Jeongmee Yoon

The Pink and Blue Project

This project began with my daughter. My five-year-old daughter loves pink. She wants to wear only pink clothes and only own pink toys and objects. My daughter is not unusual. Most other little girls in the United States and South Korea love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon seems widespread among various ethnic groups of children regardless of their cultural backgrounds. This preference is the result of cultural influences and the power of pervasive commercial advertisements such as those for Barbie and Hello Kitty. Through advertising, customers are directed to buy blue items for boys and pink for girls. Blue has become a symbol of strength and masculinity, while pink symbolizes sweetness and femininity.

To make The Pink and Blue Project series, I visited children’s rooms, where I displayed their possessions in an effort to show the viewer the extent to which children and their parents, knowingly or unknowing, are influenced by advertising and popular culture.

Jeongmee Yoon

	Jeongmee Yoon
Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1969. Education: MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media from The School of Visual Arts, New York, 2006 MFA in Photo Design form the Hongik University, South Korea, 1999 BFA in Painting form The Seoul National University, South Korea, 1992 Lives and works in New York since 2004 Recipient of the Aaron Siskind Scholarship and the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award. Received honorable mention at the Santa Fe Center for Photography. See Jeongmee in her latest exhibit"Sugar Rush" Las, Vegas, Reed Whipple Cultural Center till April 8th, 2007.
The Pink and Blue Project This project began with my daughter. My five-year-old daughter loves pink. She wants to wear only pink clothes and only own pink toys and objects. My daughter is not unusual. Most other little girls in the United States and South Korea love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon seems widespread among various ethnic groups of children regardless of their cultural backgrounds. This preference is the result of cultural influences and the power of pervasive commercial advertisements such as those for Barbie and Hello Kitty. Through advertising, customers are directed to buy blue items for boys and pink for girls. Blue has become a symbol of strength and masculinity, while pink symbolizes sweetness and femininity. To make The Pink and Blue Project series, I visited children’s rooms, where I displayed their possessions in an effort to show the viewer the extent to which children and their parents, knowingly or unknowing, are influenced by advertising and popular culture. Jeongmee Yoon

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