This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 Pink Issue of Showstopper Magazine.
As one of the top K-pop groups globally and the world’s biggest girl group, BLACKPINK set a standard for success. Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé have built an empire of music and dance (along with their individual brands) that inspires girls to know there is power in doing the things they love.
From language to fashion, BLACKPINK is on a mission to stand out and show the world that there isn’t one way to do entertainment, or anything really. Even their name defies expectations. In 2016, YG, the Korean entertainment group that formed BLACKPINK, said of the group’s name, “Pink is commonly used to portray prettiness, but BLACKPINK actually means to say that ‘Pretty isn’t everything.’ It also symbolizes that they are a team that encompasses not only beauty but also great talent.” BLACKPINK’s platform is girl power, strength, and accomplishment.
These qualities are demonstrated through singing, rapping, and dancing. While all the members sing and dance, Lisa is known for her unique style and dance moves that never disappoint. “I started to dance when I was four or five. So dancing is my number-one favorite thing to do,” she told Tyla in a conversation for Rolling Stone. “When people tell me to dance, I’ll be like, ‘Ok, I can show you my dance.’ It’s a fun thing, a passion.” Girls around the world look to Lisa and her bandmates for inspiration, and while they are highly trained and talented performers, they are also, as Lisa proves, fabulous freestylers who love to show off their skills.
BORN PINK
While the members of BLACKPINK are releasing solo projects, the world is still eager for more collaboration. The members concluded their BORN PINK world tour in September 2023 and celebrated the milestone with a concert film in JUly 2024.
Through the film, dedicated Blinks can relive the tour to celebrate all things BLACKPINK and the BORN PINK album, including the tour’s iconic Hanok set and concert versions of the group’s hit songs.
When they’re not performing, the members find time to relax in ways that reflect their personalities. For Lisa, downtime means doing nothing at all. When I’m resting, I just stay home. I’m super introverted. Sometimes you need rest for that. When I have free time, I love to stay home with my cats and dog. I have five cats. I will just be with them watching Netflix, or maybe go out shopping. Eat good food. That’s all. I’m super chill,” she told Rolling Stone.
BLACKPINK is also a perfect example of its namesake’s more cooperative qualities. While the color black stands stark and isolating against most backdrops, pink is a color willing to work with and complement others. Of the four members of BLACKPINK, no one is a leader. Each member has her own moves, solos, and space on stage. And recently, they all have booming solo careers.
To overlook the members’ style and fashion influence would be a mistake. While being a fashion icon usually gives the impression of being delicate, BLACKPINK’s vibe moves from rock and roll to contemporary dance and everywhere in between. Each member has her own distinct style, and when they’re together, they usually coordinate with matching colors, accessories, or fabrics. Fashion is personality on display, and BLACKPINK is a perfect example of styling that is unique but ready for anything, including movement-heavy hip hop choreography.
Dancing is my number-one favorite thing to do.
Lisa
Many shades of pink ooze confidence. Ith tracks like “How You Like That”—in the music video, the members dance with ferocity in the snow, flaming, rooms, and underground bunkers—and “Love to Hate Me,” BLACKPINK shows emotion backed by fierce self-confidence and motivation. The eyes of the world are on them, and while they are grateful for their success, the members aren’t afraid to claim their success and skills as products of their own work. There’s nothing delicate about hours of rehearsal and training when you have big goals.
Being BLACKPINK and embodying the toughness of the group’s name symbolizes doesn’t mean Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé are impervious to challenges. Rosé shared with Paper magazine that always being the person her fans expect is hard. “Now I have to be me, the personality that people want to see,” she said about doing press for her debut album, Rosie. “It’s been a bit of a rocky start, mentally.” Like anyone else, the members of BLACKPINK are people with dreams. They want to achieve them and be proud of them, but the journey to each goal comes with everyday nervousness and doubts, too.
Deciphering the impct of the color pink is almost as hard as fully understanding the role BLACKPINK has played in shaping music, fashion, and pop culture over the last nine years. Both are undeniable in their presence and influence. Both show us that there is more to life than being either cute or cool, talented or strong. BLACKPINK is a transformative force in the music industry, and even as the members work to release solo projects and buld their brands, they embody the idea that talent is tough and girls are powerful, just like pink.
