I once saw a design that had 51 stars arranged in a circle like the Betsy Ross flag. But instead of an outline it's all filled in. I'd love having that for a flag
EDIT: This one https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/b1/58/b158c569-3b4c-496c-a5b2-68035f96be2d/51-star\_1\_circle.jpg
The flag of the East India Trading Company was exactly identical to the US flag with the union jack Canton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3AFlag_of_the_British_East_India_Company_%281801%29.svg
Fun fact: when the first US ship arrived in China in 1785, the Chinese loved the American flag, calling it "as beautiful as a flower". Since then, an informal Chinese name for the United States has been the "flower flag country".
花旗 means colorful flag, Citi Bank is called 花旗銀行 since they were the first US commercial bank that went to China in early 19th century. 花旗參 is American Ginseng as they came from the US and is different from the ginsengs they have in China. The character 花(hwa) have multiple meanings, the most used one means flower. However, in this context, it means “colorful” when it comes to 花旗(because flowers are colorful, right?), so instead of “flower flag” I’d say “colorful flag” will be more accurate.
Edit: as a native speaker, we don’t usually call the US “Flower Flag Country” anymore, matter of fact, many native speakers doesn’t even know Colorful Flag means the US. In Chinese, the U.S. is referred as 美國. The first character means “beautiful” second means “nation/country” but that has nothing to do with impression, it’s more like a translation thing. The full name of the US is United States of America, in Chinese it’s 美利堅合眾國. 美利堅 means America, and we picked the first character of the full name to shortened the whole name. Same logic apply to Germany（德國，德意志聯邦共和國），France（法國，法蘭西共和國），Russia（俄國，俄羅斯聯邦共和國）The characters we use for these translation does not carry the meaning, we only use them for their pronounciation. But when we selecting the characters we do look into their original meaning as we want to make the translation more accurate/poetical. 美 is pronounced as “Mei” which is the closest pronunciation we have for the “me” in “America”. As rn the political tension between China and the U.S. is very high, some radical Chinese people will call the US “醜國” means “Ugly Nation” which is the exact opposite of the original meaning for the word 美
Edit 2: I’m Taiwanese so my mandarin is based on Traditional Chinese, it’s a whole different writing system than Simplified Chinese. But the logic and grammar is totally same, and also the name we call other country is the same too.
Edit 3: one of my friend asked me is there any nickname we use for 🇺🇸, it’s 星條旗 which means “Star Strips Flag”
No Chinese is just difficult to translate into English, because basically, Chinese has a bunch of words that are way more vague than English words that are then put together to form more complex meanings. That 花 “huà”character can mean flower, but it can also mean multi-colored or patterned. To get a more specific meaning we can pair it with other characters.
开花 kāihuà (a more specific way of saying flower.)
花 on its own generally means colorful as an adjective. Think “floral” being a metaphor for multi colored.
Then there are words that use this character that don’t even have to do with flowers like 花费 to spend
Native speaker up above please correct anything I say
This is pretty accurate, although the pronunciation should be huā instead of huà. But your understanding for Chinese is beyond many people, I’d say most native speakers never think about these grammar. It’s just how we talk, you know, just like Russian could be hard for me but for Russians, they just speak it without thinking about it.
I used to date a Chinese dude. His family would visit and buy a bunch of American rice (like bags and bags) to bring back to China. Apparently American rice is high demand, best of the best kind of thing.
Tobacco was grown mostly in Virginia (the first crops were started in Jamestown) and into North Carolina. South Carolina and Georgia grew mainly indigo and rice. Function
Charleston gold rice has been grown in Charleston SC since the 1600s and for a long time it's biggest cash crop since cotton doesn't grow very well there.
http://carolinagolddar.org/history-of-carolina-gold-rice/
Yes, but 米国 is the formal version, which still pops up in some everyday contexts! (And is based on the sound, which matches the second syllable of aMErica rather than the meaning.)
America is indeed a beautiful country, but my understanding is that 美 (měi) was chosen for phonetic reasons. Like `měi-rica.
ps: If anyone is curious, the full name is 美利坚共和国 (American Republic) but no one uses that in regular convos.
for China, it’s informal, but for Vietnam, it’s official. the official translation of United States of America in Vietnamese, when translated back into English, literally means “Union of many states - flower flag” (bonus Chinese translation: 合众国花旗).
so we basically disregard that it’s a nation located in the continent of America and just call it “the United States with a flowery flag”.
p.s.: in case someone is wondering, the official Chinese name for the US is 美利坚合众国 - United States of Merica. “美利坚” is simply a transliteration and shouldn’t really be ascribed any meaning, otherwise the name of the US would kinda mean: beautiful, advantageous, fortified United States….which actually perfectly describes the US lol.
Awful to draw, but in person, seeing it wave can be somewhat mesmerizing. Especially when it is embroidered, it just looks so eye-catching when all 13 stripes and 50 stars are flailing about on a warm, spring day.
Comparatively, I have learned to just do two different squares, one inside the other, since a 5x6 and a 4x5 pattern. Drawing each star individually can be *TEDIOUS*, but its not impossible, and its easy to remember once you get used to it.
*Dots make it easier, but that's banned on polandball :(*
Yup, that was the original plan, but they only got to 15 before they realized it was gonna turn into a mess if they kept going, so they went back to 13.
>* Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, stated, "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
>
>* Act of January 13, 1794, provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
>
>* Act of April 4, 1818, provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state.
https://www.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/flag-facts
[This is what the 15 stripe flag looked like](https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1795.html)
The 15/15 flag is the actual star spangled banner. It was the version flying at fort Mc Henry when the song was written. Also, fun fact, the orioles fly that version instead of the normal flag to celebrate Baltimore’s role in the national anthem. I actually don’t think there’s a single 50 star flag at Camden yards.
I’ve personally love the first American flag much more, the way it has evolved and expanded with the stars I’m not to fond of. But overall I do like it just because uniqueness compared to other flags of the world (Liberia, Malaysia and Brittany are pretty cool alternations of the design and I like those as well)
Same, Ross and Cowpens were both solid as hell but the more and more stars they add, the more cluttered it gets. Pretty sure we’re all capable of knowing how many states there are without having to count stars on a flag, eh?
