Guilty as written. Got me through more nursing tests than I care to remember.
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The answer to this kind of question is always “skeuomorphism”.
That part was originally brass, and they presumably wanted a (cheaper) plastic version that was similar in colour.
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The Bic is a ballpoint pen. A rollerball pen is a different and far superior beast. I have a nice yellow Lamy Safari rollerball … and many fountain pens.
My daily go-to is a Uni-Ball Signo 207.
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Another alternative use: I was fond of using the pointy part of the cap as a toothpick and gum-line scraper. Hey, I never had a cavity before my 40s 
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Well, obviously, the clippy bit of the cap was good for poking around in your ear.
(Or was that just me?) 
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I can see the ads… “Sure I can write! If I concentrate real hard with my lady brain and use a lady pen!!!”
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In the 1970s, my small town Vermont high school offered Russian as an alternate language to Latin and French. This was before the Berlin Wall fell and travel to Russia was greatly restricted.
Circa 1975, the Russian teacher organized a group trip to Moscow. The students were encouraged to bring with them tokens of friendship and appreciation to hand out. Apparently, Bic Crystal pens were highly prized as they were not available.
My mother worked in the local office supply store. They had a run on Bic Crystal pens as each student typically bought three boxes of 12 pens. I remember they were 19¢ each.
I also remember the students were warned not to accept any offers over there to buy their Levi’s as it was illegal. Apparently they were only available on the Black Market.
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