How do you feel when you wear the color red? What do you think of women who are dressed in red? A recent study from University of Rochester showed that women may feel sexually threatened when they see another woman wearing red, as they assume that she is a sexual threat.
In the study, the researchers performed three experiments.
First, they showed women pictures of a woman wearing a red or white dress. Actually, they showed the participants the exact same woman wearing the exact same dress but they digitally changed it to red in some photos and to white in others. In all photos the woman’s face was blurred out but she still appeared attractive.
They asked the participants questions like “How interested in sex is she?” and “How seductive is she?” The answers were graded on a sliding scale ranging from, “No, not at all" to "Yes, definitely."
More women said that the woman in the red dress was “more open to sexual encounters" than the one in white, according to ABCnews.com.
In the second part of the study the researchers asked the participants to imagine that they were competing with the woman in the photograph for the attention of an attractive man. They asked the participants whether they thought the woman in the photo would cheat on a man and whether they thought she was well off financially.
Significantly more participants had negative things to say about the woman in the photo, reported the Washingtonpost.com.
In the final part of the study, the researchers changed the color of the outfit from white to green to rule out any perceptions of purity or virginity the participants might have had. Instead of a dress, the woman in the photo wore a blouse but the blouse was sleeveless and strapless so it still showed a lot of skin.
The woman in the photo wearing the red blouse was still rated as more sexually receptive than when she wore the green blouse.
Limitations of the study are whether the responses would be different using different color clothing such as black, which is considered to be a sexy color. Also, the woman in photo was Caucasian and the nationalities of the participants and their ages were not reported.
Culturally, the color red can also signal other meanings. In China, the color red symbolizes good luck, white is used for mourning and in death, and green can mean self-assurance.
Previous studies have shown that men are drawn sexually to women wearing the color red, but women who are wearing red may not know they are sending that message.
Adam Pazda, a graduate student involved in the study, indicated that from a practical standpoint this information about the ramifications of wearing red when a woman does not want to send a sexually charged message is good to know. Situations such a job interviews or other first meetings might not be a good time to wear red.
“You might be seen to be sending the signal that you’re on the sexual prowl,” said Pazda. “It might help you to be more informed you’re putting out that signal.”
The study was published in the July issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and was a joint venture between the University of Rochester and Trnava University in Slovakia and the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Click here to watch the interview with Adam Pazda.
Sources:
Women feel threatened by ‘the lady in red’. University of Rochester News. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/women-feel-threatened-by-the-lady-in...
Women wearing red are viewed as more sexually threatening by other women. Washington Post.com. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/women-wearing-red-...
Women See Other Gals Dressed in Red as Sexual Threat, Study Finds. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/women-gals-dressed-red-sexual-threat-study-...
Symbolism of Colours, Asscociations of The Five Elements, Chinese Beliefs, and Feng Shui. One World—Nations online. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/colours.htm
Pazda AD. et al. Red and Romantic Rivalry: Viewing Another Woman in Red Increases Perceptions of Sexual Receptivity, Derogation, and Intentions to Mate-Guard. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2014 Jul 11. pii: 0146167214539709. [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25015338?dopt=Abstract
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele are at http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/499625/michele_blacksberg.html
Edited by Jody Smith