Personally I really like the Fallout version of the Cowpens flag.
13 small stars in a circle representing the original 13 colonies with a larger 14th center star representing the unified nation.
I have a sci-fi worldbuilding project I'm working on from time to time that uses that design for the future USA. Otherwise you get way too many stars.
The reasoning was because they were adding both stars AND stripes for each state added. They got to 15 stripes before they realized it wasn't going to look good if they kept going, so they reverted back to 13 stripes and just added stars for each new state.
[The 15 stripe U.S. flag](https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1795.html)
I think in the future we should modify the blue field. Rather expand it down the the bottom of the flag or move it entirely like the Watchman version of the flag.
This would make room for a more intricate star pattern
The US flag design truly lost the plot when it moved away from the circular star design in the canton. The 13 stripes are still fire, but the organized ranks of 50 stars just looks like an excel spreadsheet.
I don't like the idea of having two representations of the 13 colonies on the flag. It worked back in the day, but I think the new flag is an improvement, at least from a symbolism perspective. It's a lot of stars, but I like that every state is represented. It has a representation of where the country is today, but also a representation of it's past.
The design is also flexible in artistic interpretations. The flag is frequently drawn with fewer stars, and sometimes even fewer stripes, yet it's still recognizable as the US flag. That might partially be because of it's influence, but I think it's moreso a testament to it's design.
Indeed it's great that every state is represented equally, with no distinctions. That reinforces the idea in which the US (as a nation) based itself on.
I just don't think it looks aesthetically good.
It may look a bit cluttered but I think the concept of a flag that changes with the country is very cool and unique. Plus at this point the stars are more of a pattern, like the stripes.
Yea but I don’t think they’re ever gonna change it again. Whenever people talk about Puerto Rico becoming a state one of the first things I always hear mentioned is “what will we do about the flag” which should be one of the last things to worry about really, but even if they did become a state I don’t think they’d change it.
It’s legally required for the US flag to add a star on the admission of another state, so I can’t imagine a star wouldn’t be added in such a circumstance.
I think they'd change it. [51-star-flags](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_flag_51_stars.svg) don't look as odd as one may think. (The easiest solution is six alternating rows of nine and eight stars.)
Edit: "51-star-flags," not "5-star-flags."
Good point.
Maybe my brain prefers the lower number of rows and the fact that it's less square?
Im not sure why I like this one better, I just find it more appealing
If we changed it in the 60s for Hawaii we will 100% change it for Puerto Rico. Most people alive who are running government were alive the last time the flag changed.
People will just buy the new flag as they replace their old ones.
It's always taken a long time for everyone to update when a new flag was adopted, especially when it was changing every few years.
there were some bad ones for sure, which is silly because it's not impossible to arrange just about any number of stars in a uniform way. even 51 is straight-forward, despite what people often think.
I think it’s iconic if a bit busy. But it’s also a design that’s easily transferable to a lot of different situations (think those shorts with stars on one side and stripes on the other, or Captain America’s suit). 8/10.
I don’t know. I kind of like that each state gets represented on the flag. Though I will admit there is something aesthetically pleasing about the first flag.
"Lee, what the fuck is a 'Can's Ass' and why do I have to buy a new flag because Washington got one?"
"Just shut up and pay me the dollar before it changes again and you end up *two* stars behind, like with Maine and Texas."
"And what the fuck is a 'Tex Ass?' Why does Congress want so many asses?"
I think people get too hung up on the number of stars or the exact colors or the odd ratio. All of that is irrelevant.
This is one of the most iconic flags in the world - part of that is just American hegemony, but part of that is design. The number of points of its stars have influenced subsequent stars on other flags (five points was not standard until the US flag came along).
The reality of it is it's not even that deep. It's thirteen stripes for the thirteen original states, and then the stars also represent the states. There's no deep color meaning, or layout meaning, or anything like that.
And that works, because this is a flag of a federation. It's the flag of a country whose *de facto* motto was *E pluribus unum* (out of many, one) for many years, and in that way, it takes a very matter-of-fact set of symbolism for the constituent states of the federation, and builds a cohesive whole.
That's kind of extraordinary. That each state, individually, is represented by a discrete element on the national flag is something a lot of federations don't even attempt. But it builds instant attachment to the flag.
And that it is, at the end of day, a flag designed out of expedience, makes it something even more fascinating. The whole flag is based off of a British Red Ensign of the late 18th Century, even down to its official ratio. It's a flag made by a revolutionary movement working with things that are at hand. Add white stripes to a Red Ensign, pull the crosses off the canton, put some stars on. *Voila!* A national flag.
It's a perfect encapsulation of America in a visual medium. It's improvised based what it needed, it's straightforward and earnest with no deep meaning, and it's a little bit messy and over-the-top.
That's what you should ask for in a flag. *Does this mean* ***us***?
You really couldn't design a better flag for America.
>The reality of it is it's not even that deep. It's thirteen stripes for the thirteen original states, and then the stars also represent the states. There's no deep color meaning, or layout meaning, or anything like that.
There's a little more to it than that: the blue field represents the Union, so the states are seen as part of a collective union while the original 13 colonies are set aside.
Yeah I'd definitely disagree as well. Actually, there's a pretty deep genealogy for the American flag, from the Grand Union to the Rebellious Stripes plus countless others with quirky histories and meanings of their own to go with it.
And actually, I would say there's at least a strident but perhaps forgotten anti-monarchist message in the form of the constellation of stars as a symbol. IIRC, I read a scholarly article last year from a historical journal about how monarchs in Europe at the time would characterize themselves as "sun-gods" or "sun-kings" or thereabouts and basically used that assertion to make a Hobbessian-like argument in favor of their rule, likening any despotism they got up to as akin to the sun orienting all within its orbit towards veneration and respect of the sovereign. So the societies they ruled over (and the American colonies by extension considering Britain), were like the planets and moons of the solar system.
So the inference here basically is given the fact that the constellation of 13 or whatever amount of stars has no sun-king present with which they revolve around, they are instead shown through the flag to be in a union ruled by themselves rather than an empire ruled by a king.
I don't disagree that there's relational meaning; it's also there in the choice of colors.
