Today I was having some trouble on what to blog about. I thought I had said everything there was to say about ribbon and felt a huge writers block in my path. What more could I say? How could I find a new direction? While a great deal of my friends are fellow artists and crafters, few of them are also bloggers. Even less of those were online to help me brainstorm. Luckily, at the peak of my panic, my friend Julie popped up online. After explaining my situation to her, she threw a number of ideas my way that I had never even considered before. (Just goes to show you how a fresh perspective can really go a long way, even if they don't have any knowledge of your field.) So now, with Julie's ideas in mind, I present to you a small list of common support/awareness ribbons we see all the time but may not know the significance of. The majority of these ribbons have more than one cause attached to the color. However, I chose the most popular cause for each. It is important to note that most of these ribbons hold a different meaning outside of the United States, Canada and the UK.
Jigsaw Puzzle Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Autism
Meaning: The puzzle pattern reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum while the colors represent the diversity of those affected, both those with autism and their families.
White Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Violence against women
Meaning: White is used to symbolize purity. This ribbon is also often worn by men against domestic violence and in support of women's rights.
Yellow Ribbon
In Support of: Soldiers
Meaning: The first officially recognized support ribbon in the US, the yellow ribbon was made so after a military marching song, "Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon". Yellow is also used to show hope.
Pink Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Breast cancer
Meaning: Though initially an orange ribbon, the pink ribbon we know today is meant to promote solidarity amongst women and represents traditional femininity and hope for the future.
Black Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Mourning victims after an attack or disaster
Meaning: In Western culture, black has come to symbolize death. Those seen wearing black do so out of respect for the deceased.
Red Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: AIDS
Meaning: Created by the Visual AIDS Artist Caucus for the Red Ribbon Project, red was chosen for its "connection to blood and the idea of passion -- not only anger, but love, like a valentine."
Blue Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Child abuse
Meaning: The Blue Ribbon Campaign got its start in Virginia by a woman who tied a blue ribbon around her cat antenna in memory of her grandson, who died as a result of child abuse. There is no known official significance for the color blue.
Rainbow Ribbon
In Support of: LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer/questioning and more) people
Meaning: Similar to the autism awareness ribbon, the multiple colors represent and celebrate the many people and their differences under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Originally designed with 8 colors, each was assigned a meaning. Hot pink: sexuality, red: life, orange: healing, yellow: sunlight, green: nature, turquoise: magic and art, blue: serenity and harmony, purple: spirit. Purple has also come to form it's own significance in the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of pride and against homophobic bullying.
Orange Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: At-risk animals
Meaning: Registered as an official trademark, the Animal Guardian Ribbon brings visibility and awareness to animals suffering neglect and abuse whose lives may be in danger. It also promotes the notion of guardianship, as opposed to ownership, of animals. There is no stated reason for the color choice.
Lavender Ribbon
Bringing Awareness to: Cancer in general
Meaning: Though the exact origin of this ribbon is difficult to pinpoint, the color has been noted to reflect the courage and strength of cancer survivors and their families and well as to honor those lost to cancer.
To see more ribbons not listed, or other causes attached to these colors, check this list out. As we can see, ribbon has much more of a use than merely to decorate gifts or clothing. It has a long history of bringing to light support and awareness for a variety of issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment