Living in a Pink Barbie World is Good for Women

Inspiration, Feminism, Friday Feelings for Women, Female Entrepreneurs, Women in Sports

As I scoured my very pink-colored wardrobe for the perfect outfit to wear to the Barbie movie, it wasn’t hard to see I’d have an easy job. For a long time, I was one of those women who didn’t wear pink because I thought it was too girly and I was a sporty, strong, business-minded woman. I thought pink was only for baby girls, cheerleaders, and cotton candy.  

But there were two things that changed my mind about loving and wearing the color pink. The first was my 30-year entrepreneurial career promoting women-owned businesses and women in sports. If I wore blue, I didn’t think I could represent my brand of “women supporting women in business, sports, equality, and life” so I choose a strong fuchsia color to wear and have on all my marketing materials.

The second time I decided to start wearing as much pink as I could was when I lost all my hair to alopecia and a man at a deli counter called me “Sir.” Although I’m large chested, my breast size was hidden under a dark blue coat probably making it hard for him to tell I was a woman. Right after that, I got my ears pierced, stopped wearing dark colors, and wore all hues of pink to be recognized as a woman, because when you lose all your hair to alopecia, you don’t feel girly anymore so switching to more feminine colors helped me mentally.

So, dressing for the Barbie movie made me feel comfortable since I adore Pink. I also adored the movie in all its pink glory, woman-power, and empowerment of women in all their careers, sizes, shapes, and forms. It was only today I noticed the National Alopecia Areata Foundation has an Alopecia Barbie – called “Brave Barbie” that can be ordered for girls who don’t have hair so they can have a doll that represents their self-image. I bought one immediately for any future granddaughter I may have that wonders why her grandmother is bald.

The only part of the movie I didn’t like was when all the “Kens” started taking over Barbieland with their typical male stereotypical attitudes and props. I much preferred an all-pink world, although I have two sons and a husband, and love my life with them. But, I especially love the idea of women empowering other women and the all-female community so much that it will continue as my life work and career passion as I enter my 4th-decade of supporting women.

I hope, like me, you’ll embrace wearing pink more often and all it represents – women, power, female friendships, unlimited possibilities, and more. To the pink moon and back, I say – oh yeah, and buy from woman-owned businesses and support female athletics. Change the world – just like Greta Gerwig, Barbie’s, powerfully pink female director, is doing!