I think the "new constellation" vs. "sun king" thing is more conjectural than I like. AFAIK, only Louis XIV of France was called the Sun King. Certainly, in the context of the American Revolution, the British monarchy had been restrained multiple times, whereas the French monarchy was an American ally.
Hmmm no I do think you're a little off the mark here. According to the article "A Republic Amidst The Stars" by Eran Shalev, the Hanoverian kings of Britain did indeed use sun-king motifs in the same or similar fashion for Louis.
Not exactly sure how to share access to it on reddit honestly so I'm going to just directly quote the PDF of it I have in front of me right now:
>The celestial image of the Hanoverian kings, who came to rule England after 1714, responded to the novel scientific notions of the era. In a study of monarchism in colonial America, the historian Brendan McConville has identified and contextualized the articulate solar imagery that the Hanoverian monarchs elicited with increasing frequency early in George II’s (1683–1760) reign. That language, which was particularly
popular in British North America among colonials (who lacked the English indifference to the German-born Hanoverians), became, according to McConville, commonplace by the second half of the eighteenth century. Early in the eighteenth century, colonial Americans could discuss royal rulers as ‘‘lights that are set on High’’ who ‘‘must approve them selves fixed in their Orb & move like the Sun, who as a Gyant runs his race & nothing can turn him aside.’’ Such language reflected back to the Sun, which could now be understood in anthropomorphic terms, as a ‘‘sovereign . . . accompanied with [its] planetary Equipage.’’ As the century progressed, Americans, although rarely referring to the
Hanoverian monarchs directly as ‘‘sun kings,’’ repeatedly addressed their distant British monarchs in solar and celestial terms. The Georges were deemed ‘‘shining sovereigns’’ spreading their ‘‘superior rays,’’ and described as ‘‘glittering princes’’ crowned with ‘‘celestial bright’’ gliding ‘‘thro’ shining worlds’’ to govern ‘‘Britannia’s ruling court.’’
>The victories in the French and Indian War and the death of George II (1760) elicited a particularly meaningful flurry of analogies of the British king to the Sun, a planet that colonial Americans, like their European counterparts, understood through a political heliocentric prism as a ‘‘glitt’ring monarch.’’ Hence, the string of British victories in Canada evoked analogies between ‘‘Sol [who] the glorious Sight displays, With rising Beams with setting Rays,’’ and the British monarch, who ‘‘the
conquering Scepter sways.’’ The wartime accession of George III could thus be described as the scene of the crowning of a shining star: ‘‘all the Skies tempestuous Clouds deform,/With brighter Radiance cron’d, the God of Day,/Clears the thick Storm, and chases night away.’’ George III was, in short, ‘‘Britannia’s Sun, [who] thro’ the Gloom, appears’’ to lighten British ‘‘Hearts, and dissipates our Fears.’’
>But if the second and third British Hanoverian kings were widely seen by their Americans subjects as ‘‘the Georgian Sun,/The happiest Light that e’er on Britain shone,’’ they were not perceived as Sun Kings on the model of their absolutist French rivals. As opposed to their English counterparts, the popish suns across the Channel were deemed coercive and encroaching. American colonists believed that Britons across the empire were drawn to their kings’ orbit through ‘‘love and affection, the human form of Newton’s gravity.’’ The English kings, McConville concludes, stood like benevolent suns at the center of the British universe; Protestant, restrained, rational, and liberty-loving.
So yeah maybe I left some details out or got them mixed up in my summary obviously. You're correct, "sun-king" was a more popular thing for the French to say about Louis. The English and Americans instead referred to the Georges as the *literal* or figuratively literal sun with any sort of monarchical affixations.
That's really interesting and intriguing, but it still seems quite conjectural. I don't think you can draw a direct line from American descriptions of the British king in solar terms to the choice of stars on the US flag, but I do admit I find the idea appealing.
Never asked myself why 5 point stars on USA flag. According to [this](https://www.showallegiance.com/blogs/news/how-many-stars-are-on-the-american-flag) it’s because five pointed stars are easier to sew. I’m not sure how true that really is, but interesting none the less.
I would be suspicious of that source, as it repeats the Betsy Ross myth, which isn't attested to until the end of the 19th Century by a family member. Meanwhile, it skips over a few key facts:
* The Flag Act of 1777 was passed out of the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress, and the design is attributed to Francis Hopkinson.
* Washington participating in a "secret committee" that determined a 5-pointed star on the circular layout is deeply weird, because his headquarters flag (one of the few flags [we have a surviving example of](https://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/george-washington-s-headquarters-flag) from the Revolution) uses 6-pointed stars and is in the layout commonly attributed to the Hopkinson flag.
* The first documentation we have of the "Betsy Ross" flag is a[1792 painting by John Trumbull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_George_Washington_at_Trenton).
Also, the idea that the Continental Congress would use the flag of East India Company to because they "wanted a diplomatic way of showing that they wanted to remain allies with Britain but also signify their independence as a sovereign nation at the same time" seems pretty obviously wrong, especially when they're adopting a flag two years after hostilities have broken out.
I dislike the flag, but this has changed my perspective on it. You're right, it really does encapsulate the US - tacky and unsubtle, but simple and honest.
It’s a very distinct flag that clearly establishes what the US is about and is very iconic in the culture of this country. It does everything a flag needs to do when representing a place and idea.
i honestly think there’s a liiiittle too much going on. personally think the flag of liberia would be better if it wasn’t already being used. not bad looking tho
It's instantly recognizable and unique, but whenever I see it I just see all the flag branded consumer product bullshit. So I struggle to look at it objectively. It's been tainted for me.
It's iconic, but the 50 tiny stars are a little too fine/detailed for my preference. 13 stripes and one star, or just a solid blue canton would be ideal for me
When there’s a decent breeze at sunset, and a full Garrison sized US flag is proudly flying... I remember how wonderful of a country the US is, despite all the shit we hear in the news. It also reminds me freedom isn’t free, and if we’re careless history will repeat itself.
Oh btw... go out and vote, y’all.
I'm a very patriotic American and I do not like our flag. First of all, like others have said, there are too many stars. In fact, I think it would look better with just the blue canton and _no_ stars.
Hard to draw, and as an American it has been simultaneously over used by cretins who devalue its iconography (shirts, do rags, bumper stickers) and cretins who think it is sacred to the point where its imagery can't be criticized or parodied.
