21 Jan 2021

There has been a bit of online chatter today about colours worn by key females at the recent US inauguration ceremonial things, which got me thinking about colours, their meanings, and what people THINK they mean.

My car is yellow. Bright yellow. For quite a few decades now I have espoused to anyone not quick enough to escape, that my dream car is a yellow convertible. While my current car does not have a flip top lid, it’s pretty close. I am not sure where my preference for the colour yellow came from – my second car was a pale yellow so maybe from there, but who knows? Feel free to psycho-analyse me if you think you can nail down the reason.

But the choice of yellow has nothing whatsoever to do with football. I have friends who are fans of a football team whose colours are yellow and blue, and they take great delight in parking blue cars next to my yellow car, hinting that my choice of car colour is somehow indicative of a subliminal support of their team. It’s not. I just like yellow cars.

I don’t necessarily like yellow in other things, strangely enough. I don’t wear yellow clothing, and it’s not a paint colour of choice if I was painting walls in my house. Which I’m not.

I have a purple front door. My favourite football team’s dominant colour is purple, but the front door colour choice is not necessarily because of the football team. It’s due to a family history of purple front doors. The football tie-in is just a happy coincidence.

Sporting team allegiances seem to be the ‘go-to’ assumption for why people like particular colours, but that is only a very small part of what colours you like and why. Common associations with the colour yellow are apparently sunshine and joy, although there’s a hint of cowardice and fear (‘yellow-bellied’), but obviously the fact that I’m such a sunshiney joyful driver is why my car is that colour. It also helps that it’s an uncommon colour in cars, making my vehicle very easy to spot in parking lots.

Emotions associated with the colour purple, however, are imagination, responsibility, compassion, sensitivity and mystery. Just remember those things when you approach my front door. Mysteriously.

Do I have a favourite colour? No, not really. There are a few colours I probably prefer over others, but not to the point of being able to emphatically declare a preference.

Some people put a lot of thought and study into what colour to use. Every now and then I get into discussions with people who have ‘had their colours done’ – letting them know what colours of clothing (and makeup, I’m assuming) best suits their skin tone. I think. I’ve never had my colours done, so if you know more about the process feel free to let us know. Some people can examine a whole chart of different shades of a particular colour before deciding on the EXACT shade of bone/white/off-white/beige/ivory they are going to paint their walls.

A bunch of women at the inauguration wore shades of purple, which was apparently significant on a couple of levels, according the article I read. It could have been significant in the merging of the blue and red colours of the opposing political parties, or it could reference the suffrage movement. Either way, there appeared to be a secret memo going around a few of the women to wear shades of that colour. Or maybe it was a happy coincidence, like my front door.

If you have a favourite colour, have you looked at what the people who like to study these things, think it means?

Let me help you out. Apart from the purple and yellow already discussed, we have:

Red – you have energy, passion, action, ambition and determination. You are also very angry and horny.

Orange – you are optimistic and are good at social communication. Also superficial and pessimistic (you must be one of those optimistic pessimists…)

Green – you’re balanced and self-reliant, but also possessive.

Blue – you’re trusting and peaceful, loyal and have integrity. Don’t get carried away though – you’re also conservative and frigid.

Turquoise – you have clarity of mind and communication. Unfortunately you’re impractical and idealistic. At least you’re clearly communicating your impractical ideals.

Pink – you’re so nurturing and loving, but also immature and silly.

Brown – you are friendly, serious and down to earth.

Which one do you own up to?