Fashion designer Bill Blass has been known to say, “Whenever in doubt, wear red.” And we’ll admit, there really is nothing like a red dress (or red shoes or a red lipstick) to make one feel just a little bit sexier.
Red has long been associated with love and passion. As Leslie Harrington, executive director of the Color Association of the United States, told HuffPost, almost everyone around the world equates red with love. Part of the reason we make that connection, Harrington explained, may have to do with the fact that red is related to blood, which is related to the heart, which has become a symbol of love.
There doesn’t appear to be a specific moment in history when people began thinking of red as the color of love. But Harrington notes that over time, red has become a signifier for various aspects of life.
“Red means fire. Red means blood. Red means heart. Red means love,” she said. “When we get passionate, we get hot, so we think of red.”
And when you wear red, the color can affect the way people perceive you. If you want to be perceived as sexy, red is “the color to wear,” Harrington said.
That seems to be especially true if you’re a woman trying to get a man’s attention.
In one study, discussed in a 2010 blog post at Psychology Today, researchers showed men an image of a woman and asked them to rate her attractiveness. Some of the men saw a photo in which the woman was wearing red, while the others saw a photo of the woman wearing blue. The men rated the woman in red as being more desirable.
In that same study, men were also shown images of a woman against different color backgrounds ― red, white, gray or green ― and asked to rate her attractiveness. Men found the woman standing against the red background to be more attractive.
In another study, Harrington said, researchers found that men prefer blue-based reds, whereas women prefer yellow-based reds.
“The study went so far as to say if a woman [wanted to get a guy], make sure your lipstick is blue-based, not yellow-based,” Harrington said. (Just a reminder: Everyone should just wear whatever lipstick shade they like best. Or no lipstick at all. You do you, always.)
There are a number of different shades in the red spectrum, many of which connote different ranges of emotions. Pink, for example, might represent the love one has for a child. It’s sweet and innocent, the “softer side of red,” Harrington said. Meanwhile, a more vibrant, traditional red may be indicative of the type of passionate love you share with a spouse or romantic partner. Red also has some X-rated associations, as with Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District, known for legal prostitution, sex shops and brothels.
Red, though, represents more than just love. As Harrington noted, many people associate it with anger. (Even the angry emoji is a red face.) “Red literally has a love/hate relationship with itself,” she said.
The fiery shade is also associated with power, Harrington said. If the president wears a red tie, for example, it is likely intended to convey power rather than sex appeal. It has “that domineering, confident, don’t-mess-with-me kind of strength to it,” she said. Historically, she added, red was worn by the wealthy and the elite, as it was one of the most expensive colors to produce.
Harrington went on to explain that, from a physiological standpoint, when people see the color red, their bodies have a physical reaction that mimics the feelings one experiences when falling in love, such as an increased heart rate.
“It’s an emotional and physiological connection that happens,” Harrington said. “The other colors aren’t quite as lucky as red to have this really strong connection to things.”
At the end of the day, the color red, like women themselves, contains multitudes. In some ways, it’s cute, but it can also be powerful, sexy, sensual and erotic. And, of course, it’s bold and beautiful.
Celebrities In Red
Bella Hadid(01 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing an Alexandre Vauthier dress at "The Unknown Girl (La Fille Inconnue)" premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2016, in Cannes, France. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Rihanna(02 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing an Azzedine Alaia gown at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (credit:Jason Merritt/TERM via Getty Images)
Kristen Stewart(03 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Julien Macdonald dress at the 31st American Cinematheque Award Presentation Honoring Amy Adams Presented at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Nov. 10, 2017, in Beverly Hills, California. (credit:John Sciulli via Getty Images)
Priyanka Chopra(04 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Jason Wu dress at the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on Sept. 18, 2016, in Los Angeles. (credit:Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)
Amy Adams(05 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Valentino gown at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Jan. 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, California. (credit:Steve Granitz via Getty Images)
Lupita Nyong'o(06 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Ralph Lauren cape dress at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Jan. 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, California. (credit:Jason Merritt/TERM via Getty Images)
Marilyn Monroe(07 of25)
Open Image ModalPosing with a white carnation in a 1955 photo. (credit:Gene Lester via Getty Images)
Jennifer Lawrence(08 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Calvin Klein dress at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 27, 2011, in Los Angeles. (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Nicole Kidman(09 of25)
Open Image ModalDressed in a Balenciaga gown at the 79th Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 25, 2007, in Los Angeles. (credit:Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)
Selena Gomez(10 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Givenchy dress at the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 22, 2015, in Los Angeles. (credit:Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images)
Amal Clooney(11 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a custom John Galliano for Maison Margiela gown at the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015, in New York City. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
Sophia Loren(12 of25)
Open Image ModalPosing for a photo in a red dress, circa 1955. (credit:John Springer Collection via Getty Images)
January Jones(13 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Versace dress at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Jan. 16, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California. (credit:Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)
Lucy Liu(14 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Versace gown at the 72nd annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, March 26, 2000. (credit:KMazur via Getty Images)
Viola Davis(15 of25)
Open Image ModalIn an Armani Privé gown at the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on Feb. 26, 2017, in Los Angeles. (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Karlie Kloss(16 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Rosie Assoulin dress at the Red Obsession party to celebrate L'Oreal Paris' partnership with Paris Fashion Week on March 8, 2016, in Paris. (credit:David M. Benett via Getty Images)
Gigi Hadid(17 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Diane von Furstenberg dress at the "China: Through the Looking Glass" 2015 Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. (credit:Lars Niki via Getty Images)
Kate Winslet(18 of25)
Open Image ModalIn an Elie Saab gown at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sept. 18, 2011, in Los Angeles. (credit:Dan MacMedan via Getty Images)
Jane Fonda(19 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Roberto Cavalli gown at the "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" premiere during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2012, in Cannes, France. (credit:Dominique Charriau via Getty Images)
Audrey Hepburn(20 of25)
Open Image ModalDescending the Daru Staircase at the Louvre in Paris, in a scene from the film "Funny Face," 1957. (credit:Archive Photos via Getty Images)
Halle Berry(21 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing an Elie Saab gown at the 74th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, March 24, 2002. (credit:S. Granitz via Getty Images)
Irina Shayk(22 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Michael Kors dress at a dinner honoring Halle Berry as she joins Michael Kors and the United Nations World Food Programme to help fight world hunger, on April 6, 2013, in New York City. (credit:Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images)
Natalie Portman(23 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing a Dior Haute Couture gown at the opening ceremony and premiere of "La Tete Haute" ("Standing Tall") during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2015, in Cannes, France. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Cate Blanchett(24 of25)
Open Image ModalWearing an Armani Privé gown at the 2nd Annual AACTA Awards at The Star on January 30, 2013, in Sydney. (credit:Don Arnold via Getty Images)
Krysten Ritter(25 of25)
Open Image ModalIn a Julien Macdonald dress at the "Marvel's The Defenders" New York premiere at Tribeca Performing Arts Center on July 31, 2017, in New York City. (credit:Michael Stewart via Getty Images)