Written by Michele Wheat
You have most likely seen an awareness ribbon or wristband. Some people place them in the form of magnets on the back bumper of their vehicle. Others wear them as a pin that attaches to their clothing. Still others wear them as wristbands, and depending on what type of cause one supports, they might wear a number of wristbands in a rainbow of colors. No matter what form these awareness ribbons come in, the colors representing the causes are recognized throughout countries all over the world.
Red Wristbands
- In 1991, the red ribbon symbolizing AIDS awareness became the first of its kind to bring awareness of a specific disease. The red ribbon was also a way to show support for those living with HIV.
- Since red is often the color associated with the heart, a red wristband signifies different types of heart disease, congenital heart defects, cardiovascular diseases, congestive heart failure, and long QT syndrome.
- Red represents a multitude of other disease and illnesses that some people might not have ever heard of, including Apert syndrome, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, epidermolysis bullosa, Poland syndrome, Von Willebrand's disease, and Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome.
- Besides disease awareness, the color red can also represent programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.).
- The color red is also used in combination with other colors like blue, white, orange, gold, and black. For example, red and blue can symbolize hypoplastic left heart syndrome (a type of congenital heart defect), while red and orange signifies adiposis dolorosa, also known as Dercum's disease.
Green Wristbands
- The color green is sometimes associated with different types of depression and bipolar disorder. Gray is also used for awareness of mental illnesses.
- Green signifies certain disabilities and disorders such as cerebral palsy, Tourette syndrome, nephrotic syndrome, and gastroparesis.
- Organ donation is also represented by a green wristband, along with bone marrow donation, tissue donation, and organ transplant and organ donation awareness.
- Environmental issues are always linked to the color green. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education created the Green Ribbon Schools program for schools that are environmentally conscious.
- Other shades of green are also used to promote awareness. For example, a lime green wristband could denote Lyme disease, jade stands for hepatitis B and liver cancer, light green symbolizes celiac disease, and mint green represents genetic disorders.
Blue Wristbands
- Blue seems to be the most popular color to represent diseases, disorders, syndromes, viruses, and social issues; it's even the color for Canada's National Nonsmoking Week.
- Some of the diseases and viruses represented by the color blue include West Nile virus, colon and colorectal cancer, dystonia, and myositis.
- Causes including addiction recovery awareness, craniosynostosis awareness, and foster care awareness are also represented by blue. Dark and light blue together represent hydrocephalus awareness.
- Other shades of blue are also used, such as light blue representing chronic illness, men's health, prostate cancer awareness, and twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Navy blue is used to represent chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Epstein-Barr virus, and restless leg syndrome. Royal blue is used to promote awareness of child abuse, and pale blue signifies achalasia awareness.
Purple Wristbands
- Another commonly used color for raising awareness is purple. It can represent ADHD, chronic and acute pain, cystic fibrosis (CF), thyroid cancer, and trisomy 18.
- Purple can also be a color used to promote awareness for premature birth, domestic violence, or elder abuse.
- Various shades of purple represent different diseases and causes, such as lavender for all kinds of cancer, periwinkle for eating disorders, orchid for testicular cancer, and violet for Hodgkin's lymphoma awareness.
- The color purple is also coordinated with other colors. For instance, a purple and black wristband could represent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and purple and green symbolizes Stickler syndrome.
Yellow Wristbands
- Another color that is widely used is yellow. In fact, the yellow ribbon that may have started it all was used during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979: Penney Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around the trees in her yard as a signal that she wanted her husband to come home. Today, yellow is still used as a symbol of wanting to bring Americans home safely from overseas.
- Yellow is used to symbolize awareness for certain diseases, such as bladder cancer, liver disease, obesity, and spina bifida. It is also used for missing children.
Other Colors and Patterns
- Many other colors are used to promote awareness for a variety of causes, some of which are very popular, such as pink, which is widely known to symbolize breast cancer. A lesser-known awareness color is amber, which symbolizes appendix cancer. Other colors used include burgundy, black, brown, gold, orange, and cream.
- Peach is used for endometrial, uterine, and vaginal cancer, while white signifies bone disease or blindness.
- A black-and-white cow print is used to promote awareness for omphalocele, and an ivory wristband with a picture of a rose symbolizes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
- A puzzle-patterned ribbon or wristband can indicate either autism or Asperger's syndrome, and a quilt design represents dissociative identity disorder (DID).
