Lavender

I have recently developed an obsession with flowers, more specifically the meaning behind them. One flower in particular has piqued my interest; the lavender flower. 

A beautiful purple, the lavender flower symbolizes purity, tranquility, and serenity in many works of literature. It can also symbolize a sense of deviation and a warning of caution. However it is also famously known for being a symbol of homosexuality, most frequently used by lesbians. The lavender flower as a symbol used to represent homosexuality in literature dates all the way back to Sapphos’ time and originated from several of her poems. Later, in the 1920s, lesbians began to use the lavender flower to show affection for someone else. Lavender provided a subtle way of recognition between people without being “recognized” by everyone. It was like a secret handshake, knock, or nod. Along with the actual flower, the distinctive color was linked to being homosexual by the public; however, the flower was not as widely known as the color for representing homosexuality. 

Despite this history, the color and flower have not always been a soft way to start a budding romance or a subtle way to show one's pride. With the start of the McCarthy presidential era, there was the “lavender scare”: A period of fear introduced when the executive order which intended to remove all homosexual men and women from the government work force was declared. Between 1950 and 1969 we can see a crack down on homosexuals as well as tension building which came to a head in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. With the riots and more people speaking up for LGBTQ+ people the color lavender was reclaimed and LGBTQ+ people wore lavender as a symbol of empowerment to marches and protests. 

Along with this color being used as a form of rebellion and empowerment, it is also widely used in recent fashion trends as well as not so recent books such as Oscar Wildes’ The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde also makes several other references to gay symbols such as the green carnation. At the most recent met gala Elliot Page wore a green carnation as a nod to Oscar Wilde who often wore a green carnation. In his time it was often worn as a simplistic way to show one is gay. In this sense we can see trends such as the green carnation and the lavender flower if not playing a consistent role at least fluctuating between being in the foreground and the background in more subtle ways. 

Work Cited:

Hastings, Christobel. “How Lavender Became a Symbol of LGBTQ Resistance.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 June 2020, 16 October 2021 https://www.cnn.com/style/article/lgbtq-lavender-symbolism-pride/index.html.