Living in Color
By Abi Burt
Living in Color
By Abi Burt
Color has many meanings around the world. Photo by Abi Burt.
Whether looking at the blue sky or the deep brown of someone's eyes, color remains an integral part of the everyday human experience. When asked about their favorite colors, students at AFHS took a survey to determine their favorite and explain why.
Red
According to Color Matters, red can symbolize passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and even adventure. 15% of students loved the color, one student saying, “it easily attracts the human eye but it can also represent many feelings/emotions.” In India, women wear red henna on their hands, which helps people identify them as being married. In China, “red is traditionally worn on the New Year, as well as during funerals and weddings. It represents celebration and is meant to bring luck, prosperity, happiness, and a long life to the people.”
Orange
VeryWell Mind says that while some people may think of sunsets, Americans often “associate orange with prison uniforms.” On the brighter side, they also speculate that orange represents energy because many “sports teams use orange in their uniforms, mascots, and branding.” According to CNN, in Hinduism, “orange represents fire and therefore purity; impurities are burned in fire.”
Yellow
VeryWell Mind states while Americans usually associate yellow with happiness, countries like France see yellow as a color that represents “jealousy, betrayal, weakness, and contradiction.” HuffPost continues its descriptions, with the Chinese phrase “yellow book” or “yellow picture” typically referring to pornographic images and websites.
Green
“Green evokes a feeling of abundance and is associated with refreshment and peace, rest and security,” as stated by Impact Plus. The color also reminds many of not only nature, but money. According to Eriksen Translations, in China, green can imply infidelity, “where the expression “wearing a green hat” means a man is being cheated on by his wife.” 15% of students surveyed love the color, one claiming the color “reminds [her] of plants and nature. And it goes well with every other color.”
Blue
According to State Symbols USA, the color blue represents “vigilance, perseverance, and justice.” Sensational Color says it typically “represents introspective journeys and symbolizes wisdom and depth of understanding. But blue is also a symbol of depression and the depths of the human psyche.” Only a few students claim the color as their favorite, but one said they liked blue because “it reminded [them] of [their] favorite sports teams as a kid.”
Purple
VeryWell Mind claims that the color purple can be associated with power, royalty, luxury, and ambition, and in America, magic and mystery. A whopping 25% of AFHS students surveyed agree, saying that while it also reminds them of royalty, “all the shades are very aesthetically pleasing.” In Thailand and Brazil, Buzz says that while mourning, they wear not only black, but purple.