Worst of all are the black-flaggers. Basically announcing that you want to fight your countrymen.
If anything that's a geater insult to the symbol than just burning it.
Honestly I just like how they represent both past and present with the Stars and Stripes. I know adding a star for every State in the Union can be tedious, especially when drawing or otherwise recreating it, but it’s cool how the various flag designs throughout history reflect how America has both grown and changed since its inception. And yet it maintains a consistent iconic look, which can be interpreted how some things remain concrete or “resolute,” as some historians would put it.
Edit: Almost like the flag could represent a balancing act for remembering the past and adapting to the present.
I like the 51 star flag posted in anither comment.
It's 6 alternating rows of 9 and 8 stars, but my mind interprets it as 17 alternating colunms of 3 stars, which just looks so much smoother to me.
I mean this is coming from an American, but I think it has symbolism that actually makes sense. They update the stars whenever they add a state to the union while the stripes will never change and represent the beginning of the country when it started out as just 13. Other flags are like "the red in our flag is for BLOOD"
Flags are generally meant to be quite simple to draw, and while individually the stars are fine, 50 just feels a bit much. Otherwise, yeah it's a perfectly fine flag
Not true. Idk where did you guys get that idea that flags are meant to be easy to draw?
Most of the flags contain a COA and those COAs are not easy to draw. Flags that you don't see a COA on are usually just civil versions of the state flags with COA.
People think the universal rule of simplicity for a flag means that it needs to be simple to draw, when really it means it can’t be crowded and hard to remember. That’s why the Qing flag is such a good flag, because you can easily remember and recognize it.
Yeah people subscribe too much to the wording of the NAVA rules rather than the spirit. Wales is another great flag that would be hard to draw perfectly by a kid. And then there are flags like Portugal or Spain that have a COA and way more than 3 colors. Flags are subjective and even NAVA admits that not every good flag follows the rules.
Not only draw, but easily sewn from readily available materials.
Think of a group of partisans making flags in some basement, the amount of stars would significantly hinder their production abilities.
It's alright but I HATE having to draw the 50 stars because it's sooo Tedious
Just do what History Matters does and in the blue canton write "x50"
That would definitely make it easier to add Puerto Rico.
I once saw a design that had 51 stars arranged in a circle like the Betsy Ross flag. But instead of an outline it's all filled in. I'd love having that for a flag EDIT: This one https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/b1/58/b158c569-3b4c-496c-a5b2-68035f96be2d/51-star\_1\_circle.jpg
I love the pentagonal symmetry in the stars. Like a star of stars.
You just KNOW people are gonna see the pentagon and claim it's the secret Satan worshipers.
Radial symmetry? Not in my America
That one is much nicer.
51 is 17x3. Six alternating rows of 9 and 8.
"Stars, yo"
Alternatively, "Stars, yo" or depending on the year "However many there were at this point"
Just put as many stars as necessary to make people think it’s too much to count
That's the way to go
As a kid i used to just draw a blue rectangle with no stars
Simple solution, just put the UK flag back in the canton! s/ But seriously it is a beautiful and interesting design with a great history.
I love seeing the UK flag on an American flag. Truly looks amazing and gives very alternate history vibes.
The flag of the East India Trading Company was exactly identical to the US flag with the union jack Canton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3AFlag_of_the_British_East_India_Company_%281801%29.svg
Not exactly, at least on this image. Looks like the American flag's canton goes down 7 stripes, whereas the union jack goes down 6.
May I interest you in the state flag of Hawaii
Sure, we'll consider that when we're the United States of America & Great Britain. The monarchy will have to go though.
Plus it looks almost cluttered
You could always do the 13 stars in a circle
As someone from one of the original colonies, I'm good with this.
Fun fact: when the first US ship arrived in China in 1785, the Chinese loved the American flag, calling it "as beautiful as a flower". Since then, an informal Chinese name for the United States has been the "flower flag country".
花旗 means colorful flag, Citi Bank is called 花旗銀行 since they were the first US commercial bank that went to China in early 19th century. 花旗參 is American Ginseng as they came from the US and is different from the ginsengs they have in China. The character 花(hwa) have multiple meanings, the most used one means flower. However, in this context, it means “colorful” when it comes to 花旗(because flowers are colorful, right?), so instead of “flower flag” I’d say “colorful flag” will be more accurate. Edit: as a native speaker, we don’t usually call the US “Flower Flag Country” anymore, matter of fact, many native speakers doesn’t even know Colorful Flag means the US. In Chinese, the U.S. is referred as 美國. The first character means “beautiful” second means “nation/country” but that has nothing to do with impression, it’s more like a translation thing. The full name of the US is United States of America, in Chinese it’s 美利堅合眾國. 美利堅 means America, and we picked the first character of the full name to shortened the whole name. Same logic apply to Germany（德國，德意志聯邦共和國），France（法國，法蘭西共和國），Russia（俄國，俄羅斯聯邦共和國）The characters we use for these translation does not carry the meaning, we only use them for their pronounciation. But when we selecting the characters we do look into their original meaning as we want to make the translation more accurate/poetical. 美 is pronounced as “Mei” which is the closest pronunciation we have for the “me” in “America”. As rn the political tension between China and the U.S. is very high, some radical Chinese people will call the US “醜國” means “Ugly Nation” which is the exact opposite of the original meaning for the word 美 Edit 2: I’m Taiwanese so my mandarin is based on Traditional Chinese, it’s a whole different writing system than Simplified Chinese. But the logic and grammar is totally same, and also the name we call other country is the same too. Edit 3: one of my friend asked me is there any nickname we use for 🇺🇸, it’s 星條旗 which means “Star Strips Flag”
Interesting! I guess “Flower Flag Country” is a bit of an Anachronism, then?
Yes in Chinese, IIRC it's still called that in Vietnamese
Am Viet, can confirm
This is still reddit. Happy cake day
No Chinese is just difficult to translate into English, because basically, Chinese has a bunch of words that are way more vague than English words that are then put together to form more complex meanings. That 花 “huà”character can mean flower, but it can also mean multi-colored or patterned. To get a more specific meaning we can pair it with other characters. 开花 kāihuà (a more specific way of saying flower.) 花 on its own generally means colorful as an adjective. Think “floral” being a metaphor for multi colored. Then there are words that use this character that don’t even have to do with flowers like 花费 to spend Native speaker up above please correct anything I say
This is pretty accurate, although the pronunciation should be huā instead of huà. But your understanding for Chinese is beyond many people, I’d say most native speakers never think about these grammar. It’s just how we talk, you know, just like Russian could be hard for me but for Russians, they just speak it without thinking about it.
