Airs of Violet

5 March 2024

by Mishiko García

In March, the air is scented with different shades of violet. A purple silk covers the streets, but above all, the spirit of the metropolis. During this month, curiously, in our city, the jacarandas begin to bloom and dress in lilac tones. The whole world turns purple.

But have you ever wondered why purple is the color of feminism? There are multiple theories that try to explain this symbol that comes into full force on the eighth day of the month of spring. What is undeniable is that the association of this tone takes us to the beginning of the 20th century with the first demonstrations of the suffragettes. Purple has given women a voice since that moment.

Since this time, purple has represented dignity, justice and resistance. In the feminist imagination, this color represents women's fight for equality, to build their own space in this world and not suffer discrimination. It symbolizes the fight for the rights of workers, belonging to the movement, its origin, and the need to continue on this path.

On this path, each step we take towards equality is significant, as is each pair of shoes we choose to walk it. Shoes are not only fashion accessories, but also tools that propel us forward, symbolizing our commitment to progress and authenticity. Whether we opt for elegant purple heels or comfortable sneakers, each footwear choice reminds us that we are taking steps toward a more equal future.

Claudine model

There are very diverse theories as to why this is the color of the feminist movement. We can find a kind of chromatic fusion, where pink and blue, associated with masculine and feminine energies in different ways depending on the historical moment, surround each other to create this color.

The road to equality can be long and challenging, but every step we take brings us a little closer to our goal. Like the color purple, which combines the strength of red with the tranquility of blue, our actions combine passion and determination with calm and wisdom.

Together, with each step we take, we move a little closer to a world where all women can live free of discrimination and violence, where their contribution to society is recognized and valued.

Love model

Let's not confuse. It is easy to fall into double discourse, where feminism is associated with a fight, with female supremacy. Feminism seeks, precisely, equality. It seeks to recognize that second sex, of which Simone de Beauvoir spoke, as a human being, with all its complexity, its desires, its dreams, etc., all of this validated in a society that houses us, but does not look at us.

Pia model

Another theory holds that this is the color of royal blood . Let us remember that, historically, purple is the color of luxury and royalty. The sovereigns sustained their power in a truth dictated by divine forces, but Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, editor of the magazine 'Votes for Women' and icon of the feminist struggle, took the color of the monarchs, "it symbolizes the royal blood that runs through the veins of each fighter for the right to vote, as well as the conscience of freedom and dignity.

The saddest story —and perhaps the most real — , is the one that explains why this color was chosen, this month. On March 25, 1911, the tragedy that marked the modern celebration of International Women's Day took place. That day the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York caught fire, causing the death of 146 workers.

Those women worked in deplorable conditions: they did not have time to eat and they worked locked up until the end of their day, a fact that explains the very high number of deaths when said fire occurred. Due to the fabrics and dyes used in the factory, the colossal column of smoke coming out of the building was purple.

Pia model

Remembering this cause, let's celebrate this International Women's Day, but not with a bouquet of flowers or gifts that do not exalt us, congratulations that pigeonhole us into a cliché. Let's celebrate with our steps, always moving forward to build the world we deserve. Let's celebrate without falling into all the stereotypes that are attributed to us, but with the strength that arises in our royal blood, in our voice and in our constant struggle.