All right, guys. This post has been a long time coming and while I’m frustrated that it took me so long to sit down and write it, I’m so glad I finally did. Because let’s be real- feminism is always relevant and millennial pink has done nothing but engulf my wardrobe since my first taste of the elegant, blush color.

First things first- What the heck does internalized misogyny mean and what does it have to do with pink, a color?

My feminist self and two women’s studies classes are basically verifiable experts on such topics (I’m kidding, obviously) so I’ll give you my best breakdown of it, but check out this article for a more in-depth read on it.

When I think of internalized misogyny, I think of beliefs that, once unpacked, show some kind of prejudice or distaste toward women, aka the misogyny. The key here, however, is that these beliefs are held by women themselves, making them internalized.

So when I tell you that as a little girl, I used to hate the color pink, that doesn’t seem important. But if I tell you that I hated it because I thought it was a “girly” color, that’s weird. Little baby me wanted to appear strong, and I thought that wearing or using pink would make me appear weak and girly. Take a second to unpack that. Consider how harmful that kind of thinking actually is.

I used to hate pink🌸 bc I thought it was too "girly." I thought being girly made you weak and I wanted to be strong, so I avoided the color. Now? I realize that thinking was flawed. More on those thoughts in a coming blog post! Who else is/was conflicted about pink? pc: @white.craft

453 Likes, 89 Comments - annabelle 安苓 | blogger (@a_nnabae) on Instagram: "I used to hate pink🌸 bc I thought it was too "girly." I thought being girly made you weak and I..."

Not wanting to wear pink for fear of looking “girly” implies that being “girly” is a bad thing. It literally implies that to be a girl is bad. Lil baby Annabelle wanting to appear strong by avoiding pink because of its association with being feminine and girly implies that younger me thought girls couldn’t be strong. And we all know that’s just ridiculous. The colors you wear and like have nothing to do with your strength as a person.

That there, my newly enlightened friends, is the book definition of misogyny. And as someone who identified as female as a kid and now, that’s most certainly internalized misogyny.

It’s so incredibly ridiculous to avoid wearing a color for fear of being considered “girly,” especially if you do, in fact, identify as a girl. So yeah, I love the rebirth of pink in all the blush pinks I’ve been seeing as of late and yes, I do intend to continue buying too many things in this color. Including this blush pink faux fur coat.

Being a feminist never looked so good.

xx

annabelle

P.S. Here’s some other ways to battle internalized misogyny:

Enjoy this bomb ass song by the amazing Hailee Steinfeld that perfectly breaks down the bullshit (read: internalized misogyny) behind the statement “You’re not like most girls.” Because let’s be real- most girls are boss ass babes.
Check out Eugenie Grey’s quick read on this topic here. Fun fact: she’s one of my favorite bloggers.
I did a podcast with the wonderful, beautiful, amazing Grace about feminism. Yall can listen to it above.

Dissecting the internalized misogyny of millennial pink