diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
index 1f243d7..e6fa3fa 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ def render_template(request, template_name, **kwargs):
 
     old_theme = request.cookies.get('etiquette_theme', None)
     new_theme = request.args.get('theme', None)
-    theme = 'turquoise' if new_theme == '' else new_theme or old_theme
+    theme = new_theme or old_theme or 'turquoise'
 
     response = flask.render_template(
         template_name,