What do students excited for the leaves to change, gold miners and the “it’s CORN” kid have in common? They all get excited at the color yellow. The color is known for its cheery influence and brightening effect, but the sunniest color may have its dark side.
Despite studies finding most people associate yellow with joy, its negatives are mirrored in the world’s favorite colors. According to a study by Dulux Paints, yellow is the least popular color in the world, as only 5% of respondents preferred yellow over other colors.
Yellow is the most intense color for human eyes. Light travels in wavelengths and is understood by the brain’s reactions to red, blue and green cones in the eyes. Yellow is seen when both red and green cones are near their peak sensitivity, which is why it is the brightest color after white.
Yellow is also the most tiring on the eye, as it reflects the most light. Prolonged exposure to bright yellow can lead to eyestrain and vision loss. It is also the most attention-grabbing, which is why it is used for taxis and many emergency signs. A 1994 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found yellow and green-yellow were seen as the least pleasant colors. An abundance of yellow can also lead to irritation.
Despite its intensity, yellow symbolizes sunshine, warmth and joy for many, often thought to originate from its similarity to the sun. Interestingly, yellow is seen as more cheerful in colder, rainier countries.
Yellow was first used by humans in cave paintings that are over 17,000 years old. Ancient Egyptians painted gods in vivid yellow as it was similar to gold and the sun.
However, yellow began to develop a negative reputation beginning in the 14th century. In Medieval and Renaissance Christian art, yellow paint was used to signify outsiders or deceit, frequently depicting Judas from the Bible. Executioners were also often portrayed wearing yellow, something carried to relatively modern times with Alabama’s notorious electric chair, “Yellow Mama.” The bright yellow electric chair was built in 1927 and last used in 2002.
Worse, as with several other colors, the color yellow has been marked by discrimination. The badges that many Jewish Europeans were forced to wear during WWII differed in design by country, but were invariably yellow. Yellow was also used frequently in racism against Asian populations, particularly against those from or of Eastern Asian descent.
“Yellow peril” refers specifically to horrific 19th century anti-Asian racism, particularly against Chinese immigrants. Beginning in the 1880s, Chinese immigrants were depicted as threatening in racist propaganda, leading to abhorrent scapegoating and discriminatory acts such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by the U.S. Congress, that introduced a 10-year ban on Chinese immigration. The act specifically excluded laborers, although the definition of laborers was twisted to ensure very few Chinese immigrants could enter the country.
The color has also been used to stigmatize certain areas of society that have historically been looked down upon. Yellow is also often associated with prostitution, dating as far back as ancient Greece. Athenian sex workers set themselves apart by wearing yellow dyed gauzy cloth. In Rome, sex workers were required to dye their hair blonde or wear a blonde wig. This color pattern continued, particularly in European states. Vienna required yellow scarves, Leipzig’s workers wore yellow cloaks with blue trim and in 2010, sex workers in the Spanish city of Lleida wore reflective yellow bibs to avoid police fines for walking unmarked along highways.
In Mandarin, 黃 (Huáng) means yellow, but has an associated meaning of failure and often relates to pornography. “Yellow journalism” also refers to exaggerated and sensationalized journalism, typically created to generate attention and profits rather than distribute information.
Recently in Brazil, life-long supporters of the Brazilian national football (American soccer) team have been ditching their iconic, formerly beloved yellow jerseys, as the jersey has become a symbol for the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his right-wing supporters. The yellow jersey is no longer as simple as a color.
Yellow isn’t all daffodils and lemonade. It has a surprisingly dark history, one wracked with discriminatory practices and general diversion from its cheerful facade today. No matter the imagery or the Van Gogh rumors, yellow has as mixed a history as anything.
Katie Millard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Katie by tweeting her at @katie_millard11.
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