Neon to Navy: A Journey Through Colors and Their Meanings

Colors have the power to evoke emotions and memories that sometimes transcend the physical act of seeing them. For many, certain hues hold significant personal associations, as seen in the stories shared below.

White and the Traumatic Experience

For one individual, the color white carries a deeply distressing memory. This person describes white as their least favorite color, a painful association stemming from a traumatic experience in their life. They share, 'White is my least favorite color. It invokes memories of being rushed into the hospital one Thursday night when I was 16 and having a miscarriage. I was left in an unheated, starkly white-walled room for more than half an hour before a doctor arrived to examine me. His manner was extremely brusque and his physical examination was rough, causing me additional pain.'

Neon and the Harsh Light

Another recurrent theme is the color neon yellow, which is often associated with harshness and unflattering light. This color, though vibrant, can be unforgiving to the eyes and mind. One speaker mentions, 'Neon yellow is my least favorite color, it’s too harsh and unflattering.'

The Dilemma of Orange

Orange, another somewhat divisive color, takes a back seat when it comes to being least favorite. A person states, 'Orange is my least favorite, following closely behind is pink or yellow, I suppose.' Perhaps it is the duality of the color, neither entirely welcoming nor rejecting, that makes it less preferable.

The Loneliness of Navy Blue

Navy blue also appears among the least favorite colors, as one narrator poignantly describes, 'Navy blue is so boring and bleh. If you’re going to make something, make something gorgeous—or at least make it in black instead of navy blue because at least then it could still be edgy. I hate navy blue so much, I wrote a song about the horror of reading in the Vogue that navy blue would be the color of spring 2024. BLEHHHHHHH!'

Darkness and Light: Favorite and Least Favorite Colors

On the flip side, there are those who have distinct favorite colors that light up their world. A shared love for ultramarine blue and turquoise is evident, as they both carry significant emotional resonance. One person says, 'I have two favorite colors, I can’t decide between them. One of them is ultramarine blue. It gives royalty, dominance, power, and determination kind of vibes. It’s like its screaming and it is really deep. The second one is turquoise. This color gives vibes like peace, security, hope, calmness, strength, and resolution. Both of these colors are my favorite.'

The Ew Factor: Light Green

Perhaps the most peculiar association is with light green. One individual laments, 'My least favorite color, or in better words, my most hated color, is light green. I mean this kind of shade. I don’t know why I hate this color I cannot give an explanation. I just get a kind of gross feeling seeing this anywhere. Like really ewww feeling. I can put with any color except this. I have told this many times to my parents, still, they get me things of this color. Like recently I needed a new pencil box and water bottle, and I asked my parents to bring it themselves because I don’t have time to roam in the market for that. And guess what? They bought a light green kit and a light green bottle. By the way, our teacher prefers this color while teaching on a digital board, and it just gets on my nerves seeing everything in green.'

This journey through colors and personal associations underscores the significant emotional and psychological impact colors can have. What is your favorite and least favorite color, and what memories or emotions does it evoke for you?