Red. The color that communicates power, passion and dominance. As long as beauty products have scattered the earth, worldwide culture decided that a red lip would be associated with romance, glamour and sex appeal. Is it just culture that decided this, or is it science? What makes red lipstick such a timeless classic look? Today I will try to delve into the psychology behind this age old fashion staple.
I remember the first day I decided to rock a crimson red lip. I was twenty years old and had been too shy to wear such a stand out color before. Amusingly, I decided to wear it to a weekly religious gathering. From the moment I stepped out of the car until I left the building three hours later, I was getting stares, compliments and one of the older men in my neighborhood even went, "Wow! Those are red lips!", while his wife stood beside him. I was shocked yet amused at all the attention I got just because I changed the shade of my makeup. Aside from that, something else changed when I donned my scarlet lips. It was almost like I gained an inner female superpower that gave me an ounce of extra confidence.
I found this excerpt from another blog:
"For centuries, red lips have largely been seen as a stamp of immorality. In more God-fearing medieval times, it was believed that creating a plump, sexualised mouth would earn you a fast-track ticket to hell. Several hundred years later, Parliament passed a law condemning lipstick, considering it a sign of witchcraft."
Some of the earliest ladies who sported a red lip were ancient Egyptians (winged eyeliner too? Dang they had it right!) and Queen Elizabeth I who transformed it into something majestic.
Now lets talk about the actual color, and the effect it has on the human brain when your eyes absorb it's hue. According to several studies, when people saw the color red, the emotions that were felt were lust, excitement and love. Now think about the effects that may have if you applied that color to one of the most sexual areas of a human's face. The perfect combination of sexy, smart and classy all wrapped up in to a lethal man trap!
So here is my challenge to you. This week, wear a red lip for a day and observe how it makes you feel and how your associates react to it. Leave a comment if you have an interesting experience to share. Who knows, it might just be fun!
http://www.psychologies.co.uk/body/the-power-of-red-lipstick.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/color_red.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology
