Fun Fad Facts: Think Pink! Why is Pink Hair Populating Reed College?

Welcome back to another week of Fun Fad Facts! I don’t know about you guys, but as of late, whenever I enter the library or Commons, I have been shocked by the sheer number of magenta heads bobbing around. Seeing pink launching back into fashion (though I would argue it was never out of style) has led me to wonder when pink as a shade of hair emerged, and why this particular magenta variant is prevalent at this moment in time.

I think it's important to start all the way back to the beginning to understand the context in which pink hair resides culturally and historically. According to my research the first documented implementation of pink pigment in hair began in the 1770s and 1780s in Europe (to my understanding largely France and England) with pink hair powder donned by both men and women of the noble class. Wig powder of a variety of shades ranging from natural tones of brown, white, gray, and black, to powder blues and pale pinks. These colorful wigs were documented in part through miniature portraiture of nobility, and while certainly less historical in Sofia Coppola's iconic Marie Antoinette (2006), where Kirsten Dunst (as the titular protagonist) dons a pale pink wig in the film, playing with the feminine and innocent tone that light pink holds in our current culture. Pink continued to reemerge throughout history, most prominently reentering in a modern context in Two Weeks in September (1967), where Brigitte Bardot wears a powder pink bob wig. This pink bob wig set of a chain reaction influencing of course pink as a hair shade but especially pink bobs, particularly in Western media, with examples like Lost in Translation (2003). Through Hollywood's use of pink hair, this rosy shade became associated with a “manic pixie dream girl”-esque archetype (the female character carries a whimsy about her and does not fit in with the mainstream, but is viewed as unique, usually from the eyes of a male character, as opposed to unlikeably unusual). Yet as pink continued to inspire generations of dye fanatics, vibrant shades could be found in the punkish music scene with stars like Cydni Lauper and Gwen Stefani. While at the birth of pink hair dye, pink as a color was not culturally gendered, that has now changed. It feels impossible to write about pink hair without noting that within today's mainstream, pink is synonymous with girlhood and femininity. In pink hair being donned by leading artists in the punk scene there is a reclamation and pride in femininity, which is significant considering how male dominated the punk rock scene was/is.

I suppose this brings us back to today with my original question of why magenta? And what cultural value is underscoring the return of the pink? I certainly do not know the answer but I can speculate. For one, as fashion tends to recycle trends every ten to twenty years, it is unsurprising that the popularity of pink hair has returned, especially right as social media has blown up on “2026 being the new 2016,” a time where pink hair was right up the wazoo of, at the very least, American culture. I think magenta as a shade may be rising in popularity as a more practical solution to the expensive and damaging process of bleach. For my readers who have not slapped a million colors onto their mane, the process of bleaching strips your hair of its natural melanin which, depending on the depth of color in your hair, can be harmful (in extreme cases where bleach is left on the hair too long, it can lead to breakage and hair loss, yikes!). If one was aiming for a powder pink as their ideal shade of hair, it would require bleaching to a platinum blonde base in order for the powder pink dye to be visible. With a magenta pink shade, which is significantly darker than a powder pink, the base hair color does not need to be even a bright blonde, a light brunette could probably get away without bleaching their head. This is all to say that magenta as a shade reduces the risk of long term damage and hassle of bleaching one's head. Due to the riskyness of bleach, many people would prefer to go to a salon and spend at least 50 bucks, usually over 75, to feel that they are not risking their hair. In magenta being less bleach-centric, it is also more economic for those fearful of hurting their hair or simply messing up. If practicality is at the core of this trend, it begs the question of why? To which I would suggest a reflection on the current economic state of this country with the very real presence of skyrocketing prices and inflation. Over winter break I got my hair cut and I was chatting with the woman cutting my hair, who reflected on the styles and goals her clients had been leaning towards. Instead of requesting whatever styles their hearts desired, the goal was low maintenance, essentially; make my cut/color last as long as possible without looking like shit, so I don't have to come back in for a couple months and pay too much money. Perhaps this enticing shade of pink has emerged as a result of the economic state of the country. Or perhaps it is simply gaining popularity because it is simply a beautiful shade.