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Pink Beaches, Pink Ken, Pink Barbie; the Inclusivity of the Color Pink
I love a good color pink. Admittedly, I never thought of it as a color that belonged to one gender or another. Simply a pretty aesthetic. However, after the movie Barbie’s release, I know one thing for sure. Pink now, unarguably, belongs to everyone.
Whether you identify as a Barbie or Ken or anyone else, you belong in pink.
Now, I loved Barbie as a kid and I still do even now. For us old-timers, we remember Barbie from the good old days when she waved wands, had magical adventures with talking animals and sang songs to summon secret diamond castles. In a way, despite all the glitter and tiaras she wore, movies like Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus and Barbie in Princess and the Pauper allowed for a wider variety of audiences to enjoy them. Barbie didn’t focus solely on pink and sparkles. The movies taught more about lessons on friendship, bravery, kindness and love.
Watching a Barbie movie back then felt like the equivalent of watching a magical anime girl show now. Yeah, I guess it had a dominant audience of girls, but anyone could enjoy the fun adventures, the thrilling chases and the suspenseful mysteries. Only later on, with no one knowing why, did the Barbie franchise start to focus more on the Malibu girl. While it still maintained a huge audience, it comprised almost exclusively of girls. Much like Greta Gerwig turning the 2019 movie Little Women into a beacon for all cottage-core and academia aesthetic lovers everywhere, she did the same thing again here as director of Barbie.
Except instead of the 1860s Massachusetts aesthetic, we get… a lot of pink.
Fun fact: back when the Little Women movie came out, fans clamored for an Oscar’s award for best costume and set design. The movie’s costumes reminded me a lot of Bridgerton. Not for the outfits themselves, but because Little Women made such an impression in terms of aesthetic that it felt impossible to see clips of the film without knowing immediately where they came from. Barbie does the exact same thing now. You can’t see the many different swaths of pink without knowing you’re watching Barbie.
And yet, men and women both went to watch the movie. Men and women got excited about dressing in pink and being part of the social media trend. Ryan Gosling even shows up to interviews dressed in pink. You know what? It really brings out his eyes. My point in all of this?
Where pink once felt like an exclusively girly color, it now feels like it embodies an entire trend meant for everyone.
Oh, you want to wear pink? Perfect! Ryan did. Ken did. The entire world did for a good portion of the week. People still, in fact, rush to wear the rosy color long after its premiere. Why? Because Barbie established itself as a particular style. If you wanted to dress as a pink cowgirl, well hey! Barbie did it, so you can, too! If you want to wear a pink tank top, no problem! Ken loved his pink tank top! Most importantly though, Barbie showed the sheer AWESOMENESS of dressing however you want, in whatever color you want and being totally confident wearing it. Being yourself? Barbie did it, and she rules! Literally.
They call it Barbieland, people.
I think the issue of gender stereotyping feels too important, deep and complex to just mention in a brief throwaway line in this article focusing on the importance of pink. At least I can’t deny that, especially when it comes to more traditionally feminine clothing and colors, there exists a label. Pink and fluffy? Must be girly. Barbie really took that label and said, “Nah. Everyone looks good in pink so we want to put them all in pink.” As someone who loves and feels the most beautiful in pink, I love the constant excuses to see it everywhere I turn.
About Noor Zayter
Hey, I’m Noor (pronounced Fairy Moore)! I’m a UCLA alumnus and currently a writer with College Magazine!
Top 10 Date Ideas in Gainesville
Gainesville offers so many more date spots and scenic locations than most people know. With Valentine’s Day approaching, start planning the perfect day with your partner using this list of tried-and-true date ideas. This list reflects all the best places my partner and I went on dates in the past two years of dating in Gainesville. Try getting creative this year for Valentine’s Day!
From watching bats to playing with cats, and from stargazing to painting, this list covers all of the best spots in Gainesville.
UF Bat Houses
Not many people can say they went on a date with bats. UF hosts the world’s largest occupied bat houses, which create a unique and fun environment for your date night. Located by Lake Alice, the Bat Houses serve as the perfect spot for a picnic, so come visit with a home-packed dinner and watch nearly 500,000 bats fly overhead at dusk. UF has housed bats since 1991, and they even post footage of the bats from inside the cave. Whether a bat fanatic or not, a date to the bat houses makes for a wonderful experience.
The Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum
Maybe you don’t love bats. You think more colorfully than black-and-white. More than 1,000 butterflies freely roam the Butterfly Rainforest, a free-for-students exhibit in the Florida Museum. As you walk around, butterflies surround you and eat from dishes of fruit. If you stand still, they often land on you (the first time I went, a beautiful monarch landed on my hand!). Keep your eyes out for birds and other animals like turtles and fish while you enjoy the serene garden around you. The Butterfly Rainforest makes for a perfect date idea for you and your partner to get butterflies.
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
The only AZA-accredited zoo on a college campus, the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo sits on 10 acres of land in Gainesville. Enjoy a romantic walk through the rainforests of Indonesia alongside a White Handed Gibbon or watch a Grey Crowned Crane explore the grasslands of South Africa. The zoo features more than 70 different species of animals along a quarter-mile walking trail with on-site zoology students there to answer questions. This date provides the perfect environment to chat with your partner while marveling at animals.
Kika Silva Pla Planetarium
Light pollution in Gainesville dulls the stars, but Santa Fe Community College provides a quick fix to stargazing. The Planetarium projects a beautiful view of the sky all around you, and it offers a variety of shows and demonstrations throughout the year. Every Friday in February features an event. Check out the Music 360 show on Feb. 10, a production of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. If you prefer a starry-night guide through a scenic simulated tour of the night sky, they host a winter sky star show depicting constellations and their stories. Enjoy a romantic date under the stars this Valentine’s Day.
The Hippodrome Theatre
The Hippodrome Theatre sits in the heart of downtown Gainesville. The impossible-to-miss elaborate building hosts live theatre, films, gallery exhibits and more. From Jan. 27 to Feb. 12, the theatre showcases The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama. This dramatic comedy tells the story of a professional wrestler but engages a wide audience beyond the wrestling fans through its political commentary and comedic breaking of the fourth wall. A classic date night to the theatre serves as a great way to start 2023.
The Feeline Good Cat Café
Do you love cats? How about coffee? What if I told you that you could enjoy a coffee with your date while surrounded by a dozen cats? The Feeline Good Cat Café, a newer addition to the Gainesville scene, opened in 2021. The café receives cats from the Alachua County Humane Society where they get fixed and vetted. Book a visit online to spend 30 minutes to an hour in the cat room while enjoying food and drinks from the café. If you fall in love with a cat, you can even adopt it the same day!
Corks & Colors Studio
Check out Corks & Colors Studio if you enjoy art or simply want a colorful addition to your home. The homey studio provides numerous types of pottery and a wide selection of paint. Pick your favorite piece and add a personal touch or pick pieces to paint for each other! The studio also offers a range of classes around Valentine’s Day. Paint a Valentine’s gnome on Feb. 5 or attend a pottery wheel class with your partner on Feb. 9 or 16.
Two Tails Ranch
If you couldn’t already tell by how many things on this list involve animals, my partner and I have an obsession. When we first started dating, we went to Two Tails Ranch in Levy County, an elephant sanctuary home to eight elephants. The drive, while a little outside of Gainesville, ends up worth it when you see what the sanctuary offers. The elephant tours cost $20 for adults, with an additional $40 to ride an elephant and $5 to feed one. My partner and I went on a tour and fed an elephant, and it led to an amazing experience where we watched elephants paint and play all while learning about their lives.
Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary Farmer’s Moo-ket
Experience almost 150 cows roaming 210 acres of land at the Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, the largest cow sanctuary in the country. Among the cows live 10 donkeys, 20 pigs, 12 horses, a bison and a water buffalo. Every month, the farm hosts a farmer’s moo-ket free to the public, which it announces on its Instagram page. Surprise your partner with an amazing date to feed and pet cows at the “cookie” stations and explore the vendors that set up around the facility. Plus, the vendors only offer vegan options!
The Harn Museum of Art
This free art museum offers a great place to experience a collection of cultural pieces that tell visual stories. While exploring the art, you and your date can get a quick cup of coffee at the Camellia Court Café in the museum. Whether you love art or simply like to see new things, the Harn makes for a beautiful date spot. The upcoming exhibition, Posing Beauty in African American Culture, shows historical and contemporary representations of African American beauty in photography, video, fashion and advertising. Be sure to check out the calendar on the Harn’s website before you go so you don’t miss any special events!
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