ORCHID.
The color of elegance. Or is it? Let's find out.
The Concept.
It is clear that society breeds biases. Stereotypes hold both men and women back from being their true, nuanced selves and living up to their full potential. We've accepted that gender is a spectrum, but we’ve a long way to go to eradicate the labels of feminine and masculine. We have to start a new conversation that allows both men and women the freedom to identify with aspects of their personality without feeling too “feminine” or too “masculine.”
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Let’s take the colour orchid, for instance.
In our research, we found that Elegance and Femininity are major associations with this colour. Thereby, urging us to ask if we see the two things as one? Is one defined by another?
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THE QUESTION:
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Does orchid really influence our perception of what is elegant and what is not, or is elegance itself something that is considered to be feminine?
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This project is an experiment to ask if the colour orchid can be projected on clumsy, aggressive or generally non-elegant characters in a way that they are seen as elegant.
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HYPOTHESIS:
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As a starting point, we accept the notions related to the colour that pre-exist. Thereby, trying to see of ours results will subscribe to or subvert them.
METHOD:
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Using colour in an unconventional manner by changing the outfit of iconic characters from films and TV shows that are essentially portrayed as non-elegant, villainy, clumsy or aggressive.
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We then conduct a small survey to see how people perceive the characters and the mood in the scene differently.
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MEASURES:
Playing around with hue, saturation, curves & vibrance
Illustrations
Survey, Analysis
ABOUT
The Origin.
The element of mystery/allure that is associated with Orchid comes directly from the rare nature of the flower. In the victorian era, orchids were hunted because of their beauty. It was a flower so rare, men even killed each other to acquire it. There is literature to suggest the elusive nature of the flower may have brushed off to that of the colour, and eventually “the elusive nature” of women. In other cultures, orchids were used as medicinal plants, especially in China. Chinese art features Orchids in a sacred light.
The perception we have of it in the present is due to the compounded instances from the past. In literature, films and music - orchid is portrayed as a mystical colour with its own allure.
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Rare to find the colour in the Indian context, it is often it spotted in fashion and cosmetics.
Poster of the British girl band The Orchids, an example of how pop culture associates colours with gender.
Source: spectropop.com
The Survey.
The Character Study.
It is important to understand the content of media, as media can stereotype the associations we make with colour in a gendered way, appearances that are acceptable in society. This character analysis of some iconic, but conventionally “unpolished” movie characters gave us some interesting insights about the effects of the colour Orchid.
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The messages portrayed through colours are discussed, with emphasis on implications of gender differences in portrayals of these characters through colours in movies. Essentially, these iconic characters serve as exemplars and their depiction may communicate ideas about a wide range of societal norms and values, including those relating to masculinity and femininity.
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We encourage future research to focus on the intersections of colour and it’s associations with larger samples.Let us now dive into some findings! A total sample population of 123 people participated in this survey. Find the summaries of their responses under each image.
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1. LORD VOLDEMORT - Harry Potter series
When asked to express how they felt about the scene at the top, most responded that the edited image had a fairy-tale like quality. Fear was diluted by the colour. While the scene still retains its magic, it appears more mysterious and otherworldly. The association of Orchid with mystery and magic is full blown here. This is one of the better examples of how the colour can be detached from its generalised notions and used toa its full scope.
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In the second image, people perceived the character to be Aggressive, Menacing and Saviour-like, directly contradicting to how they perceived him in the first image. This is not necessarily induced by the colour, but depends a on the posture and expression. Some surprising responses also viewed the character to be Heroic, Elegant and Playful. Those seem to be a direct effect of the colour Orchid.
2. BELLATRIX - Harry Potter
Another dark character from the legendary fantasy films was perceived as Pompous, Elegant and Royal in this Orchid attire. Only 1/10th of the respondents chose Menacing, followed by Playful and Alluring to define her.
