Achillean Pride Flag (2016 Redesign)

Overview

To simplify the original achillean flag design by pridenpositivity, making the carnation emblem easier to reproduce and scale across different media.

The original achillean flag was created by Tumblr user pridenpositivity on June 23, 2016, featuring blue stripes and a green carnation. A simplified version of the carnation was first posted on September 29, 2016 via the ask-pride-color-schemes Tumblr blog, addressing the difficulty of reproducing the detailed botanical illustration at small scales.

On October 5, 2016, the same group posted the refined version on the Pride-Flags DeviantArt account, credited to Mod Face, Mod Hermy, and an anonymous contributor. The DeviantArt post became the version in widest circulation, but the September 29 Tumblr post is the earliest documented public appearance of the simplified design. This entry covers both posting events as a single redesign effort by overlapping contributors. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

Achillean people, meaning men and male-aligned individuals who are attracted to other men or male-aligned people, including gay, bisexual, pansexual, and other orientations that include male-to-male attraction

Subcommunity

achillean / MLM umbrella

Creators

The Creators

Attribution notes

The redesign was posted on October 5, 2016, by the Pride-Flags DeviantArt account. It was a collaborative effort between Mod Face (of ask-pride-color-schemes on Tumblr), Mod Hermy, and an anonymous user. It simplifies the carnation from the original achillean flag by pridenpositivity.

Origin

Digital Origin

true

Digital origin; no verified physical location.

Posted on the Pride-Flags DeviantArt account on October 5, 2016, in collaboration with Mod Face of ask-pride-color-schemes on Tumblr.

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2016

Exact date

October 5, 2016

First public use

September 29, 2016

Period in Use

2016-present

The redesign quickly overtook the original in circulation and is now the version most commonly seen on identity wikis, pride flag databases, social media, and retail products. It is widely recognized as the standard achillean flag.

Major revisions

1. 2016-09-29

   First posted via the ask-pride-color-schemes Tumblr blog with the simplified carnation. The blog post explicitly noted the difficulty of simplifying the original detailed botanical illustration. Same Mod Hermy / Mod Face / Pride-Flags collaborative ecosystem.

The term 'achillean' references Achilles from Greek mythology, whose relationship with Patroclus is often interpreted as romantic or sexual. The green carnation references Oscar Wilde and Victorian-era gay culture, in which men would wear green carnations on their lapels as a discreet signal of same-sex attraction.

Lineage

Evolved from

Achillean Flag

Related flags

Achillean Blue Rose Flag (CatColors, 2020), Gay Men's Pride Flag (Seven-Stripe), Gay Men's Pride Flag (Five-Stripe)

This is a direct simplification of the original achillean flag by pridenpositivity (2016). The color scheme and symbolism are retained; only the carnation emblem was redrawn in a cleaner style.

Lineage tree

Every record reachable from this one through documented parent and child relationships: 2 records across 2 generations.

Ancestor

Achillean Flag

This record

Achillean Pride Flag (2016 Redesign)

Colors & Symbolism

The flag represents achillean identity (men and male-aligned people attracted to men). The blue stripes represent joy and masculinity, and the green carnation references the Victorian tradition of men wearing green carnations as a discreet signal of same-sex attraction, popularized by Oscar Wilde.

Green carnation

References the Victorian tradition of men wearing green carnations on their lapels as a discreet signal of same-sex attraction. The practice was popularized by Oscar Wilde. In ancient Rome and 19th-century England, green indicated gay affiliations.

The original creator pridenpositivity described blue as representing joy and the carnation as referencing Victorian men's lapel tradition popularized by Oscar Wilde. The redesign retains these meanings.

The stripe hex values (#9AC6EB and #FAFDEA) originate from the original pridenpositivity design and are retained in the redesign. The carnation's exact green values may differ between the original and simplified versions. Sampled values may vary across reproductions.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:2

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

3

Layout

horizontal stripes with center symbol

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

light blue, green-tinted near-white, light blue

Center Symbol

simplified green carnation

Three horizontal stripes with a simplified green carnation centered on the middle stripe.

The carnation in this version is a cleaner, simplified vector illustration compared to the original pridenpositivity design.

Three horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: light blue, green-tinted near-white, and light blue. A simplified green carnation emblem is centered on the middle stripe. This is not a stripes-only design.

Usage & Adoption

First Users

Online achillean and MLM communities

Online Usage

DeviantArt, Tumblr, LGBTQIA+ identity wikis, Pride flag databases

Current Status

active

Now the most widely circulated achillean flag. Appears on identity wikis, social media, and retail pride products. Has largely superseded the original pridenpositivity version in common usage.

Image Archive

Higher-resolution variant

Discourse & Debates

• The term 'achillean' itself is sometimes debated. Some prefer 'vincian' or 'MLM' as alternative umbrella terms for men attracted to men. The achillean label is broader than 'gay' and includes bisexual, pansexual, and other men who experience attraction to men.

Common misidentifications

• Sometimes confused with the original pridenpositivity version, which uses a more detailed carnation illustration.
• Occasionally confused with the Pacack 2019 alternate achillean flag, which uses a darker blue and green stripe scheme.

Common confusions

• The terms achillean, vincian, and MLM overlap but are not identical. Achillean is the broadest, encompassing all men and male-aligned people attracted to men.

Achillean references the Greek mythological figure Achilles, whose relationship with Patroclus is widely interpreted as romantic. The term serves as a male counterpart to 'sapphic.' It is not synonymous with 'gay,' as it includes bisexual, pansexual, and other orientations.

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

Pride-Flags redesign 2016

• Higher-resolution version of the Pride-Flags 2016 redesign of the Achillean Flag. Designed collaboratively by Mod Face, Mod Hermy, and an anonymous user via the Pride-Flags DeviantArt account on October 5, 2016. The detailed botanical carnation from the original pridenpositivity design was simplified into a cleaner stylized form to make the flag easier to reproduce. This is now the most widely circulated achillean flag. · Credit: Pride-Flags / Mod Face / Mod Hermy · DeviantArt 2016 redesign