Color Trends & Social Psychology
Lilac scarf from Aurum 21 Collection
Most trends are residual, as in, they have been around a few years and are still going strong. Take for example, Millenial Pink. It started showing up online in 2015-ish when Tumblr became a mainstream reference on the news and in the media. Since then it took over fashion, weddings, interior design, cosmetics, graphic design, advertising, etc. Nearly everything you can see or buy, until our lives reached maximum saturation in 2018 and then we decided to shut it down this year, replacing it with Lilac (Millenial Purple). The pink peaked in 2016, but stuck around nearly 5 years. Millenial Pink and purple are color trends, yes; but on a deeper level they reflect the cultural psyche. The amalgamation of our generation's mood in response to everything gong on around us. Maybe this Lilac should be called "Gen-Z purple" instead.
Why?
Let's focus strictly on the American zeitgeist for analysis in order to answer this question.
Ever heard of the term "Rose Tinted Glasses"? That's what Millenial Pink represents culturally. The years that it developed in forums and online, those were the Obama years. And our generation, as liberal and idealistic as we are, felt safe to engage and cultivate our deepest selves. This nudy pink is our insides coming out; the soft, hidden, safe space that houses who we are. It's the color of sensuality, and nature, and bubblegum. It's the universally flattering color, as it ushered in its wake all the hues of humanity, becoming accessible to all. To have, to hold, to wear, and to extol. A warm, happy color of youth, and perhaps as well a youthful bliss. It peaked in 2016, when it was also slated as Pantone's Color of the Year, along with a soft breezy periwinkle blue. Side note, I did not see this periwinkle blue anywhere in 2016 and only began seeing it more in 2018, I think Pantone was just pushing it on us to seem a little more original because they like to seem more original. Back to the main topic, 2016 was also the year Trump was elected. Between 2016 and now, maybe you have noticed an oversaturation of millenial pink everywhere and are sick of seeing it. There's a reason for that. With the social and political upheaval that is the mess that is the US Government, people are holding on to the their happy color even more. Putting it everywhere and creating a sense of safety, away from the darkness outside and the things that they can't control, this color is their escape. But one can only escape from reality so long. Seeing what our society is going through, the heightened mindless violence, hate filled vitriol, the insanity that festered in forums to finally spill into real life with the worst consequences imaginable....it is incredibly hard to bear for people of any conscience. It takes a toll on our bodies and on our minds. There's a reason that heart attacks among young people (under 40) are increasing every year. Studies show that 1 out of every 5 patients admitted for a heart attack is under 40, as of 2016. Heart attacks, Aneurysms, caffeine overdoses, these are some of our everyday things.
At some point, people will start to disconnect and try different ways of numbing themselves to the things they can't control. That's the psychology of trauma. And these last few years have indeed been a broader social trauma. When you no longer want to connect or feel things, you're going to cool it off. Ice it.
As always, these are how I see things.