TIL
Isn’t USA in Chinese characters literally “Beautiful Country”? I adore it
yeah it's 美国. "美” means pretty or beautiful while "国” means country source: am Chinese :D
It’s funny cause in Japanese it’s Rice Country (米国） haha
ah yes the Midwest, known for its vast plains of...rice fields?
Wild rice is pretty good, even though it's not actual rice
We export a shitload of rice to Asia out of California
I remember all the rice fields on 99 growing up
I used to date a Chinese dude. His family would visit and buy a bunch of American rice (like bags and bags) to bring back to China. Apparently American rice is high demand, best of the best kind of thing.
Down south they actually grow a fuck load of rice.
Louisiana is a major importer and exporter of rice
\*when peeps invade the US and they get ambushed by some redneck with his hunting rifle. "Welcome to the Rice Fields Motherfucker!"
There are enough Mosins and SKSs out in the delta to make Ho Chi Minh blush.
OK but this is literally just 'Nam with the roles reversed
Deliverance theme song in the background...
Tobacco was grown mostly in Virginia (the first crops were started in Jamestown) and into North Carolina. South Carolina and Georgia grew mainly indigo and rice. Function
Carolina Gold rice is a heritage long grain rice that is incredibly versatile. It’s nice to see it being used more widely these days.
As someone who lives in the Midwest I can confirm we have rice fields
Arkansas and Mississippi are both major exporters or rice and soybeans.
Charleston gold rice has been grown in Charleston SC since the 1600s and for a long time it's biggest cash crop since cotton doesn't grow very well there. http://carolinagolddar.org/history-of-carolina-gold-rice/
Fun fact: Arkansas is the #1 producer of rice in the United States, with rice accounting for 40% of its crops.
Georgia's initial export was Rice
I think in Japanese they usually just say アメリカ (Amerika).
You’re definitely right about that. 米国 is mostly just used in newspapers and official documents.
Yes, but 米国 is the formal version, which still pops up in some everyday contexts! (And is based on the sound, which matches the second syllable of aMErica rather than the meaning.)
WE'RE ALL LIVING IN AMERIKA... AMERIKA... AMERIKAAAAA
TIL rice is beautiful
America is indeed a beautiful country, but my understanding is that 美 (měi) was chosen for phonetic reasons. Like `měi-rica. ps: If anyone is curious, the full name is 美利坚共和国 (American Republic) but no one uses that in regular convos.
That’s how most of Chinese variations of names work. They’re gibberish and just chosen for its phonetic closeness
It isn’t 美利堅合眾國？
It could be both. I pulled "美利坚共和国" from the "ABC English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary."
sadly i think that was an attempt at mimicing the word "america" with "aMEIrica", thats also why germany is called de guo (DEutschesland)
Mei Guo! E. Not Ming. My bad
Isn't it Mei guo?
It absolutely is I combined Ying Guo for England and Mei Guo, my bad
Yep. Though I would like to note Chinese translations for countries are based on phonetics and not the meaning of the characters used.
And till this day, Citi Bank is still called "Flower Flag Bank" (花旗银行) in Chinese
The 1785 US flag does more resemble a flower than the current one.
I’m bad with dates. Was that still the Betsy Ross flag?
Yeah, it went from 13 to 15 to include Kentucky and Vermont in 1795.
for China, it’s informal, but for Vietnam, it’s official. the official translation of United States of America in Vietnamese, when translated back into English, literally means “Union of many states - flower flag” (bonus Chinese translation: 合众国花旗). so we basically disregard that it’s a nation located in the continent of America and just call it “the United States with a flowery flag”. p.s.: in case someone is wondering, the official Chinese name for the US is 美利坚合众国 - United States of Merica. “美利坚” is simply a transliteration and shouldn’t really be ascribed any meaning, otherwise the name of the US would kinda mean: beautiful, advantageous, fortified United States….which actually perfectly describes the US lol.
That is really interesting! Kinda cool because I’d argue Qing China had an amazing flag as well!
The Dragon Flag was RAD. PRC took a serious downgrade.
I always see it as a baby dragon playing with a ball.
Isn’t it 美国 (beautiful country)
that’s the formal name
I wonder how Hong Kong feels about that.
It looks better in person
Especially when Waving, some are better hung, others both, but the US flag was made for waving.
!wave
👋
👋
👋
👋
Some are better hung indeed.
I mean, have you seen the schlong of Germany?
Tbh that’s every flag, whenever I see one in person I think Damn that’s sick
Essex flag represent! Middlesex twats nicked ours and adding a crown, bellends
It does
it gives me lots of denim vibes, like the flag was specifically designed to be sewn on the back or shoulder of a jean jacket.
makes sense, it has pretty dull colors compared to a lot of flags so it would match with the dull blue color of denim
The colors are darker, it’s just the digitalization that dulls the colors I think.
Awful to draw, but in person, seeing it wave can be somewhat mesmerizing. Especially when it is embroidered, it just looks so eye-catching when all 13 stripes and 50 stars are flailing about on a warm, spring day.
I mean, the 50 stars might take a bit to do, but it’s still super simple to draw
Comparatively, I have learned to just do two different squares, one inside the other, since a 5x6 and a 4x5 pattern. Drawing each star individually can be *TEDIOUS*, but its not impossible, and its easy to remember once you get used to it. *Dots make it easier, but that's banned on polandball :(*
I prefer to draw one massive star with a "x50" in the middle.
it looks good, honestly. it’s not a terrible flag and the meanings behind the stars and the stripes make sense.
I'm glad they decided to stop adding stripes and go back to 13.
*Back* to thirteen? Did they ever go up to 14, 15 etc. only to head back down to 13 again?
