Red

By: Dakota D. Duran

Rojo, rouge, rosso, rot. The first color of ROYGBIV. Red is the tincture of passion, power, and provocation, and has captivated humanity for centuries. From the vibrant hues of a summer sunset to the deep crimson of a perfectly ripened apple, you can see it on the can of America’s favorite soda, the top of the soy sauce bottle at a Japanese restaurant , the hat of Father Christmas, the signs that are telling you to “exit” and “stop,” or even the ambulance that is about to go save someone’s life.  Many wear it on their lips to feel glamorous, particularly while strutting down a red carpet. At the 2024 Super Bowl, both teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, wore uniforms dominated by red, an event that also took place during Chinese Lunar New Year, a holiday that emphasizes red as a color of luck. 

Now, if there was a kingdom of all of the colors that exist in the world, red would be the queen. Imagine a confident, cosmopolitan individual that holds power and exudes self-assured vitality, while commanding respect. That’s red.

On a scientific note, red comes first and before every other color in terms of the rainbow, and it’s not because of its shade - it’s actually because of its size. The first person to ever write about the rainbow was Greek philosopher, Aristotle, in 350 BC, commenting on how the rainbow never completes a full circle, nor does it form any segment larger than a semicircle. He also formed a theory that suggests that the presence of rainbows relies on the existence of creatures capable of sight. In the 1660s, Sir Isaac Newton figured out how the play of light produces rainbows and named the color sequence red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, or ROYGBIV.  Newton noted that red comes first because red has the longest wavelength, measuring at around 780 nanometers, bending at about a 42 degree angle. While 780 nanometers is miniscule, being about the size of your pointer finger in comparison to the Earth, sunlight will project this phenomenon across the entire sky. In simple terms, when sunlight is reflected onto a droplet of water, it splits the white light into a cone of the color spectrum, with red always being the part of the circle with the largest circumference. Red is the most noticeable of all the colors because it is refracted the least.

While red makes its statement to the world with its size, psychologically, red is also the most conspicuous tinge. Riveting and bright, red grabs people’s attention and stimulates their minds (Color Research and Application). For instance, in a study conducted by Curtin University in Western Australia, undergraduate and postgraduate students were placed in a simulated study environment with six colors (vivid red, vivid blue, vivid yellow, pale red, pale blue, and pale yellow) to determine their individual effects on the students’ emotions, heart rate, and learning performance. When students were placed in a red study room, they appeared to be more distracted and energetic, with elevated heart and respiratory rates. In study rooms painted pale blue or pale yellow, the students had low to moderate heart rates. While red is seen to have an effect on human brains, it does the same to animal brains as well. Delving into bullfighting lore, a red cape has been a staple to the physical contest for hundreds of years. Matadors consistently taunt bulls by flashing a red cape. It’s not that the bulls hate the accessory, but rather that cattle only possess two types of retinal cones, with the perceptual assessments revealing that cattle can distinguish between red and green, but they cannot differentiate between green and blue hues. Much like the students in the study environment, the bulls were also found to be more sprightly under red lighting (Scientific American). Because red essentially presses the “start” button on our brains, it is known as the color that humans choose as a signal of danger. Red fire trucks, stop signs, and traffic lights all relate to jeopardy and vigilance, only making us more alert each time we see them. 

Red makes people stand out in other ways, and even though individuals have different preferences when it comes to colors, it has been consistently shown that people who wear red are rated as more attractive by the opposite sex (APA PsychNet). Perhaps this is because of the specific association between the color and sexual arousal. Because blood flow increases during excitement, the skin may appear flushed. In a study published in 2008 by the American Psychological Association, men were given two pictures of the same woman, wearing red in one and wearing blue in the other. The results  showed that the men would rate the picture of the woman wearing red as more sexually desirable, even though it was the same woman in both pictures. This psychological effect applies to makeup as well, with a red lip color also being appealing (Psychology Today). 

