Friday, May 22, 2009

Will the Real Favorite Color Please Stand Up?

Country Living Magazine Online

A while back, I was with a group of women talking about being completely wrapped up in other people’s lives—spouses, children, bosses.  So wrapped up that one could lose her sense of herself.  So wrapped up, in the words of one, that she “didn’t even know what my favorite color was anymore.” 

Though I do know how it feels to be too focused on another person, the favorite color issue didn’t register at first.  And then I felt annoyed.  What did she mean, she didn’t know her favorite color? 

Finally it hit me.  I’ve said my favorite color was blue since I was a small child.  But that day, I realized it’s not. 

It’s my mother’s favorite color. 

It took some courage to admit this to myself.  But I knew right away that my real favorite color is not blue, but pink.  Pale, peachy pink like the inside of a seashell.  This is my favorite color.   It’s kind of hard to come to grips with, though.

Something in me has considered pink too girly and vulnerable for daily use.  It doesn’t strike me as independent, sophisticated, hip—qualities that I suppose seemed important for a certain stage of life. 

And yet… pink makes me swoon!  It literally affects my emotions, mood, and outlook.  When I wear it, I feel happy, pretty, and alive.  Is there a way to embrace pink without reverting to girlhood? 

I think it’s time to explore this question. 

What’s your favorite color?  How long has it been your favorite?  Is it the same one you had as a child?  

 

Are there colors you love but don’t use in your clothing, your house, other parts of your life?  Colors that make you happy or peaceful or joyous?

Simple+Pretty

23 comments:

Profoundly Superficial said...

When I was small, it was pink. Always pink. Nothing else. Ever. As an adult, I have favourite colours (plural): indigo, Buddhist orange, burgandy - the list is endless. Now I'm reconsidering pink. A friend of mine has had her kitchen painted pink, and I'm seriously thinking of copying her...

Zuzana said...

I love the way your mind works and the way you think.;)

Every time I am asked about my favorite colour I list shades of green-blue. I think mostly as that is the colour of my eyes and usually any clothing of that colour fits me well as it sets of my eyes.

But honestly, I do not have a favorite colour. To me to pick one would be like asking which part of the rainbow I like best. Colours are like music styles, each fits a different occasion.
I love the peachy pink you list here, as it reminds of the sky early in the morning, before sunrise. I love green in the luscious trees and nature outside my windows. I love blue and grey in sky and in the colour of the ocean.
I like back and white in vintage photographs and love the spectrum of yellow, brown and ochres that signifies the the sand on a pristine beach and the red and orange colours of the sunsets.

I simply love all colours equally much.;))

The Clever Pup said...

I love the photos you are featuring today.

Today's entry is so timely. Despite the fact that blue is still my favourite colour - Kind of a purple/blue in fact Periwinkle - I've been drawn to pink recently and I bought one pink skirt and 2 pink tops at a resale shop just yesterday. I haven't bought anything pink in 30 years.

Also husband say a pastel pink cement mixer yesterday in support of breast cancer awareness.

La Belette Rouge said...

I need to take a moment to say how lovely that pink peony is. OMG. I love it. I had to breath that photo in.

I love red and cranberry reds but I rarely wear either anymore. I have very little red in my closet or in my home anymore. I wonder if my favorite colour has also changed but it is too ego-dystonic to admit. I mean, who would I be if I didn't have red as my favorite colour anymore. I am almost afraid to ask.

Duchesse said...

That is such an exquisite, wondrous pink! Particularly beautiful colours do not exist easily in synthetic materials or fabrics. My favourite colour is a pale pearl gray that has luminosity and a bit of iridesence. I occasionally see it in porcelain or paint but only once in a piece of clothing. And blued violet, like twilight.

Lucy said...

For me it's always been pink; except, I don't know why,I always said purple when I was younger (to be different maybe?) Now, it's definitely pink- in all shades. Ther funny thing though, is that I too often wear black...go figure.

Jean said...

I love your blog. I never know what your post is going to be about, but it's always fascinating.

I've always said red was my favourite colour, and it still is a favourite but nowadays the colour I really love is duck egg blue. It's such a beautiful calm colour, and has a certain elegance to it.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

I confess... mine's pink too. That same antique, powdery, soft coral pink. Damask pink. In Italian Rosa antico.Yes! Yes, I said it... pink!
All it took was eyeing that frist image of that perfect county kitchen and the last perfect peonies.

Green used to be my favorite color. Then it was orange, then back to green. But the truth of the matter was that I was so busy concealing my true taste to satisfy others, that I hid my love for pink. It was my favorite as a little girl. I've found her again today, right here while reading your post. Thank you.

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

Adore that dress!...pretty-pretty pink...I even love real men in pink! Lovely weekend to you! XO*

Patsy said...

Your epiphany was 95% like mine, only I did not migrate to peachy tender shell pink and it was about realizing that I did like something that i always thought I didn't like. BLUE.

I always believed that blue on my tan-olive Asian skin did nothing for me. I also got it into my head that blue is not a color I would want on the walls in my house

I now like blue on me, but not the straight blue. It has to have some green in it and be highly saturated, and if I ever re-paint my master bedroom, it will be to a light, light light aquamarine wash.

