Relay Column: Why Do We Wear Pink? – Our Relationship with "Feminine" Thins (Saaya Yokoyama)

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PROFILE

Saaya Yokoyama

Second-year master's student at Keio University Graduate School of Sociology. Since April 2023, a special researcher (DC1) at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Certified social worker and mental health welfare worker. Specializing in the anthropology of mental health welfare. Researching how activities led by individuals with mental disabilities respond to a society centered on ableism, particularly focusing on strategic aspects. Notable papers include "支援に「共感」って必要ですか？：絶望によるピアサポートをさざなみ会に見た" published in "精神看護" 25(3), among others.

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I wear pink from head to toe every day.

As a result, I often get asked the question, "Why are you wearing pink?"

When I reply, "Because I like pink," the questioner frequently makes a dissatisfied face, as if to say they weren't really looking for that answer.

I had a bit of an understanding of what they truly wanted to know. Perhaps they assumed that pink isn't a color someone would wear—especially not from head to toe—just because they like it. This kind of presumption is quite common. So, I was being asked why, despite that, I choose to wear pink.

Why do I wear pink? Why is there a need for a reason to wear pink?

There lies the complex relationship between modern society and pink, particularly for those who live as "women."

“Feminine” Colors

Today, pink is widely recognized as a "female" color.

The distance from pink reflects one's distance from what is considered "feminine"（1）. That is precisely why it’s complicated.

Columnist Jane Su expresses her frustration about being identified with the image of pink.

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