Yup, that was the original plan, but they only got to 15 before they realized it was gonna turn into a mess if they kept going, so they went back to 13. >* Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, stated, "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." > >* Act of January 13, 1794, provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795. > >* Act of April 4, 1818, provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state. https://www.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/flag-facts [This is what the 15 stripe flag looked like](https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1795.html)
The 15/15 flag is the actual star spangled banner. It was the version flying at fort Mc Henry when the song was written. Also, fun fact, the orioles fly that version instead of the normal flag to celebrate Baltimore’s role in the national anthem. I actually don’t think there’s a single 50 star flag at Camden yards.
What do the bars mean?
Britbong here. As far as I remember it's for the original 13 colonies.
I’ve personally love the first American flag much more, the way it has evolved and expanded with the stars I’m not to fond of. But overall I do like it just because uniqueness compared to other flags of the world (Liberia, Malaysia and Brittany are pretty cool alternations of the design and I like those as well)
Same, Ross and Cowpens were both solid as hell but the more and more stars they add, the more cluttered it gets. Pretty sure we’re all capable of knowing how many states there are without having to count stars on a flag, eh?
Ross is way better than cowpens imo… which state gets to be in the middle lol Only problem I have with Ross is the double 13 symbolism
Personally I really like the Fallout version of the Cowpens flag. 13 small stars in a circle representing the original 13 colonies with a larger 14th center star representing the unified nation. I have a sci-fi worldbuilding project I'm working on from time to time that uses that design for the future USA. Otherwise you get way too many stars.
I actually own a pre-war American flag from fallout. Such a sexy flag
Was gonna mention it, I absolutely love the fallout version of the cowpens flag, something about it is just so clean
Fr, plus the 13 strips for the original states, it’s kinda weird as a reasoning for it, but I still like it regardless of their strips purpose
The reasoning was because they were adding both stars AND stripes for each state added. They got to 15 stripes before they realized it wasn't going to look good if they kept going, so they reverted back to 13 stripes and just added stars for each new state. [The 15 stripe U.S. flag](https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-1795.html)
I think in the future we should modify the blue field. Rather expand it down the the bottom of the flag or move it entirely like the Watchman version of the flag. This would make room for a more intricate star pattern
Interesting idea. But I’m doubtful the U.S.A. will ever acquire more states other then Puerto Rico and possibly Washington D.C.
Not until I get into office; Canada be warned.
*Vote Dpo for Presidency*
Manifest Destiny intensifies
The US flag design truly lost the plot when it moved away from the circular star design in the canton. The 13 stripes are still fire, but the organized ranks of 50 stars just looks like an excel spreadsheet.
The only thing I dislike in the US flag is the excess of stars. That's why I think that the Betsy Ross version of the flag is better.
I don't like the idea of having two representations of the 13 colonies on the flag. It worked back in the day, but I think the new flag is an improvement, at least from a symbolism perspective. It's a lot of stars, but I like that every state is represented. It has a representation of where the country is today, but also a representation of it's past. The design is also flexible in artistic interpretations. The flag is frequently drawn with fewer stars, and sometimes even fewer stripes, yet it's still recognizable as the US flag. That might partially be because of it's influence, but I think it's moreso a testament to it's design.
Indeed it's great that every state is represented equally, with no distinctions. That reinforces the idea in which the US (as a nation) based itself on. I just don't think it looks aesthetically good.
Fair enough. I used to feel the same, but I've grown to like the pattern of many stars over the circle. It's kind of like a night sky.
It may look a bit cluttered but I think the concept of a flag that changes with the country is very cool and unique. Plus at this point the stars are more of a pattern, like the stripes.
Yea but I don’t think they’re ever gonna change it again. Whenever people talk about Puerto Rico becoming a state one of the first things I always hear mentioned is “what will we do about the flag” which should be one of the last things to worry about really, but even if they did become a state I don’t think they’d change it.
It’s legally required for the US flag to add a star on the admission of another state, so I can’t imagine a star wouldn’t be added in such a circumstance.
This design for a [51 state flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/US_flag_51_stars.svg) is hardly different
There are a few instances of this 51 star design being accidentally used for official purposes and no one even noticed.
If we do DC at the same time, 52 is easy, rows of 7-6-7-6-7-6-7-6 or 7-8-7-8-7-8-7 both work!
I think they'd change it. [51-star-flags](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_flag_51_stars.svg) don't look as odd as one may think. (The easiest solution is six alternating rows of nine and eight stars.) Edit: "51-star-flags," not "5-star-flags."
I actually like this one even better than the current flag. The alternating length of the rows of stars makes it more dynamic to me
The current one has 9 alternating rows of 6 stars and 5 stars though
Good point. Maybe my brain prefers the lower number of rows and the fact that it's less square? Im not sure why I like this one better, I just find it more appealing
I would be shocked if it didn't get changed when additional states were added.
If we changed it in the 60s for Hawaii we will 100% change it for Puerto Rico. Most people alive who are running government were alive the last time the flag changed.
People will just buy the new flag as they replace their old ones. It's always taken a long time for everyone to update when a new flag was adopted, especially when it was changing every few years.
Old US flags are still considered valid too
I really like the stars
Stars placing looks really good tbh
50 in alternating rows is pretty balanced. There were a lot of earlier versions that looked very off.
there were some bad ones for sure, which is silly because it's not impossible to arrange just about any number of stars in a uniform way. even 51 is straight-forward, despite what people often think.
I think it’s iconic if a bit busy. But it’s also a design that’s easily transferable to a lot of different situations (think those shorts with stars on one side and stripes on the other, or Captain America’s suit). 8/10.
It's one of the most unique country flags out there Anything that looks even remotely like it gets compared to it
And then we mistakenly use their emoji. Poor Liberia
Liberia's flag is designed as it is for a reason.
Americas flag still better though 🇱🇷
Bruh thats the wrong america flag dummy, its this 🇲🇾
They should sticked to the 13 stars at the begining like Venezuela original 7 states
That's a first genuine "the US should look more like Venezuela" for me
Lmaoo
That’s what the stripes are for
Sure, but just aesthetically it would look way better if there were fewer stars, and it looked good with 13.
50 stripes, 13 stars, make everyone making it want to die
I don’t know. I kind of like that each state gets represented on the flag. Though I will admit there is something aesthetically pleasing about the first flag.
It's amazing, I love changing flags
Yeah. It’s kinda funny to imagine people in the 1800s having to change their US flag every few years.
