Over the course of the past week, female students and teachers alike, visiting the girl’s bathroom near the cafeteria, have been greeted with a surprising splash of color. They have been shocked to find that the familiar plain brown door that has always been welcoming and endearingly bland, had been repainted.
The new color, a bright and fresh “lite lavender” as named by the color swatches lining the hallway, has not been taken well by all visitors of the women’s restroom.
“I don’t like it,” said High School counselor Ellen Cooke. “There are better colors.”
While reception has been mixed, the real question raised here is why “lite lavender”? What message are they trying to convey to the girls who pass through? According to Bournecreative.com, lavender “has long been associated with refined wealthy women” and is sometimes referred to as a “grown-up pink”. Are those not the values associated with Republican Motherhood, a 20th century attitude based on women learning virtue to teach to their children?
And further, why would they not choose one of the many other vibrant colors lining the hallway such as “red tomato” if they were trying to make a statement? Or perhaps “Haven”, a gender non-conforming deep green color associated with moving forward?
(Haven pictured right)
The real reason of this bold style decision is still up for discussion. Are they pushing the patriarchal agenda? Is there a revolt being led against the color brown? While the origins of this change may still be unknown, what we do know is that the bathroom door may not be what it seems.
(The unchanged door in the men’s bathroom)
