10.16.25 // Color in the Outdoors

Reframing My Relationship With Color in the Outdoors
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I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with color. In my home and daily life, I’m surrounded by it. I love color in all its forms- shapes, textures, tones that make spaces feel alive.
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But something changes when I step outside. Somewhere between lacing up my shoes and packing my ski bag, my palette narrows. I reach for neutrals, technical blacks, gear that blends in instead of standing out, and that choice says more than I realized.
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The outdoors feels like its own unspoken dress code, grit, function, and minimalism. I respect that. But woven into it is an old story about what looks credible. Neutral reads as “serious.” Bright colors, especially those coded as feminine (pinks, purples, pastels), still get read as frivolous. Somewhere along the way, I swallowed that narrative.
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There’s a quiet script in my head when I imagine wearing something feminine on a trail run or in the backcountry. It says that if you wear pink, you’d better be fast and strong. You’d better make it look effortless, or risk being seen as “trying too hard.” Those colors turn you into a target, or worse, a stereotype.
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I’ve watched women I admire (@rachel.pohl, @helenemoo, and others) bring color into the mountains like confetti, reminding me that joy can be a statement. Their confidence makes me question why self-expression feels safe in my living room but risky on a ridge.
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Maybe it’s because the outdoors has long been defined by masculine energy... stoic, stripped of ornament. Perhaps part of me learned that to be taken seriously, I had to blend in, to prove I wasn’t just there for the photo or the vibe. But I don’t want to carry that forward.
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I want to wear color that reflects how I feel, not how I want to be perceived. I want to show up in something that lights me up, even if it doesn’t match the landscape. Joy and playfulness aren’t at odds with being capable- they’re part of it.
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Maybe the new definition of “serious” isn’t about looking the part at all. Perhaps it’s about showing up as yourself- bright, soft, curious, colorful.