diff --git a/src/core/main.c b/src/core/main.c
index 34794ccdd1..6d03b06684 100644
--- a/src/core/main.c
+++ b/src/core/main.c
@@ -1371,12 +1371,12 @@ static int status_welcome(void) {
                                "Failed to read os-release file, ignoring: %m");
 
         if (log_get_show_color())
-                return status_printf(NULL, false, false,
+                return status_printf(NULL, 0,
                                      "\nWelcome to \x1B[%sm%s\x1B[0m!\n",
                                      isempty(ansi_color) ? "1" : ansi_color,
                                      isempty(pretty_name) ? "Linux" : pretty_name);
         else
-                return status_printf(NULL, false, false,
+                return status_printf(NULL, 0,
                                      "\nWelcome to %s!\n",
                                      isempty(pretty_name) ? "Linux" : pretty_name);
 }
diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index e2de1c84b9..5f11515b3d 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -4156,7 +4156,7 @@ void manager_status_printf(Manager *m, StatusType type, const char *status, cons
                 return;
 
         va_start(ap, format);
-        status_vprintf(status, true, type == STATUS_TYPE_EPHEMERAL, format, ap);
+        status_vprintf(status, SHOW_STATUS_ELLIPSIZE|(type == STATUS_TYPE_EPHEMERAL ? SHOW_STATUS_EPHEMERAL : 0), format, ap);
         va_end(ap);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/show-status.c b/src/core/show-status.c
index d8d2317d38..f748a82084 100644
--- a/src/core/show-status.c
+++ b/src/core/show-status.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ int parse_show_status(const char *v, ShowStatus *ret) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char *format, va_list ap) {
+int status_vprintf(const char *status, ShowStatusFlags flags, const char *format, va_list ap) {
         static const char status_indent[] = "         "; /* "[" STATUS "] " */
         _cleanup_free_ char *s = NULL;
         _cleanup_close_ int fd = -1;
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char
         if (fd < 0)
                 return fd;
 
-        if (ellipse) {
+        if (FLAGS_SET(flags, SHOW_STATUS_ELLIPSIZE)) {
                 char *e;
                 size_t emax, sl;
                 int c;
@@ -73,10 +73,8 @@ int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char
                         emax = 3;
 
                 e = ellipsize(s, emax, 50);
-                if (e) {
-                        free(s);
-                        s = e;
-                }
+                if (e)
+                        free_and_replace(s, e);
         }
 
         if (prev_ephemeral)
@@ -94,9 +92,9 @@ int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char
         iovec[n++] = IOVEC_MAKE_STRING(s);
         iovec[n++] = IOVEC_MAKE_STRING("\n");
 
-        if (prev_ephemeral && !ephemeral)
+        if (prev_ephemeral && !FLAGS_SET(flags, SHOW_STATUS_EPHEMERAL))
                 iovec[n++] = IOVEC_MAKE_STRING(ANSI_ERASE_TO_END_OF_LINE);
-        prev_ephemeral = ephemeral;
+        prev_ephemeral = FLAGS_SET(flags, SHOW_STATUS_EPHEMERAL) ;
 
         if (writev(fd, iovec, n) < 0)
                 return -errno;
@@ -104,14 +102,14 @@ int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char
         return 0;
 }
 
-int status_printf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char *format, ...) {
+int status_printf(const char *status, ShowStatusFlags flags, const char *format, ...) {
         va_list ap;
         int r;
 
         assert(format);
 
         va_start(ap, format);
-        r = status_vprintf(status, ellipse, ephemeral, format, ap);
+        r = status_vprintf(status, flags, format, ap);
         va_end(ap);
 
         return r;
diff --git a/src/core/show-status.h b/src/core/show-status.h
index ac590303c1..f574d92d84 100644
--- a/src/core/show-status.h
+++ b/src/core/show-status.h
@@ -16,9 +16,14 @@ typedef enum ShowStatus {
         _SHOW_STATUS_INVALID = -1,
 } ShowStatus;
 
+typedef enum ShowStatusFlags {
+        SHOW_STATUS_ELLIPSIZE = 1 << 0,
+        SHOW_STATUS_EPHEMERAL = 1 << 1,
+} ShowStatusFlags;
+
 ShowStatus show_status_from_string(const char *v) _const_;
 const char* show_status_to_string(ShowStatus s) _pure_;
 int parse_show_status(const char *v, ShowStatus *ret);
 
-int status_vprintf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char *format, va_list ap) _printf_(4,0);
-int status_printf(const char *status, bool ellipse, bool ephemeral, const char *format, ...) _printf_(4,5);
+int status_vprintf(const char *status, ShowStatusFlags flags, const char *format, va_list ap) _printf_(3,0);
+int status_printf(const char *status, ShowStatusFlags flags, const char *format, ...) _printf_(3,4);
diff --git a/src/core/unit.c b/src/core/unit.c
index df340548bb..73a625e7a1 100644
--- a/src/core/unit.c
+++ b/src/core/unit.c
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 #include "string-table.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
 #include "strv.h"
+#include "terminal-util.h"
 #include "umask-util.h"
 #include "unit-name.h"
 #include "unit.h"
@@ -1644,12 +1645,17 @@ static bool unit_assert_test(Unit *u) {
 }
 
 void unit_status_printf(Unit *u, const char *status, const char *unit_status_msg_format) {
+        const char *d;
+
+        d = unit_description(u);
+        if (log_get_show_color())
+                d = strjoina(ANSI_HIGHLIGHT, d, ANSI_NORMAL);
+
         DISABLE_WARNING_FORMAT_NONLITERAL;
-        manager_status_printf(u->manager, STATUS_TYPE_NORMAL, status, unit_status_msg_format, unit_description(u));
+        manager_status_printf(u->manager, STATUS_TYPE_NORMAL, status, unit_status_msg_format, d);
         REENABLE_WARNING;
 }
 
-
 int unit_start_limit_test(Unit *u) {
         const char *reason;