【Squirting Pussy】

Pantone unveiled its 2018 color of the year Thursday,Squirting Pussy and the choice strongly hinted at a call for activism and action.

The company chose a deep shade of purple known as Pantone 18-3838, or "ultra violet," and although it didn't directly call out the current political climate, the color comes loaded with meaning.

SEE ALSO: 'The time is right'—a startup wants to get 100 progressive women elected to Congress

Pantone hailed the color choice for its spirituality and connection to the cosmos, along with its symbolism of counterculture and unconventionality. But the color goes even further with its ties to women's suffrage movements and LGBTQ rights. This isn't just any shade of purple.

Suffragettes were known for the purple on their sashes and the fight for LGBTQ equality has been using purple in campaigns over the years. An entire women's rights advocacy group, UltraViolet, borrows the associations of the color with women's and LGBTQ rights movements.

"The color has a lot of resonance now."

Karin Rowland, chief campaigns officer for UltraViolet, said in a phone call Thursday that Pantone's choice is more than timely.

"The color has a lot of resonance now," she said, referring to the fight for women's equality and issues about sexual assault and harassment.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Women's group UltraViolet used the shade back in April when they were protesting Bill O'Reilly. Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Before Fox News fired longtime host Bill O'Reilly earlier this year, the group protested at company headquarters. The demonstrators' signs included the signature ultra violet hue -- highlighting the word "sexual predator."

Within the LGBTQ community, purple or lavender is significant. It's used in literature, pop culture, and throughout communication networks.

The since-closed Ultra Violet Book Cafe in Johannesburg, South Africa, served as a hub for the gay community there and was the first LGBT bookstore in South Africa. A newsletter for lesbian and gay liberationists was named "UltraViolet."The newsletter's website says "UltraViolet" was chosen because it's "the invisible fringe of the rainbow."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable "It exposes things you wouldn’t normally be able to see under normal light."

Women's suffrage movements in the early 1900s used the vibrant color in logos and banners. The National Woman's Party at the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C., has written about the significance and pervasiveness of purple in the movement.

Purple outfits were "worn by groups of women to make a visual impact and a political statement" and purple, along with white and gold, became associated with the suffragettes. One issue of the Suffragistfrom 1913 noted the significance of the color: "Purple is the color of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause."

With the #MeToo movement and the growing lists of women speaking out about sexual abuse and harassment from powerful men, it seems more than fitting that ultra violet is the color of 2018. Its scientific properties are also symbolic. As Rowland from UltraViolet explained, "It exposes things you wouldn’t normally be able to see under normal light."

Laurie Pressman from the Pantone Color Institute summed it up best, "It's truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today."

---

Featured Video For You

---

The Raindrop cake is back and it's purple

---

Topics Activism Social Good

• Tech
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Science
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Shopping

• Parental Controls: How to Lock Down Your Kids' iOS Devices
• The Obamas paid a visit to Sasha and Malia's donated swing set
• 'Spider
• How to choose a wedding website provider without losing your mind
• Shop the Google Pixel Pro 9 for $200 off at Amazon
• Kate Middleton speaks powerfully about the stigma of mental illness
• A drone raced an ambulance to deliver medical supplies and won
• There's a club night especially for people over 40 and it's a dream
• Alienware M16 Gaming Laptop deal: Save $560
• Dave Grohl and Rick Astley surprise London club with a live Rick

• Satellite views of the nor'easter will unleash your inner weather nerd
• Craigslist ends the era of random love by pulling personal ads
• What is ProtonMail, the service used by Cambridge Analytica to cover its tracks?
• 'Delete Facebook' searches hit 5
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing 'exponentially'
• Why three university students rallied to organise a London March for Our Lives
• Indeed taps Comparably, InHerSight, Fairygodboss for diversity tool
• Review: 'Sea of Thieves' works when you remember to put fun first
• The Weinstein Company still owes Malia Obama money after her internship
• Best Buy plans to stop selling Huawei phones in coming weeks

• Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
• Pictures of life
• George R.R. Martin is relieved 'Game of Thrones' finally ended on HBO
• How comments about women's 'ambition' cost an ad exec his job
• Things Intel Needs to Fix
• Why Tesla should reconsider its stance against heads
• Making calls with Siri or Google could lead to you getting scammed
• Facebook wants to hire journalists, but where does that leave News Feed?
• Barcelona Open 2025 livestream: Watch live tennis for free
• Spotify's Premium Family Plan lets parents block explicit content

• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 5: The spores are here!
• My MySpace scene kid phase broke me and I never want to be cool again
• Yes, there's a wage gap for Uber and Lyft drivers based on age, gender and race
• Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson named Forbes' highest paid actor of 2019
• Testing Windows 10 Performance Before and After the Meltdown Flaw Emergency Patch
• Pictures of life
• Android users duped into downloading adware apps 8 million times
• 'Spider
• How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
• Facebook's 'clear history' tool doesn't actually 'clear' anything