‘It takes sunshine and rain to make a rainbow. There would be no rainbows without sunshine and rain.’
Roy T. Bennett, author of ‘The Light in the Heart.’
THE rainbow is a natural meteorological phenomenon that bears various meanings across cultures and throughout history.
The most commonly recognised symbolism associated with rainbows is hope and positivity.
The appearance of a rainbow after downpour is often seen as a sign of hope, promising better times ahead.
As such, it is a symbol for renewal, optimism, and the belief that even after the darkest moments, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Secondly, the rainbow’s vibrant and diverse colours coming together in a harmonious arch have come to represent the beauty of diversity and the strength that can be found in unity.
It symbolises the value of embracing and celebrating different cultures, races, beliefs and perspectives.
Through the perspective of innocent children, a rainbow is often seen as something magical and enchanting.
With many children’s stories, nursery rhymes and folklore mentioning rainbows, the sight of a rainbow would evoke feelings of excitement and optimism which comes hand in hand with nurturing children’s curiosity and imagination.
However, in recent decades, the rainbow has become closely associated with the LGBTQ+ community.
Last week, Malaysia made international headlines when the Home Ministry seized more than a hundred watches from Swatch’s latest collection – a series of timepieces with rainbow wristbands that come in six colours.
The seizure was made purportedly due to links to the LGBT rights movement and its rainbow-coloured theme.
The raids, which occurred at 11 malls in Malaysia, sparked a terse response from the watchmaker with its chief executive Nick Hayek stating how the collection of watches using rainbow colours had a message of peace and love.
“Swatch. since the creation of the brand, is known and proud of being the canvas on the wrist for all people worldwide and many artists are working with us. Creativity and colours paired with Swiss-made quality are what we are loved for.
“We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful to whomever. On the contrary, Swatch always gives a positive message of joy in life.
“This has nothing political. We wonder how the Enforcement and Control Division of the Home Ministry will confiscate the many beautiful natural rainbows that are showing up a thousand times a year in the sky of Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
I understand the concerns which led the authority to seize the products – LGBT is something unacceptable to Malaysian society.
However, it is also worth noting that this is a matter of interpretation and it cannot be denied that symbolism can be complex.
Colours including rainbows are meant for expression, just like jewellery and other accessories.
In the fashion industry, it is not uncommon to find designers incorporating rainbow colours or designs and using it as a source of inspiration for clothing pieces especially when it is meant to appeal to children.
It is also not uncommon to find rainbows incorporated in the publishing industry, especially for children’s books.
As rainbows are often associated with joy, colour, and positivity, they are a popular visual element in books targeted at young readers.
This is also the case for the toy industry where rainbows can be found in various forms in children’s toys.
Rainbows may appear as colourful patterns on stuffed animals, puzzles, building blocks or board games.
If we were to continue jumping the gun at every single thing that is rainbow orientated, be it a pair of earrings or a stacking rainbow blocks toy for children, we would be a laughing stock of the world.
I remember supervising my five-year-old cousin who had just started schooling earlier this year doing her kindergarten homework of colouring a rainbow.
It was so interesting to hear her chit chatting away about how she watched an episode of Peppa Pig going on an adventure to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Although she got the colour arrangement of the rainbow mixed up, I could see that she was unleashing her artistic creativity and wildest imagination through the simple task.
In fact, she has repeatedly made requests to go on a similar quest like Peppa Pig and she has been on the lookout for rainbows ever since.
I believe that is the beauty of the innocence of a child; he/she does not simply jump the gun or fixate on the meaning of things beyond the surface or its context.
