The effect that an exaggerated use of pink can have on an audience is explored in Sofia Coppola’s deliciously dreamy 2006 drama, Marie Antoinette. The entire movie is swathed in pink tones; holistically through both production design and costume design – reflected in the dresses, accessories, wallpaper, furniture, flowers and even food that colour protagonist Antoinette’s luxurious world. The mise-en-scène is a pastel dream, and Coppola, K.K. Barrett, and Milena Canonero (production designer and costume designer, respectively), created it this way on purpose; using pink to their advantage to give the aesthetics of the film roots in postfeminist theory and thus subverting the norm. Ferris and Young allude to this idea, noting that ‘one of the wry signature statements of postfeminism applies perfectly to this cinematic Marie Antoinette: "Pink: It's an attitude.”’ (Ferriss & Young, 2010). Despite the fact that in the 18th Century, pink was indeed present in the wardrobes of ‘both men and women of the aristocracy,’ (Chan, 2018), the film definitely exaggerates its popularity. As Barrett explains, ‘I wanted to do something fresh and in keeping with the world that we decided to skew from history, which was something that was much more of a lighter palette, more of a pastel palette,’ (Barrett, 2009).

 

Some of the more surprising uses of pink only exist within Marie Antoinette due to Coppola’s decision to focus primarily on the characterisation of Antoinette, omitting certain historical truths.  The real Marie Antoinette’s teenage years are extrapolated upon and embellished, turning a would-be political biopic into more of a coming-of-age character study. As actor Kirsten Dunst puts it, ‘it’s kind of like a history of feelings, rather than a history of facts,’ (O’Hagan, 2006). Coppola intimates that in terms of the design of Marie Antoinette, being historically accurate came secondary to being beautiful, ’I want it to be believable, so that it doesn’t take you out of the story, but I’d rather pick a heel that is more appealing to me that was maybe invented 50 years later. I’m not a fetishist about historical accuracy,’ (Hohenadel, 2006). Sacrificing the actualities of history meant that both Barrett and Canonero could include anachronistic elements in their design in order to benefit the story, such as in the following shopping montage; where a pair of pastel blue Converse sneakers appear in a short scene as set dressing. 

 

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The presence of these shoes, especially when juxtaposed with the other slippers and heels populating the montage, is a nuanced reminder of just how young, and perhaps inexperienced, Antoinette is - and thus is a reflection of just how much responsibility has been placed on her shoulders. Like many others in the film, this sequence is also drenched in pink; Barrett using the colour in all aspects of his design to convey the extent of Antoinette’s opulent lifestyle. Not only are her clothes and accessories pink, so too are the pastries she consumes - the reach of pink in this imagined world is substantial, and deliberately so. Contextually, pink’s extensive existence in Marie Antionette sends a clear message of both excess and girlishness, whilst also helping Coppola to subvert the paradigms of conventional biographical filmmaking. Pink is a tool, used to shift Antoinette’s aversive historical narrative into an empathetic and humanised one. This departure from historical fact allows the film to be a celebration, in part; of femininity - and illuminates a story about a teenage girl in extraordinary circumstances, who just likes pink.