#which is why its not. really well organized. sorry. i hope its still understandable 😭

[chocottang]

Color, clothes and Golden's lack of agency

Golden's outfits stand out from the rest of the cast. Instead of the normal unifrom, he constantly wears semiformal clothes, always accompanied by the color gold/yellow. It's integral to his brand as "The Golden Boy". However, edd00 has said before that Golden doesn't actually like the color gold. According to his ficha, his favorite color is white. So, why does he always wear gold?

Well, for starters, he doesn't always wear it. In fact, when he lived with his mom and just started to live with his grandpa, he didn't wear it at all. He used brown and green instead. He isn't wearing semiformal or formal clothes either.

Things changed when his life started to be controlled. He started wearing the color gold, shirts, vests and tuxedos.

But there are still times where he doesn't use gold or formal clothes:

When he's with his friends

Or alone with no supervision, like in his room or when he met Chica

But when he's working or at school, he almost always wears that color alongside more formal clothes.

The only times where this doesn't happen that I can think of is in this scene, where he's with The Animatronics while wearing a golden t-shirt.

And in this scene, where he's working on a set (filming what is said to be a video, so I'm guessing a music video) and is clearly not wearing any golden clothing.

But we can easily explain these. In the first one, The Animatronics are still wearing the school uniform, so they may still be in school grounds, which would explain why Golden is dressed in golden. Also, his clothes are not formal this time, so there's separation from his usual working "uniform".

As for the second, he's in a set, and as soon as he leaves he's wearing his usual golden vest again.

So, it's plausible that in that scene he's wearing something that was picked out for him by a costume designer or another member of the creative team.

Getting back on track, it seems to me that Golden doesn't want to wear golden clothing or formal clothes, since he uses many chances he has not to wear them, but is forced to do so by his grandpa or someone who works for him, like Jeffrey.

But, why? as a way to control him, of course. It doesn't matter what he likes or prefers, he's The Golden Boy. He's the face of the family company and a brand in itself, marked by this color and these clothes. It's a way to strip him from his identity and form him into what is wanted. It was the very first form of control too, ever since his grandpa started dressing him. Since it's such a small thing, it serves as a bridge. From not being controlled by his mom, to his grandpa controlling what he wears and does as a child, to his grandpa controlling his whole life as a teen. It got him used to being controlled and not thinking for himself.

Not using the color gold or formal clothes when he can is a small way he has of keeping his own identity, having some agency. Even if he doesn't realize it, it's a small form of rebellion. I imagine the reason he dislikes the color in the first place is it's association with the Golden Boy brand and the family business, which have caused him great pain. And, of course, it's association with the control his grandpa has over him, even in small things. It's just a big reminder that he isn't free.

Now, you may be wondering, but what about his design in season two? He's finally away from his family, but he's still wearing a golden sweater vest.

Here's where we should pay attention to the type of clothes he wears. When he was being controlled, he was wearing semiformal/formal clothes, while in season two he was wearing sweaters, which aren't exactly a formal piece of clothing. And I say sweaters in plural because we can see him wearing them in songs.

He was also wearing a sweater when he was studying in his room, so it's obvious he likes wearing them. It's his choice. The golden color may be a sign that, even though he's physically free, he's still affected by his grandpa's control. We can see it in episode three of season two: when Joy tells him that when he's home their grandpa will be mad at him,

instead of if he goes home. She takes for granted the fact that Golden will be back home eventually. And he simply agrees,

instead of doubling down and saying he won't be back anytime soon. He's free, but he doesn't believe it will be for long. Still, he's mentally getting away from his grandpa by wearing a sweater vest instead of a regular, more formal one. He's doing it slowly, but it's happening.

Going back to the colors, I think the color white also has a role in this. In his z3r0 design, Golden isn't wearing any white.

He's also not wearing any in his reboot design.

Now, why could this be? he has always worn it, and it's his favorite color.

Interestingly, this has happened before, in the camp arc. When Golden was under Cami's spell, he wasn't wearing any white either.

But when he was freed by The Animatronics... suddenly his shirt became white.

This could very well be (and probably is) just an error, but i find the distinction curious. Especially when we take into account that "hypnotized" Golden had a whole different outfit without white, besides the one with the black shirt that mysteriously turned white. So, on one hand, we have Golden not wearing white while under Cami's control. What's the context of him not wearing white in z3r0 and the reboot?

As far as I know, the reboot supposedly takes place right before the camp arc, when Golden was "lost", so it makes sense that he's also not wearing any white. However, he's clearly not under Cami's spell, so, what's the reason? it may be related to the little we know of his home situation at the moment: his grandpa is mad at him.

He doesn't want Golden to hang out with his friends. He can tell he's losing control over him, so he keeps him away from The Animatronics and tries reaffirming control. How? Not only with his words, but also his actions: by forcing him to wear gold and not any white.

In my opinion, the color white is like the last straw. When he's being fully controlled, by his grandpa who is mad or by Cami who is literally controlling his mind, he isn't wearing any white. We never got to see Golden in z3r0 past him posing for the intro, but i have to guess his grandpa wasn't delighted that he ran away in season two, and made him not wear white for the same reason he does in the reboot. He's mad at him for loosening the control he has, responding with even more control.

In conclusion, I believe the color gold and the formal clothes in Golden show he's being controlled. Combined with a lack of the color white, it shows that he's utterly powerless.