I love the bright colors in this photo--the seeming randomness of pinks and yellows and the uneven crinkly petals.
My friend SarahK and I were chatting last night about how you can tell whether someone is liberal or conservative simply through their taste and the orderliness (or not) of their homes. Turns out that there's even some scientific backing for those ideas (hat tip to John for the link).
I'm guessing that my house--with its purple overstuffed chairs, scented candles, bright-colored persian rugs, three cats, funky music, arty photos, and BOOKS--says much about my proclivities (and we won't even mention the amazing spider web in the kitchen nook that I am loathe to destroy). So much so that visitors here probably don't even need to ask which way I vote. :)
What does your house say about you? Is there something about your house that you'd like to change so it could better reflect your values and personality?
11/11/2008
what your home says...
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12 comments:
My house (and clothing choices) both scream GOP (think Steff from Pretty in Pink), but my politics are much closer to Iona style
Oh man, I'm a total neat freak and I live in a typical suburban tract home, but I'm more liberal than Hilary. I agree with Kate about my GOP clothing choices as well. If I had a pair of glasses, I'd look just like Sarah Palin. I do wish I could be messier and more boho...but I can't. Whine...
I am afraid that my house hints at a McCain affinity, but if people look a little more closely at the bookshelves, I think the entire Armistead Maupin "Tales" series, lots of Anne Rice and a few of my DVD titles would tell them otherwise.
Or maybe the fact that the beds are NEVER made (why bother, you'll just unmake them again that night), the dust animals are larger than bunny size at times, and I usually clean the bathroom sink and tub when the mold becomes visible.
Or the fact that the Halloween decorations are still up...
My house says the girl is just busy. I have gobs of books, music and there is always cooking in the kitchen, but I think I am more conservative. I'm tiddy enough; insisting even the living room is picked up before I go to bed. On the other hand, I tell people they can write their name in the dust, but please, just don't date it.
We are definitely all about neatness and order around here, but we do both tend to be more liberal in our voting. Our clothes are definitely more conservative than liberal too.
I think the main thing our house says about us -- and you've been here, so you know how true this is -- is that we have many interests besides cleaning. :)
I would like to have a cleaner house just for hygiene's sake and the comfort of our guests (especially those with allergies and diminished immune systems), but I don't care what other people think of us, so I wouldn't change a thing just for the sake of making a different impression. Would you?
Sara:
I wouldn't change a thing about your house! I especially love that it has such a yummy couch for afternoon naps (oh, and your kitchen that produces french toast and scones, etc).
One thing I'd like to change about my home is that I'd like to paint the walls (for example, my LR would be gorgeous if painted a taupe-y color and I love a pale sky blue in my bedroom and a deeper blue for the bath). I painted a bit in our last place and loved how it added warmth and character. But I am just too preoccupied to actually get the painting done here (what does that say about me???)
My house screams LIBERAL!!! Not that it's dirty (we are clean freaks), but because there music of all kinds, books of all kinds, folk art, which includes santos from New Mexico, Baule colon figures from Africa, Pueblo pottery, several Macs, interesting textiles, two cats, etc., etc. And though we are clean freaks, we're not afraid of mess or clutter which just means business or a variety of interests or something else is getting attention.
The condition my house is in and the portion of it that people generally see publicly is not necessarily the way my house really is on a regular basis.
Perhaps this says something in and of itself.
I love the article. I loved the conclusions they made from the study, and then the guy that basically refuted everything citing confirmation bias, that was awesome. That's how Derek and I argue.
At the same time, I suffer from large doses of guilt and inadequacy as a result of my crappy homemaking skills, and it's not all because of my Utah Mormon upbringing, or my impeccably tidy, staunchly conservative MIL. I'm nicer when the house is clean. I think better, perform better, get more done, when I'm not paralyzed by mountains of junk.
I kind of think the stuff you have is more telling of your personality than the way you keep it.
HA! that explains it! our house is a bit of a void and now I know it is because we have a conservative and a liberal both of whom are a bit non-confrontational.... and so much of the house is a blank.
(now... how to solve that...?)
That article, though super interesting, was concerning me because I'm a highly functioning neat freak but very liberal. I can let a little clutter slide but I need to pick up and/or clean about 1.5 times a week. I've been better since my man friend moved in but it's a tough adjustment- even though it's been two years.
But we have many, many books (even if half are history books), photography and lush colors. If I could change anything, like Jana, I would paint. But the ceilings are so high and we're renting so it would be so much money and time for a place that I hope we only have for about another year or so.
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