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Pink

Madeline Thornton Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As I was thinking about what to write about for this week, I was surrounded by pink at my desk.

Here is a list:

            Pink Roses: I brought myself flowers because I wanted to

            Pink Teacup Ornament: Gifted from my childhood best friend, from a local crafter that we both knew personally

            Pink Sharpener: For my makeup, of course

            Pink Cheeks: I have started to wear blush again, and while others believe I have blush blindness, I don’t. I want that much on.

            Pink Picture: I have thrifted this pink heart picture, and I absolutely love it.

            Pink Plate: Above my bed is a pink plate that says Miss Mantra, from the Her Campus Formal last semester

            And many more!

Anyways, back to the article:

I think that all girls can relate to the hating-pink phase. Growing up, I have always loved the color pink. I felt the most beautiful and that I was radiating. As I aged, turning 7, I started to not like pink because it was too girly. I wanted to be more like my brothers, play outside, and be a tomboy. To me, that meant giving up everything girly. I didn’t wear pink, dresses, and never got dressed up. I stayed like this for years. At this age, I also started softball, furthering the cause of hating pink. Plus, pink was viewed as a very feminine color, and being girly and feminine has a bad connotation, also pushing me further away.

Author’s note: I don’t think that I completely hated pink because when I have my natural hair color and a slight tan, a light pink looks the best on me. In my brain, I struggled with wearing it, but I looked great in the pictures.

In my mind, I couldn’t like both pink and outside hobbies and softball. So, when others asked, my favorite color was blue.

At the age of 15, I started to say that my favorite color was lilac purple. It wasn’t that I still disliked pink, but I thought that I would be like every other girl whose favorite color is pink.

Another author’s note: Now, this was because I liked that purple was girly without being all the way girly. It felt like the perfect middle ground for me. Plus, lilac purple and light pinks look the best on me, again with a slight tan and my natural hair color.

After a heartbreaking relationship, I was determined to fall in love with myself again. While this will always be a work in progress for me, I started to. It took about three months to start, but there is truly no timeline for this. I needed a new space to truly set this into motion. Over those three months, I worked and worked. If I wasn’t working, I was sleeping or hanging out with friends, or with my mom and brother.

After I moved into college, it kicked into full motion. I started to tell myself I was beautiful, started to believe I deserved so much, and started to do things that made me happy and not others. I spent time reading, doing my makeup and hair, and giving myself me-time.

Now, I am not perfect, I still color my hair, but I have decided to grow it out in my natural color. During this time, I swore off romantic relationships, but I have decided to be open to them again. And most of all, I have started to wear pink again. My favorite color is still lilac purple, but my second favorite is light pink.

I think that there is a pink phase for all women and girls. We hate it, and when we start to heal, the love returns.

So, wherever you are with pink, I hope that you will one day, if not now, you will not be ashamed or scared to love the color pink because it makes every woman shine brighter while wearing it, radiating off of them. And most of all, I want to see all women radiating with love and happiness.

Madeline Thornton is the Big and Little Coordinater for the St. Bonaventure Her Campus Chapter. She writes pieces that focus on girlhood, campus life, reading and a multitude of other interests. These pieces will range from fun and lighthearted, to some more thought provoking and heart tugging. She hopes to grow the sisterhood bonds with the Big and Little Program as well as her creativity within her writing.

Madeline is currently a sophomore Psychology major with a minor in Business Administration minor. Madeline not only spends a lot of time dedicated to Her Campus, but also around campus with being a Student Ambassador, working in St. Bonaventure’s Financial Aid office, a Resident Assistant, and being a part of multiple other clubs: Empower, Book Club, Psychology Club, Women in Business and ENACTUS.

Away from her academics, Madeline spends her time reading, working out, and hanging out with her friends and family. She has two cats, Clara and Caliope. She loves anything that could be put into a romance genre, from books, movies and more! Lastly, she loves to grab a sweet treat, her favorite ice cream is Grasshopper Pie, it tastes better than the name, she promises! She works at an ice cream shop over the summer, so she will never say no to a sweet treat!