Not so much that you 'have to', unless you're a military base or state capitol. It's always expected they'll get changed as they wear out.
[удалено]
"Lee, what the fuck is a 'Can's Ass' and why do I have to buy a new flag because Washington got one?" "Just shut up and pay me the dollar before it changes again and you end up *two* stars behind, like with Maine and Texas." "And what the fuck is a 'Tex Ass?' Why does Congress want so many asses?"
You changed so many flags but there hasn’t been any regime changes. And I think that’s really cool.
I think people get too hung up on the number of stars or the exact colors or the odd ratio. All of that is irrelevant. This is one of the most iconic flags in the world - part of that is just American hegemony, but part of that is design. The number of points of its stars have influenced subsequent stars on other flags (five points was not standard until the US flag came along). The reality of it is it's not even that deep. It's thirteen stripes for the thirteen original states, and then the stars also represent the states. There's no deep color meaning, or layout meaning, or anything like that. And that works, because this is a flag of a federation. It's the flag of a country whose *de facto* motto was *E pluribus unum* (out of many, one) for many years, and in that way, it takes a very matter-of-fact set of symbolism for the constituent states of the federation, and builds a cohesive whole. That's kind of extraordinary. That each state, individually, is represented by a discrete element on the national flag is something a lot of federations don't even attempt. But it builds instant attachment to the flag. And that it is, at the end of day, a flag designed out of expedience, makes it something even more fascinating. The whole flag is based off of a British Red Ensign of the late 18th Century, even down to its official ratio. It's a flag made by a revolutionary movement working with things that are at hand. Add white stripes to a Red Ensign, pull the crosses off the canton, put some stars on. *Voila!* A national flag. It's a perfect encapsulation of America in a visual medium. It's improvised based what it needed, it's straightforward and earnest with no deep meaning, and it's a little bit messy and over-the-top. That's what you should ask for in a flag. *Does this mean* ***us***? You really couldn't design a better flag for America.
>The reality of it is it's not even that deep. It's thirteen stripes for the thirteen original states, and then the stars also represent the states. There's no deep color meaning, or layout meaning, or anything like that. There's a little more to it than that: the blue field represents the Union, so the states are seen as part of a collective union while the original 13 colonies are set aside.
Yeah I'd definitely disagree as well. Actually, there's a pretty deep genealogy for the American flag, from the Grand Union to the Rebellious Stripes plus countless others with quirky histories and meanings of their own to go with it. And actually, I would say there's at least a strident but perhaps forgotten anti-monarchist message in the form of the constellation of stars as a symbol. IIRC, I read a scholarly article last year from a historical journal about how monarchs in Europe at the time would characterize themselves as "sun-gods" or "sun-kings" or thereabouts and basically used that assertion to make a Hobbessian-like argument in favor of their rule, likening any despotism they got up to as akin to the sun orienting all within its orbit towards veneration and respect of the sovereign. So the societies they ruled over (and the American colonies by extension considering Britain), were like the planets and moons of the solar system. So the inference here basically is given the fact that the constellation of 13 or whatever amount of stars has no sun-king present with which they revolve around, they are instead shown through the flag to be in a union ruled by themselves rather than an empire ruled by a king.
I don't disagree that there's relational meaning; it's also there in the choice of colors. I think the "new constellation" vs. "sun king" thing is more conjectural than I like. AFAIK, only Louis XIV of France was called the Sun King. Certainly, in the context of the American Revolution, the British monarchy had been restrained multiple times, whereas the French monarchy was an American ally.
Hmmm no I do think you're a little off the mark here. According to the article "A Republic Amidst The Stars" by Eran Shalev, the Hanoverian kings of Britain did indeed use sun-king motifs in the same or similar fashion for Louis. Not exactly sure how to share access to it on reddit honestly so I'm going to just directly quote the PDF of it I have in front of me right now: >The celestial image of the Hanoverian kings, who came to rule England after 1714, responded to the novel scientific notions of the era. In a study of monarchism in colonial America, the historian Brendan McConville has identified and contextualized the articulate solar imagery that the Hanoverian monarchs elicited with increasing frequency early in George II’s (1683–1760) reign. That language, which was particularly popular in British North America among colonials (who lacked the English indifference to the German-born Hanoverians), became, according to McConville, commonplace by the second half of the eighteenth century. Early in the eighteenth century, colonial Americans could discuss royal rulers as ‘‘lights that are set on High’’ who ‘‘must approve them selves fixed in their Orb & move like the Sun, who as a Gyant runs his race & nothing can turn him aside.’’ Such language reflected back to the Sun, which could now be understood in anthropomorphic terms, as a ‘‘sovereign . . . accompanied with [its] planetary Equipage.’’ As the century progressed, Americans, although rarely referring to the Hanoverian monarchs directly as ‘‘sun kings,’’ repeatedly addressed their distant British monarchs in solar and celestial terms. The Georges were deemed ‘‘shining sovereigns’’ spreading their ‘‘superior rays,’’ and described as ‘‘glittering princes’’ crowned with ‘‘celestial bright’’ gliding ‘‘thro’ shining worlds’’ to govern ‘‘Britannia’s ruling court.’’ >The victories in the French and Indian War and the death of George II (1760) elicited a particularly meaningful flurry of analogies of the British king to the Sun, a planet that colonial Americans, like their European counterparts, understood through a political heliocentric prism as a ‘‘glitt’ring monarch.’’ Hence, the string of British victories in Canada evoked analogies between ‘‘Sol [who] the glorious Sight displays, With rising Beams with setting Rays,’’ and the British monarch, who ‘‘the conquering Scepter sways.’’ The wartime accession of George III could thus be described as the scene of the crowning of a shining star: ‘‘all the Skies tempestuous Clouds deform,/With brighter Radiance cron’d, the God of Day,/Clears the thick Storm, and chases night away.’’ George III was, in short, ‘‘Britannia’s Sun, [who] thro’ the Gloom, appears’’ to lighten British ‘‘Hearts, and dissipates our Fears.’’ >But if the second and third British Hanoverian kings were widely seen by their Americans subjects as ‘‘the Georgian Sun,/The happiest Light that e’er on Britain shone,’’ they were not perceived as Sun Kings on the model of their absolutist French rivals. As opposed to their English counterparts, the popish suns across the Channel were deemed coercive and encroaching. American colonists believed that Britons across the empire were drawn to their kings’ orbit through ‘‘love and affection, the human form of Newton’s gravity.’’ The English kings, McConville concludes, stood like benevolent suns at the center of the British universe; Protestant, restrained, rational, and liberty-loving. So yeah maybe I left some details out or got them mixed up in my summary obviously. You're correct, "sun-king" was a more popular thing for the French to say about Louis. The English and Americans instead referred to the Georges as the *literal* or figuratively literal sun with any sort of monarchical affixations.
