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what is the correct term for this colour?

(84 Posts)
kjmpde Tue 25-Jan-22 18:55:48

as a child growing up , the pale pink/beige colour was called Flesh coloured. In our multi cultural society, I think this is no longer an appropriate term so how would you describe it ?

Grandma2213 Wed 26-Jan-22 00:59:51

poshpaws I worked in Littlewoods and they sold American Tan stockings. I always preferred 'Mocha' which was darker and more flattering (I thought!). It was years later that I found out Mocha was a kind of coffee. I've still never tasted it!

Marydoll Wed 26-Jan-22 01:11:45

I worked as a Saturday girl in the haberdashery department of the local Co-Op department store, which stocked every colour and brand of tights available at the time.
Force those of us forced to wear flesh coloured tights as part of our school uniform, the weekend choice was American Cream Soda, which I think were made by Berkshire.
They made my Scottish pale skinned legs, look even paler. I thought I looked so trendy wearing them with my mini skirt!

FannyCornforth Wed 26-Jan-22 03:35:22

I’d never call anything flesh coloured. Sounds revolting
Now, ^American cream soda^… now you’re talking
And I can imagine those mini skirt tights perfectly! Did you wear them with patent leather Mary Jane shoes with a block heel?

absent Wed 26-Jan-22 05:02:12

I just remember reading a book about the Caribbean immigration to the UK in the 1950s rather a long time. I cannot remember the title and not a lot about the book, but I do remember the account of disappointment about white people by someone who was a child at the time. She was shaken that white people were not, in fact, white but "pinko-grey".

Ali08 Wed 26-Jan-22 05:05:41

Grammaretto

I can remember American tan lemsip it was like an artificial suntan. Does anyone remember using clear nail varnish to stop ladders?

I remember doing that with clear nail varnish. And some of my friends had some special 'matches' to stop their ladders.
As for our skin colours, I think far too much is made of it.
I'm human, just like everyone else!

janeainsworth Wed 26-Jan-22 08:13:45

Am I the only one who still sometimes wears approximately-the-same-colour-as-my-legs-coloured tights and still sometimes stops ladders with nail varnish? ?

M0nica Wed 26-Jan-22 08:36:47

janeainsworth, I do in summer, I suffer from my feet getting very cold all year roundand it is associated with the Raynauds Syndrome that affects my hands. Occasionally in winter.

Grammaretto Wed 26-Jan-22 08:51:42

janeainsworth smile
The tights or leggings I now wear are too thick to ladder!
I go back to pre-tights. I used to borrow mum's stockings held up by a suspender belt. If I happened to need a sanitary belt at the same time life was very complicated.
Some things have improved!

Elegran Wed 26-Jan-22 08:55:22

M0nica

Flesh is blood red anyway, so the word was always a misnomer for the colour. I have always called it 'underwear pink' because in my youth corsets were always that colour.

My mother always called it "corset pink".

I have seen large ladies in clothes that colour who look as though they have just stepped out of the shower and forgotten to grab a towel.

love0c Wed 26-Jan-22 09:06:40

I remember 'flesh' coloured tights. Teale? To me it is turquoise! ha ha

Serendipity22 Wed 26-Jan-22 09:15:29

I have always described it as flesh colour.....
smile

janeainsworth Wed 26-Jan-22 09:21:40

Grammaretto I used to borrow mum's stockings held up by a suspender belt. If I happened to need a sanitary belt at the same time life was very complicated

Oh yes gringrin

PinkCosmos Wed 26-Jan-22 09:25:39

We moved into a house that was painted 'flesh' colour in every room - including the ceiling and doors.

I called it artificial limb pink - very un-pc I know. I couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

This was a long time ago and I appreciate that artificial limbs now come in many colours and patterns grin. No offense was intended.

Baggs Wed 26-Jan-22 09:30:12

peely wally

AmberSpyglass Wed 26-Jan-22 10:08:56

Elegran Do slimmer women not also look like they’ve just got out of the shower? Trying to work out why fat bodies would be different…

FannyCornforth Wed 26-Jan-22 10:20:43

Baggs

peely wally

I had absolutely no idea what this meant. I’m determined to use it often now.
And ‘wabbit’, not a clue

Chestnut Wed 26-Jan-22 10:24:26

Well Dulux seem to have a selection of names.

I'd say Crumpled Linen 3 is the name we're looking for, unless you've had two weeks in Benidorm, then you might be Crumpled Linen 1. ?

Elegran Wed 26-Jan-22 10:42:47

AmberSpyglass somehow, there seem to be more large ladies in flesh-colour pale pink/beige clothe than there are slim ones.

It could be because the clothes shops stock far more skinny clothes than they do the larger sizes (in spite of the average size for a woman in the UK being a 16, so there should be as many size 18, 20, 22, and 24 on the rails as there are 14, 12, 10 and 8) so they don't have a lot of choice.

Perhaps if they had more racks of things in larger sizes and fashionable styles and attractive colours, the more generously built of us would spend more on clothes, thus increasing their turnover.

Elegran Wed 26-Jan-22 10:45:24

FannyCornforth Wabbit is almost interchangeable with peely wally. it is how you look and feel when you are no' weel, exhausted or knackerood.

FannyCornforth Wed 26-Jan-22 10:50:17

Elegran thank you. Like you I cannot get my head around the size stuff either.
M&S in particular is terrible for it. So many things sold out in sizes 18 and above

Marydoll Wed 26-Jan-22 10:55:16

What about feeling scunnered, which is what you usually feel like when you are wabbit and peely wally?
Exactly describes my mood today.?

25Avalon Wed 26-Jan-22 11:08:03

If you think about it flesh colour could be any colour human skin. However the word flesh was used for white consumers originally but I never thought my skin looked that pinky colour anyway. I bet a flesh eating shark isn’t worried what colour the flesh is!

FannyCornforth Wed 26-Jan-22 11:44:07

Mary, I think that had you asked me what scunnered meant (only found out today!) I would have said ‘drunk’!

FannyCornforth Wed 26-Jan-22 11:44:40

Not that I’m suggesting anything!
Oh dear…blush

Marydoll Wed 26-Jan-22 11:47:43

FannyCornforth

*Mary*, I think that had you asked me what scunnered meant (only found out today!) I would have said ‘drunk’!

If only Fanny, if only! ?
My mother's two most used words werewabbit and scunnered. She was not a happy woman.?