However, because red is also a color of power and determination, women often wear the color, whether it be on their lips or their clothes, when wanting to channel their inner “boss babe.” The bold lip can be traced back centuries, starting with the Ancient Egyptians. It was an indicator of social status, with the shade indicating one as “upper-class.” They would make the lipstick out of crushed bugs, which is actually an ingredient that can be found in some lipsticks today (I hope this doesn’t make you throw away that $20 lipstick) (Axiology Beauty).  The lip shade began to trend again once Queen Elizabeth began to wear a crimson lip color against her snow-white skin, a look that continued to indicate that one had a higher-class status than others. The ingredients, luckily, switched from crushed bugs to beeswax and red-plant based dyes. While Egypt and England made the makeup look as one to be considered “elite,” Ancient Greece made it the opposite. By law, prostitutes were required to wear a red lip, making it known that they are not one of the upper class. This formula was made from crocodile droppings, sheep sweat, and red dye. The iconic lip color, however, was primarily seen and popularized during the Women’s Suffrage Movement in 1912, with leaders Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton wearing red lipstick when fighting for equal rights and a woman’s right to vote. And, while the Fifth Avenue suffragette march route in New York City was taking place, Elizabeth Arden, a businesswoman who developed several cosmetic lines, was handing out free tubes of red lipstick to everyone marching herself (Fashion is Psychology). Red lipstick continued to give women a sense of purpose during the World War II era, as Hitler was known to hate red lipstick. If a woman were to visit Germany, there were explicit instructions given before their travel, instructing them to not wear excessive makeup, and specifically not red lipstick or nail polish. To demonstrate their rebellion against the dictator, allied women decided to wear both. This inspired cosmetic companies to release certain shades, with names such as “Montezuma Red” and “Victory Red,” (We are the Mighty). 

Red also turns up in common phrases. That guy that said “I love you” before the first date and constantly brings up his ex-girlfriend? Consider him a “red flag.” Currently having financial loss? I guess you’re “in the red.” Imagine you’re complaining about your day to someone and they jump in and say how your problems aren’t as unfortunate as theirs - congratulations, you just caught a “red herring” in the wild. Have you had a week where you have been nothing but distressed, leaving you to only “see red,” and need an enjoyable night out? It’s time for you to “paint the town red.” Be careful not to drink and drive, though, otherwise you will be caught “red handed, ” only making you want to take the next late-night “red-eye” flight. But, who knows? Maybe that night out will be your new favorite memory, and you can make it your new “red-letter day.”

While red is heard throughout everyday phrases, it is also seen throughout almost every culture in the world. In China, red is often employed as a symbol of luck due to its deeply rooted cultural significance. Red, known as "hóng" in Chinese, represents joy, fortune, and happiness. It is associated with celebrations, prosperity, and good fortune in various aspects of life. The color red is prominently featured during important festivals and ceremonies, such as Chinese New Year and weddings, to ward off evil spirits and attract positive energy. Additionally, red is believed to symbolize vitality, power, and success. Its use in traditional Chinese culture has endured for centuries, shaping the perception of red as an auspicious and revered color (National Museum of Asian Art). 

In Indian culture, the bindi, often worn on the forehead between the eyebrows, is commonly red due to its rich symbolism and historical significance. The red bindi holds multifaceted meanings, representing various aspects of a woman's identity and beliefs. Red is associated with auspiciousness, passion, vitality, and fertility in Indian traditions. Additionally, it symbolizes the energy of the female essence, particularly the goddess Shakti, who embodies strength and power. The red bindi is also linked to the concept of marriage and signifies a woman's marital status, with married women typically adorning a red bindi. Furthermore, red is believed to protect against negative energies and ward off evil spirits. Thus, the red bindi not only serves as a decorative adornment but also carries deep cultural and spiritual significance in Indian society (Britannica).

So, the color red. The shade you see on the bug with all of the tiny black dots, the apple you are about to bite into, that sea creature that pinches you, the lobster from “The Little Mermaid,” the blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it all throughout our body, and the planet Mars.