Last week’s article, “Smoke and Mirrors: A Look Into Capitalist Driven Social Movements, From Cigarettes To Body Positivity,” centered around the mechanisms of Edward Bernays, a brilliant public relations pioneer, to get women to smoke Lucky Strike cigarettes. But, while Bernays certainly succeeded in his mission, there was a slight hiccup in his plans that didn’t make it into last week’s piece.
To paraphrase shamefully from the Cultural Currents Institute, by the early 1930s, societal norms had undergone a significant transformation. With women embracing the act of smoking publicly, a new challenge emerged: the perceived lack of fashionability in Lucky Strike's trademark green packaging. Rather than a simple color alteration, the exacting George Washington Hill, president of American Tobacco, tasked Bernays with a more unconventional approach—to shift the color's perception and make it cool.
Bernays had experience collaborating with fashion designers in Paris, and armed with the knowledge of how women’s fashion and trends operated, he decided his modus operandi would be to throw a society ball with a trendy philanthropic purpose. The theme, unsurprisingly, would center around the color green.
Bernays successfully persuaded Narcissa Cox Vanderlip, a prominent figure as both president of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children and wife to esteemed banker Frank A. Vanderlip, to host this event and named it the Green Ball. Mrs. Vanderlip's stature as a leader in the women's suffrage movement and co-founder of the New York State League of Women Voters made her the ideal ally for Bernays's objectives.
With Bernays's financial backing, Mrs. Vanderlip secured the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, sent out invitations, and ensured the event's visibility by notifying the society columns of all major newspapers.
But the big ball wasn’t the only move up Bernays’s sleeve. In the build up to the party, he also convened a gathering of leaders from textile and clothing companies at his residence on the 27th floor of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Addressing the assembly, Bernays confidently declared, "Gentlemen, green will dominate the fashion scene this fall."
The business leaders readily followed suit – with the Onondaga Silk Company taking the lead by hosting a Green Fashions Fall Luncheon for influential fashion editors. In what will surprise few readers, Bernays graciously helped plan the event. The luncheon boasted a meticulously curated green menu, featuring delicacies such as lamb chops with haricots verts and green pistachio mousse glacé.
Ever the clever fellow, Bernays also sought “to underscore the intellectual bona fides of the green trend. A talk was given by the head of the Hunter College art department, titled ‘Green in the Work of Great Artists.’ An eminent psychologist spoke on the psychological implication of the color green. By September, the month before the ball was to be held, Vogue’s cover sported a woman in a smart green dress.”1
The ascendancy of green as the color du jour in the world of fashion had been solidified.
On the day after the event, October 26, 1934, the New York Times reported, “In a setting of splendor and beauty, the Green Ball of Art and Fashion was held last night in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, with more than 1,000 guests in attendance. The ball, proceeds of which go to the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, derived its name from the color which dominates its motif and chosen because it is a favorite color of the season.”
Bernays had won once again, and Lucky Strike basked in this fashionable association until the advent of World War II led to shortages of the dye used in the packaging’s iconic green hue.
Tik Tok, Tik Tok On Green’s Cool Factor
Eighty-three years later, green was the “it” color once more when Pantone, known for its influential “Color of the Year” pronouncements, named “greenery” 2017’s trendiest shade. Or was it?
According to Pantone, the color of the year choice is made purely on the basis of trend analyses and socio-economic influences. But one TikTok user was not convinced, and made a short video on her conspiracy theory that has since garnered millions of views. As argued in the clip (via Hyperallergic):
“In 2017, we were starting to pivot really radically hard towards minimalist neutrals. Nothing this bright was coming into trend, so I was like, ‘Why would they pick this color?’ And then it occurred to me: You know who really wants this color to be cool? Android.”
As a refresher, the year 2017 coincided with the release of Android’s lime green text bubbles, versus the trendier iPhone’s cerulean blue shade. The user continued:
“But that’s probably the biggest shame factor of having an Android: your texts are this gross shade of green . . . And so I think that Android paid off Pantone to release this as its Color of the Year in a desperate, feeble attempt to get this green normalized in the mainstream.”
To be sure, the TikToker’s argument is bolstered by reactions at the time. Taking a look at Twitter responses from 2017, the tweets (excluding those from corporations or media outlets) were all negative. In fact, during a cursory perusal, I could not find a single one that expressed approval of the choice. Some examples (written as is):
“There’s people called color forecasters at pantone who said green would be big this year but specifically the color greenery. where was this color? i just dont feel like green was huge this year and i feel let down by these so called color forecasters,” wrote one unhappy user.
“I'm curious if Pantone can make Ultra Violet 18-3838 happen. They couldn't make Greenery 15-0343 happen,” tweeted a second, referencing Patone’s 2018 choice.
“Okay pantone I still don't forgive you for the huge miss that was #Greenery but Spring 2018 forecast on point,” added a third.
So, did Android try to pull a Bernays and make green cool? Is it conspiracy or conspiration?
Fortunately, there is at least one day in the year when the color green is very much well-loved: St. Patrick’s Day. We wish our readers a very happy St. Pat’s! Sláinte!
https://www.culturalcurrents.institute/post/edward-bernays
Terrific piece.