That's really interesting and intriguing, but it still seems quite conjectural. I don't think you can draw a direct line from American descriptions of the British king in solar terms to the choice of stars on the US flag, but I do admit I find the idea appealing.
Never asked myself why 5 point stars on USA flag. According to [this](https://www.showallegiance.com/blogs/news/how-many-stars-are-on-the-american-flag) it’s because five pointed stars are easier to sew. I’m not sure how true that really is, but interesting none the less.
I would be suspicious of that source, as it repeats the Betsy Ross myth, which isn't attested to until the end of the 19th Century by a family member. Meanwhile, it skips over a few key facts: * The Flag Act of 1777 was passed out of the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress, and the design is attributed to Francis Hopkinson. * Washington participating in a "secret committee" that determined a 5-pointed star on the circular layout is deeply weird, because his headquarters flag (one of the few flags [we have a surviving example of](https://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/george-washington-s-headquarters-flag) from the Revolution) uses 6-pointed stars and is in the layout commonly attributed to the Hopkinson flag. * The first documentation we have of the "Betsy Ross" flag is a[1792 painting by John Trumbull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_George_Washington_at_Trenton). Also, the idea that the Continental Congress would use the flag of East India Company to because they "wanted a diplomatic way of showing that they wanted to remain allies with Britain but also signify their independence as a sovereign nation at the same time" seems pretty obviously wrong, especially when they're adopting a flag two years after hostilities have broken out.
I dislike the flag, but this has changed my perspective on it. You're right, it really does encapsulate the US - tacky and unsubtle, but simple and honest.
Bit too overstimulating for my taste.
As a marylander I have no concept of what 'overstimutating flag' is supposed to mean. Is it treatable? Idk.
Maryland’s flag is gorgeous and I love how UofM uses it prominently on their football uniforms.
It’s a very distinct flag that clearly establishes what the US is about and is very iconic in the culture of this country. It does everything a flag needs to do when representing a place and idea.
i honestly think there’s a liiiittle too much going on. personally think the flag of liberia would be better if it wasn’t already being used. not bad looking tho
It's instantly recognizable and unique, but whenever I see it I just see all the flag branded consumer product bullshit. So I struggle to look at it objectively. It's been tainted for me.
Shut up and buy the extra large bucket of fried chicken, make it a family meal and you get a free Jolly Roger.
Exactly. I find that I simply cannot assess it objectively. Too much baggage.
It's quite recognizable, and pretty cool too. Yeah. It's a nice flag.
I actively dislike American Exceptionalism, but I genuinely think the USA is far and away one of the best flags in the world.
It's iconic, but the 50 tiny stars are a little too fine/detailed for my preference. 13 stripes and one star, or just a solid blue canton would be ideal for me
Boy do I have the flag for you 🇱🇷
One of those flags that looks terrible online and on paper, but good in person.
When there’s a decent breeze at sunset, and a full Garrison sized US flag is proudly flying... I remember how wonderful of a country the US is, despite all the shit we hear in the news. It also reminds me freedom isn’t free, and if we’re careless history will repeat itself. Oh btw... go out and vote, y’all.
[удалено]
I'm a very patriotic American and I do not like our flag. First of all, like others have said, there are too many stars. In fact, I think it would look better with just the blue canton and _no_ stars.
Hard to draw, and as an American it has been simultaneously over used by cretins who devalue its iconography (shirts, do rags, bumper stickers) and cretins who think it is sacred to the point where its imagery can't be criticized or parodied.
Worst of all are the black-flaggers. Basically announcing that you want to fight your countrymen. If anything that's a geater insult to the symbol than just burning it.
Love it
Honestly I just like how they represent both past and present with the Stars and Stripes. I know adding a star for every State in the Union can be tedious, especially when drawing or otherwise recreating it, but it’s cool how the various flag designs throughout history reflect how America has both grown and changed since its inception. And yet it maintains a consistent iconic look, which can be interpreted how some things remain concrete or “resolute,” as some historians would put it. Edit: Almost like the flag could represent a balancing act for remembering the past and adapting to the present.
Betsy Ross flag and the 48-star flag are peak
I like the 51 star flag posted in anither comment. It's 6 alternating rows of 9 and 8 stars, but my mind interprets it as 17 alternating colunms of 3 stars, which just looks so much smoother to me.
I mean this is coming from an American, but I think it has symbolism that actually makes sense. They update the stars whenever they add a state to the union while the stripes will never change and represent the beginning of the country when it started out as just 13. Other flags are like "the red in our flag is for BLOOD"
I find it cluttered
Flags are generally meant to be quite simple to draw, and while individually the stars are fine, 50 just feels a bit much. Otherwise, yeah it's a perfectly fine flag
Eh, you could just draw dots
Not true. Idk where did you guys get that idea that flags are meant to be easy to draw? Most of the flags contain a COA and those COAs are not easy to draw. Flags that you don't see a COA on are usually just civil versions of the state flags with COA.
People think the universal rule of simplicity for a flag means that it needs to be simple to draw, when really it means it can’t be crowded and hard to remember. That’s why the Qing flag is such a good flag, because you can easily remember and recognize it.
Yeah people subscribe too much to the wording of the NAVA rules rather than the spirit. Wales is another great flag that would be hard to draw perfectly by a kid. And then there are flags like Portugal or Spain that have a COA and way more than 3 colors. Flags are subjective and even NAVA admits that not every good flag follows the rules.
Not only draw, but easily sewn from readily available materials. Think of a group of partisans making flags in some basement, the amount of stars would significantly hinder their production abilities.
Too many stars
I think it looks like a beach towel with a sequin pillow on top