Rose gold, pastel pink, neon shades of coral: A simple scroll through Instagram or Tiktok immediately proves that pink hair is as common today as any natural hue. Especially during the pandemic, I’ve seen friends, colleagues, and strangers take the pink plunge, whether it’s for the first time or as a color people return to out of nostalgia. That’s in addition to the countless celebs, including Kaia Gerber, Ashanti, Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga, Ariel Winter, and Charli D'Amelio, who have transitioned to various shades of pink in the past few months.
Why is 2020 the prime time for pink manes? The color has been having a moment for years and it's not going anywhere soon, it's just evolving. Many people have decided to try pink hair during this time because they're bored with isolation or have a strong urge to change up their appearance. Elena Kanagy-Loux, a collections specialist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has been coloring her hair a rainbow of hues for nearly two decades, but recently went back to one of her roots. “Pink was my favorite color as a child, but it wasn’t until I saw celebrities like Gwen Stefani with pink hair that I realized you could dye your [hair] any color you wanted,” she says. “I recall wanting pink hair as early as elementary school, and using colorful hair mascara to achieve pink highlights.”
“In isolation I got the urge to change it up and try something different, and I think perhaps that’s the same feeling that led so many people to try pink hair,” adds Kanagy-Loux. “Everything felt so terrifying and uncertain in the early days of the pandemic, and changing my hair color gave me something to put energy towards that wasn’t stressful and that I could control.”
Similarly, Marisa Ravel, creative director of the accessories brand Laser Kitten, has had pink hair for three years and now considers it her natural hair color – so much so that she sells enamel pins that read, “Pink is my natural color.” “It's been my favorite color since I can remember,” she says. “When Gwen did it back in the late 1990s, I was obsessed. I guess that stuck with me. About 10 years ago I wore a pink wig as Jem for Halloween and loved the way it made me feel. Pink hair also makes me feel like an anime character, which brings a sense of fantasy to my daily life.”
Even those who have never tried unusual colors are going pink. “I was sitting at home in April, alone in my apartment, and randomly went shopping on Poshmark and purchased a pink conditioner,” recalls Alexis Curtis. “I tried it and was addicted, which made me want to fully dye my hair pink at the hair salon when the salons opened back up. Now I can maintain it with the conditioner, which is super-simple to do.”
Perhaps the pink-hair obsession also has a lot to do with the fact that many of us are forgoing the full face of makeup we used to wear before the pandemic. Pink hair is one fun beauty change that requires little maintenance; it’s like a real-life filter for your hair that you only have to put minimal effort into.
And perhaps there’s something even bigger behind all the pink-hair transitions happening during COVID-19. Having pink hair can alter your mood in a positive way, according to psychologists. “It's not actually a function of hair color, it's more an expression of self-expression that makes one feel good,” says Michael Mazius, Ph.D., behavioral psychologist. “Right now there isn't much happening. Finding safe and creative ways to make one feel better, in this case dyeing hair, is especially key.” Increased time on screens, including Zoom and Instagram stories with distinct, appearance-changing filters, can also cause anxiety, stress, and feelings of wanting or needing to change one’s look, according to Mazius: “Going for a bold, happy color like pink can be a healthy way to express oneself and counteract the negative feelings from filters."
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