This may seem like a weird thing to write about, but you might be surprised by just how significant the color red truly is.
Most colors out there have one specific meaning, like yellow for happiness and white for purity, but red has so many meanings that people don't even recognize. Most people look at red as the color of love or anger, but it's so much more than even those two.
My girl Taylor Swift describes in her song "Red," that the color red is a whirlwind of emotions that cover the positives and negatives of a relationship. In other words it is the color of extremes. It's arguable to say that love is the most powerful emotion, so it makes sense that a color with so much meaning and intensity would represent it.
However, the color red can also be applied to life in general.
Positive and bold words associated with red include love, lust, romantic, passionate, strong, sexy, courageous, and radiant. Besides the obvious sexual connections to the color, it's also daring and striking. For example, it always gets a lot of attention when worn on a red carpet, and the actress wearing it is often admired for her fearlessness and bold choice in picking said color-- there's no doubt that it's a statement. Red is also said to be the most eye catching, with white and black following it. Psychology says that it excites our spirit and promotes determination and confidence.
Negative words associated with the color include anger, rage, danger, wrath, stress, jealousy, and frustration. There's no doubt that these words can evoke some of the worst parts of ourselves and often times the parts we don't want everyone to see, but that's what makes it definitive of the other extreme.
When someone gets angry, jealous or stressed, don't they turn red? It's natural that because of this physical phenomena, the connection of red to these emotions came to be. When you think of red you also think of the darkness behind it, such as the common representation of the devil, which is where the dangerous and evil element of the color come into play.
Red is the color of love, fire, blood, and no doubt it's the most vibrant color around. Therefore it's understandable that it came to be connected with these powerful extremes. In many Asian cultures the color red is worn by the bride on her wedding day because it is associated with good fortune, in India a red mark on the forehead is said to bring good luck, in Singapore red represents joy, in England red has become iconic due to their phone booths and tour buses, red represents beauty in Russia, and in the Catholic church red represents feast days for martyrs, and so much more.
The color has more meaning than what we realize on the surface. I wanted to write this because red is my favorite color, and there's really no other color that shares as much significance.
The next time you wear red, think about what word you are trying to portray to the world with the color, no matter what... I know it'll be powerful. For those whose favorite color is also red, try to contain your temper, but regardless I know you're a strong and bold individual, so never forget that.
