I'm just about the world's worst graphic designer, so even though I've been sitting on this idea for ever, I haven't posted about it so far. But! I can remain silent no longer!
The New Statesman has a "sex issue" out this week - which naturally means the front page cover is dedicated to men. Haha, very original. Anyway, here's what really got my goat about that: despite the cover illustration actually being kind of funny, the NS spoils it all by splashing a very particular, very ugly shade of pink over the whole page.
And I want to know - this a genuine question! - what the hell is up with this pinkification of feminist or feminist-friendly media, dammit? When Dell tried to woo female customers with pink laptops, we rightly told them to kindly eff off, so why are so many feminist books being splashed in garish bubblegum hues? Does anyone have an explanation for this?
My sister's theory is that pink is supposed to bring the titles closer to the mainstream and draw in the uninitiated. Any other thoughts?
The evidence:
Even the classics are suddenly getting the pink treatment:
I can't find an image online, but my copy of BACKLASH has been re-released in the same shade of pink as the Greer book, dammit. Irony, the publishing industry haz it. What's going on?
"Cinderella Ate My Daughter" isn't a good example to include, because the invasion of pink is what the book is about.
ReplyDeleteIt's more about Disney Princesses & the narrowing of potential role models for young girls than pink per se, and anyway Cinderella herself doesn't wear pink in the film.
ReplyDeleteBut don't be discouraged - if you stopped nitpicking I'd think you might have died, and I'd worry, so this makes me happy. =)
It's a ghetto flag. "Hey men, you can safely ignore this - just unimportant pinky stuff for the little ladies." Like the pinking of everything else, stems from reductive masculinity. Once women are forced into one colour all the damn time, men can have all the rest.
ReplyDeleteDamn I think abalanphage is right.
ReplyDelete