Awareness ribbon

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with English-speaking territories and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Red ribbon

Awareness ribbons, due to their ubiquitous nature, have come to symbolize various concerns depending on the colours or the patterns used. For example, black ribbons may be used for mourning.

Of the uses of ribbons to draw awareness to health issues, perhaps the most well-known is the red ribbon for support of those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Other health and social concerns which have adopted coloured ribbons include Alzheimer's disease (purple), Breast Cancer (pink), and bipolar disorder (green).

Political use of ribbons include red ribbons worn to commemorate the October Revolution (7 November) in the former Soviet Union, and orange ribbons in the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.

Yellow ribbons, in the United States, are used to show that a close family member is abroad in military service. In Russia, Belarus and other countries of the former USSR gold and black striped ribbons are used to celebrate the Allies' victory in World War II (9 May).

Other ornaments, including flowers (of specific kinds), bracelets and badges may serve essentially the same purpose of drawing attention to a cause. These include poppies, rosettes and wristbands.

History

The first ribbon that was represented as a meaningful object in history was the yellow ribbon that was mentioned in a marching song, which was sung by the military in the United States. In the year 1917 George A. Norton copyrighted the song for the first time. The title of the song was "Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon". In the 1940s the song was rewritten by several musicians.

In the early 1970s the song Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree was released, based on this song a wife of a hostage in Iran, Penney Laingen, was the first who used the ribbon as an awareness symbol. She tied yellow ribbons around the trees, to illustrate the desire of her husband coming home. Her friends and family members followed the trend due to loyalty. As all Americans were able to see this message, the "ribbon became a medium".

In the 1990s, AIDS activists were inspired by the ribbon medium, and decided to make ribbons for the people that fight against AIDS. The ribbon that represents AIDS became red as this is the color of passion. During the Tony awards, a photo was taken of the actor Jeremy Irons, who had the bright red ribbon pinned on his chest. As the public followed the awards, the ribbon was an eye catch and became popular overnight. The year 1992 was declared by The New York Times as "The year of the Ribbon".

External links

• The New Yellow Ribbon Tradition, with two American Folklife Center articles (Library of Congress)
• Awareness Ribbon Colors and Meanings by Trinity London
• Awareness Ribbon Color Meaning Chart by The Pin People
• Crafts n Scraps Awareness Ribbons Meanings by Crafts n Scraps

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