Lyst's 2022 "Year in Fashion" report indicates that Barbiecore was the most popular trend last year, which reached its peak in June 2022 when pictures of Margot Robbie dressed up as Barbie in a hot pink Western outfit went viral and sparked a 416% increase in pink clothing searches.
The brand logo, its signature all-pink packaging, and the classic doll house, it goes without saying how Barbie is practically the synonym for pink. While the Barbiecore trend is inevitable now that its premiere is just around the corner, we understand that the concept of Barbie is not for everyone.
If you happen to be one of those people out there whose lives aren’t plastic but are already helplessly pink-washed, we are here to provide a list of alternatives that will satisfy your pink-thirst in just the right dosage.
Wolf of Wall Street (2014)
Who: Jordan Belfort (as portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio) and Naomi Lapaglia (as portrayed by Margot Robbie)
What: Audience is led to a pastel pink room where first-time parents, Jordan Belfort and Naomi Lapaglia, dressed in pink, start a conversation over what happened the night before. Naomi was clearly upset about the fact that Jordan slept through the night calling the name “Venice”, and decided to only wear short skirts around the house to deliberately tease him.
How (the use of pink): Here, the color pink fittingly signifies femininity and beauty where Naomi is clearly abusing the “dominance” she has over Jordan through her sex appeal. Furthermore, the director also plays on the reversed concept of pink = innocence here in a setting where Naomi challenges Jordan’s sex addiction by arousing him sexually.
Spirited Away (2001)
Who: Haku (as portrayed by Miyu Irino) and Chihiro Ogino (as portrayed by Rumi Hiiragi)
What: The morning after Chihiro started working in the bathhouse for spirits and gods, Haku decided to take her to the pigsty and check on her parents who are now turned into pigs by Yubaba. They passed by a flower garden filled with pink flowers and the fields on the way.
How (the use of pink): The two had the feeling of familiarity with each other on their first encounter outside of the bathhouse. At this point, the audience isn’t aware of the context of their relationship and its significance to the storyline. By following Haku along the pink flower garden path, Chihiro experienced a slight change in her feelings towards Haku. Here, the use of pink signifies sweetness and innocence, depicting the blossoming of their relationship.
Glass (2019)
Who: The Beast (as portrayed by James McAvoy), Elijah Price (as portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson) and David Dunn (as portrayed by Bruce Willis)
What: Following the incident when Elijah Price (from the first installment of the trilogy - “Unbreakable”) was turned in to the authorities, the two other antiheroes (The Beast and David Dunn) are now arrested and kept in the same mental institution along with Price. The treatment offered by doctors and professors is to convince them that the superpowers that they thought they acquire are nonexistent, but are side effects of mental illnesses instead.
How (the use of pink): Director M. Night Shyamalan stated in an interview his intention to significantly tone the scene down from a visually stronger color - red, to a more muted pink. Here, the gradually muted color signifies the loss of the 3 main characters’ power - a “moment of truth” stripping away their sense of self - from the heroic perception of themselves to ordinary beings.
Blade Runner (2017)
Who: Joi (as portrayed by Ana de Armas) and Agent K (as portrayed by Ryan Gosling)
What: Upon prior introduction to Agent K’s lover, Joi, the audience is now aware of and invested in the bond between the two of them. Their storyline was then written off by the disruption of Luv (personal assistant and bodyguard of the CEO of Wallace Corporation, Niander Wallace).
How (the use of pink): Here, Joi was previously destroyed by replicant Luv, the scene where she got destroyed was brutally portrayed and was meant to heighten the viewer's emotional response. Upon the repetitive reminder of how emotionless Agent K is supposed to be with the constant standard baseline test, Joi is now seen in an immense pinkish-purple tone, depicting Agent K’s loss for his love, so as to further blur the line between K’s sense of identity as a human being/ replicant.
Suspiria (1977)
Who: Susanna "Suzy" Bannion (as portrayed by Jessica Harper)
What: Here, the audience is first introduced to the dance school - which is the core setting for the movie. The audience follows Suzy Bannion’s first visit at the school, and the color pink is the most apparent visual cue being portrayed in this scene with the use of a wide shot, highlighting the interior design and structure of the school itself.
How (the use of pink): It is intended that viewers feel distasteful by the use of more bilious colors. Color is everywhere inside the walls of a dance school, but when night falls, it is most vibrant. Since most of the film's mischief occurs at night, viewers quickly learn to associate the use of vibrant colors with the erratic nature of the events taking place inside the school's walls.