Pink is not just a color; it is a way of life. From clothing, gadgets and interior to life vision and personality. These Windesheimers turn pink, preferably every day.
‘Yes, a pink kettle’
As a teacher and instructor in the Journalism study programme, Bianca Aalberts thinks a lot about graphic design and use of color, but in her personal style the primary color is clearly pink.
“I have a pink toilet at home and a soft pink wall, and a lot of pink stuff. Last week my kettle broke and I was actually very happy about that because then I could buy a new one in pink!
I wasn’t necessarily a girl dressed in all pink when I was younger, but when I was thirteen I was allowed to choose a new color for my bedroom, and I remember choosing candy cane pink wallpaper. My parents were completely fine with that.
The real fascination with pink started when I became a fan of artist Marina Diamandis, then known as ‘Marina and the Diamonds’. She often wore clothes in pastel pink and I thought that was so cool that I wanted that too. Pink is a very challenging color to wear in terms of clothing. But at a certain point my pink expression became very extreme. At the same time that I started working at Windesheim, I decided to dye my hair pink. Fellow instructors know me as ‘pink Bianca’.
To me, pink means cheerfulness and self-expression. When I don’t feel very happy, the color pink is my outlet to live life optimistically: there is something powerful about pink. According to my sister, characteristics of the color pink are love, compassion, wanting to care for others and helping people. These are indeed values that I find very important.”
‘Classmates think I look cute in pink’
Renske Bosma, a first-year calo student, ‘unconsciously’ buys everything in pink.
“As a young child I really liked pink, but it later became a bit too girlie for me, which also made me interested in other colors. Since I started studying, my pink vibe has returned, only less noticeable. I often unconsciously buy pink things because I always think I don’t have enough of them. Is it pink? Then I’ll take it with me. And admit it, it’s hard to have anything against pink. I currently live at home and my parents like that I love pink. They also helped me paint my bedroom in two shades of pink a while back. If I ever move into a room, I want the pink kitchen appliances from the SMEG brand. Secretly, I’m already saving up for that.
I now mainly express my love for pink in clothing: pink always looks good and you start your day on a positive note! By accident, I sometimes come to school wearing pink leggings, pink sneakers, pink jacket and pink bag. Classmates think I look nice in pink.
I recently had an injury – yes, sports training – and I had to wear sports tape. The tape is available in different color variants and for me the choice was of course pink. In addition to sports for my studies, I participate in volleyball and cycling. My dream is to one day have a pink racing bike.”
‘Pink armchair as eye-catcher’
Janneke Gootjes-Paap is a Media Design lecturer at the Business, Media and Law Division and she loves decorating and styling her home in pink.
“As a student I felt the need to express myself with pink: ’thís is Janneke’. When I moved into a student house, I went all out with the color: from the walls to my kitchen and my bicycle; everything was pink. Now I am married and have two daughters who both love bright colors.
Four years ago my husband and I bought our current house and his wish was that he would not walk into a completely pink interior. I had to restrain myself a bit and I understood that, so I took a less overwhelming approach to painting and styling this house.
Our interior is distinctive with many colors and patterns. I may not go wild with pink anymore, but I do dare to try out a lot of things. Sometimes I hear from people that they would never do it that way, but that they think it suits me.
There are now more pink elements such as a pink armchair and pink cushions. Old pink is a color that I am currently absolutely crazy about because it is subtle. While growing up and becoming an adult, I learned that displaying a color more subtly provides more peace of mind than immersing your home in one color all the way. But inside I always feel pink. I just don’t like neutral.”
‘Of course I wanted that pink can’
Merle van Slooten is a second-year Journalism student. She likes to collect pink on-trend clothing and stuff.
“I have quite a lot of pink clothes, a pink bag with a pink wallet and phone, markers, headphones, lip gloss and a pink cuddly toy. For the summer I have a pink bikini and slippers. Pink has always been my favorite color: it looks good and is easy to combine. On TikTok you have the Anne-Fleur style; the stereotypical girly girl trend which I can often agree with in terms of style, but I don’t think I’m just a pink girl.
When I see someone on TikTok wearing something nice, the first thing I think about is whether it matches the rest of my clothes. If so, I’ll still go to the store and buy it. So I definitely let myself be influenced a bit. I also tend to choose pink products in the supermarket.
Red Bull recently released a new energy drink in a pink can. That variant went completely viral on TikTok and of course I really wanted it too. I even kept that pink can, something I would never do with a standard blue can.”
‘I want to make the world kinder with pink’
Jolien Johannes is a third year student at the Teacher Education in Welfare and Health Care study programme. She has a passion for pink and likes to radiate that to the world.
“In high school you were immediately labeled a girl-girl if you wore pink. But I like the color so much that years ago I decided to no longer hide my love for pink. Life is difficult enough, there is already so much darkness and misery in the world and if we all wore more pink it would radiate a little more liveliness. We have to be a little kinder to each other and I think the color pink goes well with that. I think pink is very cheerful and I hope to be able to radiate that too. Not for the attention, but I would like to be seen for who I am and what I stand for.
Students like my colorful outfits and I often get compliments or nice questions about them. I have four different pairs of pink pants that I alternate often and recently I wore yellow pants for a change. Students were surprised by this: ‘Miss, why do you have these pants? That isn’t really you, is it?’ Students also associate me with pink. I find that funny. I feel feminine and cool, so I don’t agree with the stereotypical thinking surrounding pink. I was always one of the guys, but in pink. I hope to generate that for the rest of my life.”
Experts on pink
Katrín Gudmundsson is a trainer and coach in color psychology and Tiny Oostindie is an image and style consultant.
What does pink mean?
Katrín: “Pink is a color of romance and unconditional love. It is the color of soft, sweet, caring, compassion, open, kind, comforting, feminine. Pink stands for showing your sensitive side, your vulnerability. It is also the color of creative power, sexuality, the birth of a child, but also the birth of an idea. Pink is connected to parenthood, being a child, the relationship between parent and child.”
Tiny: “Soft pink and bright pink such as magenta, both have a completely different meaning. The soft color represents sensitivity, kind-hearted, cute, tender and caring. But also needy, vulnerable and self-critical. The meaning of magenta is daring, fun, attentive, energetic, bright, feminine power, ready for change, impatient and oversensitive. If you wear this color, you will feel more prepared to enter a new phase in your life. Do you find it difficult to wear the soft pink? Then that could indicate that you couldn’t really be a child in the past.”
What determines our opinion about pink?
Katrín: “How you experience the color pink mainly depends on your personal experience: perhaps your parents thought pink was hideous or something happened that made you associate pink with something bad. But cultural political perception also plays a role, such as pink as a symbol for homosexuality or Pink Ribbon in the fight against breast cancer. Color is the fastest form of communication, it is the first impression you get of the other person through the color of the clothing or the color in the interior.”
Is pink timeless?
Tiny: “Pink is a must for everyone to wear, but don’t wear it more than two or three times a week. If you wear it too often, you lean more towards the negative side of the color: that’s the case with every color. What color you wear; are your abilities. The colors you don’t wear; are your challenges.”
Text: Reinhilde van Aalderen
Photos: Jasper van Overbeek
