Green is The New Pink

The famous “millennial” pink has been replaced by green in the newest gen-z fashion and beauty trends.

In all branches of art, colors represent much more than simply different qualities of light being reflected by things; colors may represent feelings, themes, personality, and many other aspects that affect an artist’s creation. As a branch of art, colors in fashion are no exception and follow along with not only momentaneous trends but also generational.

During the millennial (last generation) fashion era, pink became so commonly used that it was worn almost as a “nude” tone. The generation that was born under a flow of new technologies and open-minded movements is filled with people who crave independence and freedom from the “traditional” world. In spite of this fact, the color pink, in all shades, would represent boldness and femininity in fashion.

More than that, the new movement inspired a series of iconic movies and shows at the time such as Mean Girls and Legally Blonde where the main characters would be the stereotypical bold “girly-girls” who are always wearing pink.

Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith in Mean Girls iconic quote

Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams, and Lacey Chabert in Mean Girls

Although all shades of pink were heavily seen not only on screen but also in streetwear and runaways, a pastel shade, similar to salmon tones, stole the scene and was nominated by Pantone as the official millennial pink shade and was called “Rose quartz”. This shade did not only influence fashion but also had a great impact on album covers, architecture, and even iPhone colors!

Pantone Rose Quartz shade

Britney Spears’ baby one more time album cover

Iphone 7 Rose Gold

Finally, as a result of the millennial pink fever, the masculine fashion world was heavily impacted as more men started wearing the color that, until then, was considered too feminine. Contemporaneously, millennials got more and more involved in feminist causes and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage. Nowadays, thanks to these movements, celebrities such as Harry Styles and Lil Nas X continue the normalization of including men in fashion.

Harry Styles performing in a pink suit

As time passed, the century turned and so did a new generation arose; the generation z. Along with a new generation comes not only new trends but new global concerns that correlate with each other. As researched by trend predictors, generation z’s approach to issues related to ambiental problems had a great impact on how people consume. More than that, the global issue had an even greater influence in the fashion world; the color green became the new millennial pink.

Posters about environmental problems relating the color green to nature

Because fashion transforms and does not simply change, the color pink is still being seen all over the fashion and beauty industry. Nonetheless, specifically during the pandemic, green started being seen, just like millennial pink was, outside the fashion business and also in architecture, movies, and music.

Green being used in the most recent Netflix success: “Round six”.

Ariana Grande “Positions” album cover

In streetwear, pastel shades of green along with sage started being seen, specifically in bottoms, hoodies, and dresses. As for neon green, the color is starting to be seen as almost a “normal”, not vibrant tone as more people wear it on a daily basis. Singer Billie Elish did not only paint her hair green but is also frequently seen wearing (and owning) it!

Billie Elish in neon green

Billie Elish making a statement on climate change during her SNL performance

Certainly, the two generations have their differences; while millennials are not completely used to the easiness of technology, gen z cares more about saving money and buying with consciousness. In fact, thrift shopping has become an important aspect of the new fashion world generation. As in the color wheel, where pink and green are considered “opposite colors”.

Finally, as the usage of the color green rises so does the question: how can you wear it? Surprisingly, green looks good not only with lighter colors but also with brighter ones, such as blue and red. Specifically, sage, a shade of green that is frequently being seen in stores, can be amazingly styled with shades of white, pink, and grey.