3. RON WEASLEY - Harry Potter
This was one of the only characters who was perceived more or less in the same way as portrayed in the film. The top chosen words were Clumsy, Shabby and Playful.
4. RAMSAY BOLTON - Game of Thrones
There's an evident change in the setting after tinting the scene with Orchid. The sadistic, narcissistic Ramsay Bolton transforms to a loving, empathetic brother. Most respondents read the mood as Romantic, Playful and Lively
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4. TERMINATOR
5. TERMINATOR
A range of responses were recorded for the first image! Most people thought the edited image looked more playful, comical and teenage-y here. The colours grant the scene a pastel quality, and makes the characters look more comfortable than they are.
The second image retains its aggressiveness to a degree. 1/4th of the respondents choose Aggressive to define the mood. But an equal number of people also thought it was Reassuring and Adventurous. Some even thought it was Romantic. These non-conventional ideas definitely seem to be a result of the colour.
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6. DARTH VADER - Star Wars
One of the most popular villains of all time, Darth vader was perceived to be Heroic by 50% of the respondents, followed by Mysterious and Menacing. This was one of the most twisted association made due to the new colour.
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In second image, the same character was perceived to be Aggressive, Courageous and Menacing. The action quality of the scene definitely dominates the senses.
7. JACK SPARROW- Pirates of the Caribbean
Jacksparrow was perceived as Playful and Mysterious but some surprising answers also included Elegant, Alluring and Feminine.
8. MAD HATTER - Alice in Wonderland
Interestingly, about 40% people found this character psychopathic. In the film, he is a positive character who accepts his own eccentricity. He does not seem to be falling in place with stereotypes related to Orchid, but nor does he subvert them. Here, psychopathy seems to come from another stereotype – that associated with clowns. However, the element of mystery remains. About 25 from a total of 123 respondents chose Mysterious to define this character.
10. TYLER DURDEN - Fight Club
The ratio of people who are already familiar with the character vs. those who are not was close to 50-50. The top 3 words chosen to define the character were: Jazzy, Mysterious and Aggressive.
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When asked what they thought the setting was in the image above, 60% people chose A Club, followed by Theatre backstage and A Hotel. In actuality, the scene is set in a dull apartment building. The mood enhanced by the Orchid atmosphere here brought an effective change in perception.
11. HANNIBAL LECTER - The Silence of the Lambs
A chunk of people defined this character as Psychopathic, followed by Mysterious and Joyful. Interestingly, at least half the people who have watched the film did not associate the character with psychopathy. The effect of colour here is immense, however the character’s menacing look is overpowering.
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In the second image, most people associated the character with Psychopathy, followed by Mystery and Aggression. The mood lighting changed here has little to no effect on how the scene or the character is perceived.
12. NURSE RATCHED - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
90% of the respondents have not seen the film. Most associated the character with Femininity, Love and Elegance. Here, the effect of the colour is compounded by the nurturing perception that comes from a nurse. Also interesting to note is this is the only character that was perceived to be feminine in large numbers. The fact that she looks conventionally sane, docile and by general standards - Normal, could be a determinant.
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13. JACK TORRANCE - The Shining
3/4th of the respondents have not seen the film. Yet, 1/4th think the character looks psychopathic. This is followed by Curious and Playful. The colour seems to be less of a determinant here. Rather, the expression and posture seem to be giving the insight.
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In the second image, the scene has no indication of violence or psychopathy without the context. Most people perceived this as Friendly, Mysterious and Jazzy.
14. UCHIHA MADARA - Naruto: Shippuden
Only 1/4th of the respondents have watched the series. Half of the respondents perceived the character as Heroic even though, as opposed to how he's shown in the show. However, nobody associated him with elegance. Yet, the influence of colour is coming out in the perception of a negative character in a positive manner.
15. TARZAN
15. TARZAN
Closely following Ron Weasely, Tarzan was perceived in his original image – Wild, Heroic and Playful.
The Conclusion.
