Scarecrow Saga: One Woman's Struggle with Racialized Decorating
Elaine Dees recently found herself at Home Depot buying spray paint to give her old scarecrow a new look. As she stood in front of hundreds of cans, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the pressure to choose the 'right' color for her yardman figure.
According to Dees, if she painted the scarecrow black, it would be seen as racist by those who pass by; if Hispanic brown, that too would be considered racist. Even choosing a white paint job was met with criticism, with some suggesting he should be a beekeeper instead of a farmer.
Dees' repressed anxiety about race colors finally boiled over, causing her to question whether she was being racist herself just by choosing a particular color for the scarecrow's face. In the end, she decided to cover the head with a flowerpot, saying 'we all need flowerpots these days.'