The Poppy: evolution from symbol to style

Perhaps the only accessory we can guarantee to make an appearance at this time of year (other than hideous christmas jumpers) is the Remembrance Poppy. Along with its annual return we can also expect lively debates concerning the meaning of the poppy to current generations: is it still a matter of showing our genuine support for the Poppy Appeal? Or are we, as a trend obsessed generation, too concerned with the aesthetic appeal of the poppy to appreciate its meaning?

My mum's hand-knitted poppy for this year, leaf embellishment added by her

The first official Poppy Day was held on November 11^th 1921 as a result of various manufacturing workforces being established all over the world to provide work and an income for veterans and their dependants in need. The symbology of the poppy can be retraced to the first and last stanzas of the poem Flanders Fields by Lt Col. John McCrae, read at every Remembrance Day Service in churches and schools across the Nation.

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row...”

“...We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”

I’m lucky enough to not have been directly affected by any form of war, either by my family or friends being in the British Armed Forces, but it is in wearing the poppy that we recognise and remember the troubles of the past and show our hope that our generation, and future generations, will never have to experience the same horrors that have been faced worldwide throughout the last Century. What is often questioned today is whether we, as a generation becoming ever more developed and detached from the past, buy a poppy just because it is a social convention that we have grown up with, rather than having the original cause at heart. Perhaps we now pay too much attention to the symbol and not what it symbolises.

‘Poppy politics’ dictates that TV presenters, politicians and celebrities will not be seen without a poppy from the end of October until November 12^th. The BBC actually enforces a two week period leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11^th when poppies can and should be worn by their employees, as wearing the poppy too early or too late is seen as disrespectful. What is changing, however, is the types of poppies that are available for purchase. Sharon Osbourne was sporting a gorgeous diamante poppy on last weekend’s X Factor (image below), which certainly caught my attention and appreciation of the bejewelled accessory. But is adorning the poppy with spangly jewels and gems exploiting the good cause that the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal was established to address? We seem to end up admiring the poppy for its aesthetic appeal alone, thus ignoring its true purpose. Remove the symbology and all you have is a pretty pin, and it seems as though this is what has happened over the years by introducing such fanciful poppy designs.

Kleshna Enamel Crystal Royal British Legion Brooch, £54.99

A hot topic in these debates concerns how much money is donated to the British Legion as a result of selling such elaborate brooches in comparison to the paper poppies we have grown up with. It’s intuitive to think the more pimped-up the poppy, the more expensive it is; and consequently the more expensive the poppy, the more money is donated to The British Legion. If this were so, surely it would be reason enough for everyone who supports the Poppy Appeal to abandon the traditional and migrate to the modern. Quite surprisingly, however, the percentage of the profits that these poppies bring in that actually gets donated to charity is minimal. In fact, if you buy (and lose) a paper poppy every year, your contributions to the charities in question are far greater than investing in a more permanent edition that you won’t lose within 48 hours (my personal best poppy lifetime). Perhaps the retailers should make it clear what percentage of the cost is being donated to charity when a £50 brooch is bought, which is, sadly, very little. Unfortunately, it seems as though the grandeur of the design and not the donation is now the main focus of poppy-shopping. Fashion influences all, and it is certainly clear that the current ‘statement’ jewellery trend has leaked into even more aspects of our lives than just our style!

The crux of this debate is over whether the ‘statement poppies’ we see nowadays are respectful to those who we wear the poppy to remember, as the poppy was originally intended to be. Indeed, the elaborateness of their designs could not be further from the paper pins that have been happily sold, bought and worn for almost a Century! It is not just a gust of wind or knock on the shoulder that is causing the discarding of paper poppies to the street floor anymore. They have been out-dazzled by their younger, and far more attractive, descendants, and I predict that they won’t remain in the competition at all for much longer! The persuasion and power that trend can have over the younger and vulnerable generations is epitomised in this evolution of the poppy. Perhaps those who truly have an appreciation of the meaning embodied within the poppy do have a cause to worry about the exploitation of such a sensitive matter by certain retailers. Has statement jewellery finally gone too far? It seems as though what the poppy symbolises has been, and will continue to be, lost in the shimmer and sparkle of the brooches that are very much on-trend. The poppy is not intended as a seasonal fashion accessory for us to adorn for the sake of conforming to a trend; it is a symbol of hope in memory of those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom. Lest we forget that.