I always knew these codes existed but to be honest I never really bothered finding out about them in any detail, not being ‘on the scene’ in any real sense. However, I stumbled upon an article the other day and that got me interested. (You know how it is when you’re supposed to be working, but somehow porn always seems to be more interesting)
You can read the full article for yourself by following the link below if you wish but (butt?) for those of us who always seem to be time-poor then here a quick simplified summary.
What is it – the Hanky Code is simply the wearing of various coloured handkerchiefs in the pocket or tucked into the belt to discreetly indicate sexual preferences, fetishes, top or bottom, etc. Each colour represents as certain type of sexual preference and whether it is worn on the left or right side of the body also conveys an additional meaning i.e. top or bottom, master or slave.
Origins – this seems to be lost in the mists of time and disputed by many. It is thought by many to have originated in San Francisco (where else!) in the mid to late nineteenth century after the Gold Rush, when because of the shortage of women, men dancing with each other after a gruelling day in the mines or railroad construction, developed a code to indicate who would take the male dance part and who would take the female role. It doesn’t take much imagination to see where this would lead.
Modern usage – claims as to when the more modern usage of the code vary and are disputed but a leading theory is that a San Francisco department store specialising in erotic merchandise called the ‘Trading Post’ started promoting coloured hanky alongside printed cards with their meaning, and added to the colour codes available. One of the earliest listings of the codes available is in ‘Bob Damron’s Address Book’ from 1980. Starting in 1964 this businessman self-published a book detailing all the gay bars he knew from constant travelling around the States. The 1980 edition of the book lists the codes then prevalent as below
Today – as you might expect the codes available today have been greatly extended with many more options and subtleties available, with overall colours schemes for anal, water sports, etc but then with ever expanding subcategories within each. (to the point where it really is impossible to be sure – can you really be expected to spot the subtle differences in shade between the ‘mauve – has a navel fetish’ and the ‘magenta – armpit freak’ – could lead to some embarrassing misunderstandings!)
So where does that leave me? Well I guess this would be a good start –
Have a great day,
Alessia xxx
To read the full article see here - Bob Damron's Address Book
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