Faces + Spaces: Maddie Kelly

This story originally appeared in our March 2017 Expressions Issue

Photos by Mari Uchida

Versatility may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the color pink, but it is for Maddie Kelly. As a child growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Maddie begged her parents for a bike in her favorite shade of pink. They never bought it for her, assuming she would outgrow the color before the bike itself. But over a decade later, she has yet to outgrow her affinity for any shade between Berried Treasures and Pink-a-Boo Essie nail lacquer.

When I met up with Maddie at her Evanston Place apartment and she led me into her room, I was struck with a feeling that I could only describe as “pink with envy.” As I pulled out the chair from her desk, I almost felt as if I were moving a prop on a photoshoot set, in one of those perfectly staged rooms that surely cannot be lived in. I took note to cross out the “what’s your favorite color” prompt in my notebook. I started to reconsider my subconscious rejection of the color somewhere between the first and last High School Musical movies. The color that once seemed somewhat juvenile now looked undeniably tasteful and polished, paired with the stark white of her walls, desk and comforter with multicolored tassels.

As an RTVF major, Maddie knows every color has an emotional significance in film. Her love for dramas, comedies, and romantic comedies remains consistent with her signature color—pink is the color of love, happiness, romance and charm. But pink can also be a color of power. “I think especially in the context of our ‘Nasty Woman’ generation that we’re in today, there’s a lot of room for strong female characters,” Maddie said.

Maddie admitted that her room was not quite complete yet. Sitting in her hallway was a large box filled with years of timestamps, waiting to be pinned to a memory board. A cherished series of Polaroids that would soon hang on her wall, again, made me think pink. In this case, the color nods to the days when she laced her blush pointe shoes up, three hours a day, six days a week. It reminds Maddie of the discipline and rigor that defined her years as a seasoned ballerina. While ballet was Maddie’s main focus for much of her life, today she devotes herself to the people around her, especially as a Peer Advisor, a position in which she helps new students acclimate to college life.

This brings me to the shining feature of Maddie’s room: the word “happy” written in gold script lettering above her bed. Happiness is a defining tenet that she lives her life by, and this delicate decorative feature is a bold reminder to start every day with her signature optimism. Ultimately, Maddie’s room—with each of its intricate features—is the greatest reflection of herself. And while Maddie has yet to get that pink bike she has always dreamed of, her pretty-in-pink state of mind has gotten her farther than any bike ever could.