Vero writes:
When Amanda asked me to write a post with the prompt, “Pink,” my mind went in many directions first.
Then I paused: what’s really my relationship with this girly colour?
Let’s be honest, no matter how modern you are on the gender stereotyping theme, it will still take yonks before pink is something else than a female shade!
I grew up in the 70s, though, which was supposed to be a decade of change and evolution in the matter. But my mother was rather traditional. My bedroom had a pink wall paper – until very very late.
I wore pink dresses.

But looking at this other photo from my dance class, (ironically, it’s black and white!!); it seems I was suddenly totally opposed to pink and decided to make it very clear!

Being a teenager is very tricky, isn’t it.
You want to fit in but also you want to show the world how different you are from the crowd!
That’s when I started wearing very different items of clothing.
I particularly loved a velvet jacket and suede tie which belonged to my grandfather – 4 sizes too big for me. The results of my combo choices were often extremely peculiar but I guess that’s how I decided to be creative at that time.
And took ballet classes wearing pale pink leotards and tights. In a way, pink was the colour of my childhood.Then the teenage years followed. And they were black. Didn’t we all wear black then? It was the way to merge.
Pink never really came back in my wardrobe in my adult years. Except for fuchsia. Vibrant colours are what define me now. In French, we have a way to qualify vivid shades: we call them “shouting” or “yelling tints.”
As if it was so bright, it could actually make an unpleasant sound.

In my never-ending craving for strong saturation, I even painted my house’s front wall, one Saturday afternoon, in bright pink. My courtyard had already been indoctrinated with a mixture of bleu majorelle (link to jardinmajorelle.com/ang/ ) and anis green !
Click on over to Vero’s blog to read the second instalment of this post.
About the Guest Blogger
Vero was born in a green and quiet Parisian suburb. She left this idyllic scenery in her early twenties to live in England, later settling in the South of France and started a family of three (+dogs!). Now in her forties, she lives in a rural coastal village in Brittany.
Thanks to Vero for this interesting glimpse into her relationship with the colour pink prepared for this week’s Friendly Friday theme.
If you would like to be featured as a guest blogger for a Friendly Friday Challenge post, please contact Amanda or Sandy – hosts of Friendly Friday, via our contact pages.

In the US, a pink house/wall would look odd, at least in most cases. But I’ve seen pink and colors like it in my visits to France, especially when my s-i-l used to live in Provence, and they look great.
I have a pink theme today by chance, but I don’t know if this is the sort of thing where you link up a post or not. In case it is, here’s the link. If not, feel free to remove it.
https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2020/06/05/friday-flowers-curvaceous/
janet
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You are definitely welcome to link up a post, Janet. Usually on the main Friendly Friday post but that is okay to post here too. Just so we can find you somehow. And serendiptious that you are also doing a pink theme. I will pop over and check it out.
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Funny how that works out, isn’t it? I saw Aletta’s post and then went to the guest post. Not sure where the main post was.
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The main Friendly Friday post should be just behind the guest post. I posted it yesterday and then the guest post this morning. You can find it here: https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2020/06/05/friendly-friday-weekly-challenge-the-colour-pink/
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Provence is a great place for warm colours. I love how bold you can be with houses there! Thank you for your comment.
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Provence must be a wonderful place if everyone is so colour conscious. That has just reminded me that my Grandmother used to live in a pink house. I had forgotten that. Not in Provence, though.
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Have a look at Roussillon : https://provencedays.com/roussillon/
It is such a gorgeous village!
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It looks really colourful
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Thank you for the opportunity of this guest post Amanda. Although it is a complicated exercise to write for someone else’s blog it taught me many things which shall be useful in the future!
Have a great weekend.
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I am glad you enjoyed it, Vero. You managed it well.
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I wrote about my love/hate relationship with pink for the photo prompt “pink” several months ago. Like Vero, I rejected pink when I was young because I didn’t want to be girly (especially having two older brothers who I wanted to Impress). Even though I still don’t care for soft pink, I embrace vivid versions of the color. Traveling in Mexico, we saw many bold uses of pinks on walls and in street art. Here in the US, it would look out of place but There, it was glorious!
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I think I can relate to your thinking. I did not want to be too girly and the pastels shades on offer in the sixties were very girly. It also reminded me a lot of fifties decor and I wasn’t a fan of that. Similarly, I also like vivid versions of Pink now. The stronger the better.
I wasn’t aware that Mexico had bold use of pinks. That is a surprise. I pictured Mexico as oranges yellows and reds!
You are right about colour having its place, Janet. The wrong colour in the right place, or the right colour in the wrong place is not good. Even though we see colour individually, I think we can all agree when there is something grating – and it is usually that the colours aren’t harmoniously paired in some way.
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I love the pink inspired walk through your ages Véro. I enjoyed reading your post very much!
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It was a thought-provoking post!
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Lol, I was too busy surfing, skateboarding, bike riding, billycart racing & horse back riding(friends horses) to even think about what my favourite colour was plus we were to poor for me to even have a choice, in the 70s. Now I would say my favourite colour is pink & after getting out of a violent marriage I painted a feature wall in my bedroom a deep pink colour. As a way of claiming my life back, who knew a pink could be so liberating. lol.
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Great to hear that pink has been liberating for you. Anything that helps you out of a difficult relationship, especially a violent one, is a blessing. Having had a similar experience to you I can empathize.
I think it was very different when we were kids. I never went without but only had a handful of toys and books growing up. My kids had so many toys it was ridiculous.
Times and eras change and generations live vastly different lives and values. It can never be the same for each.
Pink is a positve happy colour. May it bring you plenty of that.
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Seeing a bright pink front wall would sure put a smile on my face, like I stumbled upon something really wonderful. It is unexpected and beautiful. And loved that photo of you wearing black in a sea of maybe pink.
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That is Vero, our guest blogger, Markus and Micah. Vero does look great being the black-dressed ballet girl in a sea of pink ballerinas, doesn’t she?
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A deliciously colourful post! Popping over to Vero’s now – thank you for the introduction, Amanda.
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I am sure you will find Vero’s blog interesting, Ju-Lyn. We have a wonderful community here full of diverse and resourceful writers.
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One of the joys of being part of this community! Thank you for bringing us closer!
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You are welcome.
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👍🏻😊
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No more inky pinky pongies..!!good one..
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Inky pinky pongies. – Haha Love it!
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