Pink may be the quasi-official colour of an entire generation but millennials were far from the first group to discover its unique power – and they probably won't be the last. The polarising colour has been associated with everything from masculinity and being working class to the more recent feminised and eroticised connotations it has held in the western hemisphere, where everyone from Barbie to Bic (yep, those pointless pens) has played with the hue.
Why does pink so often prove controversial? A new book explores the colour's significance in fashion, art and culture from the 18th century to the present day, with essays and a string of dazzling, sugary imagery all in one place. Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Colour, in collaboration with an exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, is a feast for the eyes as well as the mind, with photos, ads and artworks from sources ranging from Hollywood films and a Fenty Puma campaign to the museum's own archives. Click through for some of pink's most memorable moments.
Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Colour, edited by Valerie Steele, is published by Thames & Hudson on 30th August 2018.