silk, and brocade. The latter was rather frequent amongst aristocrats, embellished with intricate lacework and convoluted and complex embroidery with gold and silver. Pink’s popularity was vivid amongst men, especially in the court of Louis XV. The court contained soft pastels with hues of pink, strengthening its label as a staple of noble fashion.
Exorbitant dyes were employed to achieve a vibrant and long-lasting touch, therefore, aristocrats often used pink to signify their privileges. It was a visual representation of one’s status and wealth as affording pink clothing with high-quality work and materials was rare. Furthermore, there was an increment in tailored coats, waistcoats, and breeches dyed in different pink shades and worn by noblemen to display their good taste and refinement. The association of color with power and prestige was highly influential to the point that military officers and diplomats often wore pink-accented attire to distinguish themselves and portray their elite rank and influence.
Alexander Roslin, Portrait of a Woman, 1780. Oil on canvas, 73 × 59 cm. Finnish National Gallery/Sinebrychoff Art Museum. Photo: Finnish National Gallery/Hannu Pakarinen. Image in the public domain.
Alexander Roslin, Portrait of a Young Man, c. 1775. Oil on canvas, 61 × 49.9 cm. Formerly Christie’s New York. Photo: Bridgeman Images.
Discussing pink’s influence in domains of warfare, British and European military uniforms involved red coats; however, over time they turned into a softer pink hue. Such unintentional faded transformation caused an indirect link between the color pink and military service. The faded uniforms were then a familiar sight for the seasoned soldiers and officers. A few deliberately incorporated pink as an accent color, such as the European regiments to reinforce their prestige and to stand different. In place of being treated as a sign of weakness, the military’s use of pink associated pink with discipline, endurance, and valor.
As European traders acquired and imported cochineal in large quantities, vibrant pink fabrics became more widely available to the upper classes. The introduction of these rich pink hues into European fashion further solidified the color’s association with luxury and exclusivity. The nobility spread across Europe, from France and Spain to England, and adopted the new shades in their formal and everyday attire. Such an extensive utilization of cochineal-dyed fabrics highlights the progress in textile production along with the interconnectedness of global trade and fashion. (Marichal, 2014).
A factor that explains the great rise of pink’s prominence in 17th and 18th-century fashion was the expansion of colonial trade, the cochineal dye in particular. Cochineal refers to a deep pink-red pigment extracted from insects native to the Americas. They were termed as an extremely valuable commodity in the global textile industry. As European traders tended to acquire and import cochineal in massive quantities, the upper class had easy access to vibrant pink fabrics. Such inclusion of the color’s rich hues within the realms of European fashion invigorated the color’s association with opulence and exclusivity. (Cochineal – Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, n.d.).
Henceforth, pink was miles away from being a gendered color associated with femininity. It contained boldness and prestige, making the hues prevalent within the realms of aristocrats, militaries, and dignitaries. Be it through elaborate courts’ pastel fashion or militaries' faded uniforms, the color’s representation of status, refinement, and power demonstrated its significance in ways that defied contemporaries' propositions.