And like you, I was surprised at myself. Really, truly surprised.


~Lorna

Rosaria Williams said...

How interesting. I don't know what my favorite colors are. Is that a bad thing?

Jamtart said...

I'm not a pink girl, but I have to agree that shell-pink is an exquisite colour. My favourite colour has been red for as long as I can remember. Recently though, I've been drawn to green - aqua/turquoise in particular (some would class these shades as blue) I read somewhere that people are drawn to colours that they look good in. Red always used to suit me, but as I age, I'm finding it slightly harsh -perhaps its time for softer shades. I wonder if my new found love of green is a reflection of this.

Tiffany said...

I just want to live in that room you pictured. Minus the yellow box, so I guess I can confidently say that yellow is not my favourite colour. Pink I love for flowers, but I love white flowers even more ... I think you can have different favourite colours for different things - a favourite to wear, a favourite for your house, or even for a particular room. Hmm. I will be thinking about colour all day now!

Imogen Lamport, AICI CIP said...

So many colours to choose from! I just can't do it. I read a study that said that around 80% of the world nominate blue as their favourite colour.

I love hot pink (not fuschia), I love crimson, I love cornflower blue, I love peppermint green the list could go on and on for me!

sallymandy said...

ProSup: I have a tawny-rose colored living room, quite by accident, and everyone loves being in there. It feels like the warm heart of the house.

Protege: You write about colors so eloquently, it's clear you love them all equally. Thanks, kind friend.

CP: I, too, love periwinkle. I used it in my wedding. Pink cement mixer!

Belette: Well, it was kind of scary to admit to myself that I'm not really a blue girl, but when I look at those pink flowers, I know why. I need to think about incorporating more pink.

Duchesse: You're right...the very most exquisite pinks aren't in fabric; they're in flowers, or shells. Your blued violet is beautiful, and I have bought clothes in this color more than once, only to find they really don't work with my skin tone. Maybe for paint or something, I'd like that color.

Ms Lucy: Interesting, to love pink and wear a lot of black. That was why I wrote this. I wonder if we choose black (or other such) as a practical measure? It made me think why there isn't more of what I love.

Not Supermum: You're kind; thank you. I love that blue you referred to, as well! Just drink it in. I don't think it's a good wearing color for me. It's a good "just staring at it agog" color. ♥

Thanks, Lenore. My dark-haired hubby looks great in pink, but would never go there, unfortunately.

Lorna: this was fun, reading about your epiphany about blue, and just what blue it is. Thanks!

Lakeviewer: Of course not dear, in my opinion! It's rewarding for me to choose one because I've always been wishy-washy about pinning myself down. It's kind of a metaphor for a whole approach to life.

Jamtart: Good point. Pink appeals to me as a wearing color more as I'm older, because it makes my face look alive. I keep wanting to find a green I can wear next to my face. I adore greens, but haven't yet found one I can wear.

Tiffany: Yes, absolutely. Different favorites for different things. My favorite ice cream color will always be brown.

Imogen: Interesting fact about the blue! It seems natural to choose it, maybe, because it's all around us in the sky.

Relyn Lawson said...

I need that kitchen! Need it!

Unknown said...

My favorite color used to be red. Till I was tease mercilessly in school for always blushing. "your face is beet red"

There after I chose blue. It's soothing and calming. Purple is a close second :)

Gal Friday said...

I LOVE the photos you chose to emphasise PINK, even though I think of myself as an "unpink" person.
When I was a child, yellow was always my color, and as I got older, I would say my favortite colors are in the orange-range--from tangerines to soft apricot shades(my favorite flowers all are these colors, from Tiger lilies to apricot roses). However, I rarely wear those colors, but do tend to decorate my home with bright hues.
Actually, as others have already said--it is hard to pin yourself down to one color as a favorite. There are so many great color "combinations", too-pink with brown, blue and white, etc...!

Stephanie N. said...

Sallymandy, you always pose the juiciest questions on the days when I haven't had time for blogging...

I'm late to the game, so I'll be brief: When I was growing up, my mom's favorite color was pale, soft pink, like yours. And so, for that reason, I avoided pink, especially the soft ones. Silly, huh? Now I think it's lovely, but more for other people than for myself.

I love colors so much that I'd have a hard time deciding which has been my life-long favorite, but for now, it's that saturated blue-green hue that makes me think of gorgeous shorelines like you see on postcards from the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.

Woman in a Window said...

First off, I was freaking 'cause at first I thought that was your kitchen. THEN, ugh, that living room. God, I'd like to walk there barefoot!

Ok, my colour. I was just thinking of this. I knew last year. This year...I seem different. I'm not sure any more.

drollgirl said...

pink! loved it as a kid, hated it as a teenager, back to it as an adult!

Grace Albaugh said...

I can never pin down just "one" of anything. I can't play favorites. So what does that say about me? I've thought about this for years. The jury's still out on a verdict. I do have colors I'm not crazy about though. They have the wrong energy for me. Bring out my worst. I just avoid those.

Jennifer Campaniolo said...

I'm with you, SallyMandy. I love pink and I make no apologies! It looks good against my fair skin. I've always been a girly-girl anyway.

Jennifer