The Other Side of Pride: Color, Queer Identity, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Jun 10

Jun 10 The Other Side of Pride: Color, Queer Identity, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

(Originally published on the Aura Creative blog)

Happy Pride! As a designer, I can’t go through this month without discussing how important design, especially color, is to the LGBTQ+ experience. I can’t wait to take a more rainbow perspective later in the month, but today I’d actually like to discuss another side of the spectrum – one of the best uses of color (or lack thereof) I’ve seen in years showing up in, of all places, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for those unfamiliar, is a comedy about 5 people who are certifiably the worst. Known for taking insane risks in both themes and storytelling style, it frequently makes bold progressive points by either showing its characters up for the losers they are or, on only the rarest and most judicious of occasions, letting shit get real. Over the course of the first 12 seasons, you see this in Mac (played by Rob McElhenney) who is clearly gay and riddled with self-loathing. The other characters, meanwhile, make it clear they genuinely don’t care – they hate him for who he is as a person, not for his sexual orientation. When Mac finally comes to terms with himself, it’s a beautiful moment for him and the show. It’s not just a character arc well executed but a rare representation of a character coming out around age 40 and, perhaps most importantly, a gay character who, rather than being a Sassy Sidekick™ or Inspiring Trailblazer™, just kind of sucks.

As it happens, though, coming out is only the beginning of his journey. The immediately iconic episode Mac Finds His Pride finds Mac a year out of the closet. While he’s spent the season outwardly comfortable with his new identity, he reveals that he’s not feeling very proud after being asked to dance on a float at the local pride parade. With the encouragement of Frank (Danny Devito), Mac attempts to find his pride by coming out to his father through perhaps the most exquisite choreography ever shown on TV.

Pride – the month, the event, the act, the word – implies publicity. It’s the act of showing the world how much you love yourself, and how little you care about whatever judgment it may throw at you. But no number of rainbows can make a person proud. Which is why it’s so critical that this scene is stripped of virtually all color.

I’ve been openly bisexual since I graduated from college, and coming from a liberal family and community, have been blessed with predominantly chill circle. On a conscious level, I’m very proud of my identity. But I’ve still kept my identity quiet in certain environments, pressured myself to find a husband, and frequently ignored bi erasure from people I love. As somebody typically perceived as straight and who has to come out constantly (sometimes multiple times to the same people), I’m also required to be vocal if I want to be recognized. As someone who doesn’t love to discuss her personal life, my inclination is often to keep my mouth shut. And so I’ve learned, like Mac, that you can’t take personal pride for granted.

Being proud for other people is comparatively pretty easy. It’s colorful, fun and often thrilling. And rainbows are great for that. That’s why it’s so significant that Mac can’t deal with the parade until he can contend with himself. When the party is over and the rainbow Listerine sells out, you’re still you. And for better or worse, inner pride is colorblind. In contrast with the bright colors of the rest of the episode, this scene represents an intensely personal experience that’s raw, vulnerable, and desaturated. The imagery is extremely primal, predominantly displayed in skin tones, black, and off-white. It’s not naked, technically, but it’s not not naked. Even when the light comes in at the end, there’s nothing prismatic about it.

While no two LGBTQ+ journeys are the same, I love this scene because it represents a common thread for so many of us. We can’t all be rainbow all the time – not all of us are into being super loud, or proud for other people’s sake. But we do all have to be ourselves all the time. This depiction of the other side of pride made me conscious of a part of my identity I didn’t even know I had, and I can’t praise the Always Sunny team enough for how artfully they pulled it off (remarkably, as far as we know, McElhenney is straight, though in fairness many members of his family are not).

One of the first lessons I learned as a designer – which I still follow to this day – was to work in black and white before building color on top. Color brings a design to life, but it can also mask flaws in the foundation. If your design works in black and white, it will only get better with color. Pride, too, is not a color but a canvas. We can’t be proud for other people until we’re proud for ourselves.

Photography Credit: Patrick McElhenney/FXX.