Why Red Turns Us On?

On a snowy February day, what lit a spark in me is the connections between colors and fashion psychology. So, I decided to write about both, picking up the color red. Maybe because the name Adam was derived from Hebrew word for red, or because Valentines Day is soon and everywhere red pops out; or because red increases hunger, activity, competitiveness and alertness. The human psyche has had an haute romance with the color red for centuries. Ranging from scarlet to vermilion, from blush red crimson to burgundy-red, it is very present in our lives: sometimes it’s resulting from rays of light scattering at sunset, or by the presence of iron oxide (Red Canyon, Mars), or anthocyanin in strawberries. What unites us all are the 2 million red blood cells that our bodies produce every second.

Red holds special place in the human mind because it is associated with danger, aggression, anger, sin and sacrifice, but at the same time with life, health, sexuality, passion, love, energy, warmth and joy. In various Asian cultures it is also associated with good fortune and happiness.

Human affinity for red, according to archaeologists and anthropologist, is associated with power, sex and death. Aztecs used red pigment from cochineal eggs to color themselves during celebrations. Red ochre is evident in prehistoric art. Mayans and Egyptians colored their faces red for rituals. Romans had their bodies painted red to celebrate victories. Both kings and cardinals were found of luxurious red dyed fabrics and used them to demonstrate their power.

Although a favorite for many, red has a stormy relationship with women. It was considered the color of lust (the Devil is depicted often red); a symbol of prostitutes (Red Districts). Its ambivalent relationship with purity and power is also revealed in many works of fiction (the movie “Three Colors: Red”; “Gone with the Wind”, among others). Since red dyes were scarce and often inappropriate to wear, red lipstick as replacement has been both admired and forbidden for centuries. Its appeal is so primal, offering shortcut to seduction. Roman rulers tried to ban painting lips with vermilion. In England, under Queen Elizabeth who knew the power of strong presence, an edict proclaimed that any woman who wore tinted red alabaster on her lips “shall be punished with the penalties of witchcraft”. Strict Puritans and Victorians felt the same way for centuries.

Fast forward to World War II, when red lipstick was considered in the Allied Countries an infectious and necessary expression of vivacious spirit, self confidence and geniality. So much so that the psychiatrists called the lipstick “an essential nonessential”. Meanwhile, the Nazi Party in Germany banned lipstick as early as 1933: “women with painted faces” were not admitted to the Party and were deemed unworthy to the honorable role of “Germanic Mother”.

Red color is so intertwined with human behavior that in the late 2000’s Leonard Lauder tried to coin the “lipstick index” as an indicator of economic distress, only to observe a decade later that this role was overtaken by nail polish. Today, red on lips functions like beauty armor: makes one look good and feel even better. Shockingly, there are still countries where women are killed for having their lips or nails painted red.

Historically, red has strong relationship with powerful men. Humans are shamelessly attracted to bright colors and red holds a special place among them. In the early Middle Ages, King Charlemagne is said to have worn scarlet red leather shoes in 800 A.D. when he was crowned Holly Roman Emperor. Half a century later, Richard II of England was following suit. In 13th century Castile, the use of red color was restricted by law to kings. In 1464 Pope Paul II decreed that his cardinals were to wear rich red robes instead of purple. Even Shakespeare, who in his writings associated red with hypocrisy and sin, was given four and a half yards of red cloth to wear for the coronation of James I. Men’s dalliance with red for military uniforms is also evident: from the red cloaks on the Roman generals’ shoulders, to the English officers’ coats. More than seventy percent of countries flags have red.

Red color was associated with power and exclusivity long before Louis XIV famously introduced the red heeled shoes to impose his absolutism and control, but also to visually distinguish who among the French aristocracy had his favor and may enter certain circles in court. This all based on the assumption that Louis’ power was coming from a divine source. The association of red sole as symbol of wealth, privilege, and a position in certain social circles spread well beyond Louis’ reign, to the late 18th century. Nowadays, designers like Christian Louboutine are dusting off this antique idea to make it sparkle anew, even claiming a trademark on the use of Pantone 18-1663 Chinese Red for soles. No surprise that European courts couldn’t be convinced of it.

Kandinsky described vermilion red as “a feeling of sharpness, like glowing steel that can be cooled by water”. Somewhat extravagant and rather eccentric, on January 31st 1907, the French “Le Matin” published the following challenge: “Will anyone agree to go from Peking to Paris by motorcar?” In the summer of the same year, the adventurous prince Borghese, well-traveled Italian aristocrat, won this race with his Italian poppy-red Turin. This inspired Enzo Ferrari to chose “Rosa corsa” for his emblematic car. Red Ferrari is synonymous for speed, cool design and immediate impression. In the 21st century, Elon Musk launched a cherry red Tesla roadster to Mars at the top of a giant rocket.

Our emotions are not only influenced by red, but we sometimes use red to describe them. We stop at red signs, avoid red alert; our ears are red when in the red; we save time on red-eye flights and correct them later on pictures. We paint the town red, see red when faced with red tape and even the most red-blooded amongst us crave red carpet treatment. Humans are among the few species who can see this wave length of light, 610-780 nanometers. Cats, dogs and even bulls, most famously irked by red, are color blind. What ignites bulls is the matadors’ movement of his cape, be it red, magenta or blue.

Red is this kind of color that can excite intense delight and admiration and can turn one on. Whether you chose to wear it soon, know its powers and remember Coco Chanels’ advice: “The best color in the whole World is the one that looks good on you.”