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Although it's currently April and springtime, which I love, there are a few things the end of the year brings that I look forward to. One being my horoscope for the upcoming year and the other being Pantone's annual announcement of the new Color of the Year. Though some believe that Pantone is more so in the business of creating and manufacturing trends than predicting them, it is always interesting to see what their "prediction" will be.
The Color of the Year is a color Pantone believes represents the zeitgeist of the year ahead. 2016's Rose Quartz and Serenity stood for "gender equality and fluidity" while 2018's Ultraviolet was a combination of red and blue meant to symbolize the coming together of the Democratic and Republican parties after the tumultuous start of Donald Trump's presidency. As evidenced by Ultraviolet, Pantone's predictions can be wrong.
2019's chosen color, Living Coral "embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences than enable connection and intimacy...Living coral welcomes and enables lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits...Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression [and] is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence on social media," (Pantone).
To state my biased opinion first, I'm not a fan of coral as a color. It's warm tone doesn't look good on my cool toned skin and I'm not typically drawn to colors with an orange base. However, this is not the true issue with Living Coral. This color is the complete opposite of what it is supposed to represent. The primary image of Living Coral on Pantone's website is of a bright fish swimming next to a coral of the same color. In reality, coral and coral reefs are dying due to pollution and an abundance of plastic in our oceans. Its vivid color is disappearing from our natural surroundings at an alarming rate. Living Coral is also supposed to symbolize a need for optimism and leisure, but our current political and social climate and the future of our planet is nothing short of grim. Also, if we are looking to connect with each other on an intimate level that surpasses social media, why should it matter that Living Coral will look amazing on your Instagram feed?
Living Coral is us pretending nothing is wrong. Or even worse, it represents us turning a blind eye to issues that matter. It's a color of sadness and naivety. If you remember the book or movie, "Because of Winn-Dixie," Opal and her friend Sweetie Pie try the candy, Litmus Lozenges. Sweetie Pie spits it out and says, "that tastes sad." Litmus Lozenges had a flavor of sadness due to its creator's loss and heartache after World War II. Living Coral, on the other hand, isn't being honest about being sad. It's the meme of the dog surrounded by fire while saying, "Everything is fine."
While it is difficult to find a singular color that is a sign of the times, Pantone's choice feels so far removed from what is actually happening. However, it doesn't feel wrong to say that there aren't times where we feel like we need to take a step back from everything going wrong to find some serenity or peace of mind. We turn our news notifications off or plan vacations to take breaks, which we absolutely deserve. Living Coral is a complex color and has taken on a meaning that I don't believe Pantone intended. It's vivid, yet melancholy and represents an uncertain future whose outcome may become worse if we don't take action. Coral bias aside, it won't be making an appearance in my wardrobe or my walls this year.
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