The Psychology Behind Wearing Certain Colors

People wear black to funerals. Brides typically wear white to their weddings. Depending on the seasons, people wear certain colors. We tend to associate different colors with different external conditions, whether it be an event, a season, or a political statement. So what does the color you’re wearing today tell you about the image that you are trying to convey?

Red

Red is bold and exudes romance, passion, and confidence, making it favored by politicians when trying to assert themselves or by individuals going on a date. Red shows that you are bold and full of passion and confidence, but does not go overboard with boldness and still looks mature. You should definitely wear red if you want to draw attention to yourself, whether that attention be romantic or not.

Orange

Orange is another bold color, like her big sister, red, but she’s not as serious or romantic. You might find it in nurseries, preschools, and pediatrician’s offices since orange often connotes excitement and playfulness. Despite its welcoming reputation, orange has recently demonstrated itself as a bold color in fashion, making it perfect for those of you who aren’t afraid of a little risk-taking, while also showing off your playful, youthfully energetic side. I would recommend wearing red on days you want to stand out but also want to convey a fun, energetic vibe - think: a safety cone, but make it fashion.

Yellow

Yellow is sunny and warm, making it synonymous with summer, happiness, and fun. Although yellow knows how to have fun, it also knows how to work, being known to improve concentration, which explains why it is the color of legal pads and highlighters. Yellow shows that you are feeling happy and concentrated, as well as a feeling of adventure and willingness to take risks. Wear yellow on days when you want a little extra boost of happiness, are already feeling happy, or if you want to be especially concentrated and inspired at work or school. Go for sunshine, though, rather than Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George.

Green

Green is very complex. Depending on the shade, it can be a nature and serenity moment, but it can also radiate financial stability, following the rules, and say “I have an active social life.” This is due largely to the fact that the color green is associated with a variety of things- nature, money, envy, military, gemstones, etc.- so when wearing green, shade is everything. Wear a bright green if you’re going for a fresh, nature-vibe look, a muted or pastel green for a serene or relaxed look, an army green for a look that says seriousness and readiness to follow rules, and a nice dark green for those social events when you really want to impress.

Blue

Blue is probably one of the most popular clothing colors and for a good reason. It conveys loyalty, trustworthiness, intelligence, and confidence and produces a calming effect for the wearer and those the wearer interacts with, making it a go-to for job interviews, auditions, political speeches or other events. For the aforementioned reasons, blue is also favored in hospitals, most noticeably in surgical scrubs, and logos, specifically bank logos, since you want to trust the people who are handling your money. Wear blue for any event you want to feel calm and look confident, trustworthy, intelligent, and poised.

Purple

Purple is royal and sophisticated, since in the past it was extremely expensive to dye things purple, but also indicates creativity, a strong personality, unpredictability, and confidence. Purple is polarizing, one of those colors that either you love or hate, but those who do like the color purple love its regal, creative, and unpredictable nature. This color is great for important meetings or presentations where you want to give off an air of authority and confidence with a splash of mystery, and for creative events due to the color’s creative and whimsical nature, most notably associated with creative figures such as Prince.

Pink

Like red, pink is associated with love, especially since it’s associated with quite a few lingerie brands, but unlike red, does not connote passion, but instead softness and affection. Pink is loving, comforting, kind, and vulnerable, making it one of the most popular wedding colors. Although it can be easy to dismiss the color pink as soft, there is also an aspect of sophistication and power in the color, as seen in ladies such as Jackie Kennedy, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elle Woods. Pink is perfect if you have a romantic date, a wedding, are meeting your boo’s parents for the first time, or anywhere really since pink is versatile. Then again, I’m a bit biased since this is my favorite color.

Brown

For too long brown has been misunderstood. It’s often overlooked and wrongly classified as a “boring” color. However, there’s nothing boring about commitment, stability, intelligence, or rationality, which are all attributes the color brown conveys. This color is rumored to make it easier to strike up conversations with people, since as a natural color it makes the wearer appear to be down-to-earth. Brown is a great color to wear when attending an event in which you’ll be meeting a lot of new people and wish to mingle, or to an important meeting or idea pitch, since these are events in which you’ll want to convey such qualities as being down-to-earth, intelligent, and rational.

White

Weddings and certain religious ceremonies, like Baptism and First Communion, are associated with white because of its symbolism of innocence, new beginnings, and purity. White also symbolizes perfection, balance, organization, and simplicity. Since white clothing gets dirty very easily, wearing it gives the impression of neatness (I can practically hear my mom saying even though I look neat, I’m still not eating spaghetti and meatballs while wearing white). White is versatile since it can look very polished and professional, but it can also be very relaxed and casual. Wear white in professional setting or for a nice beach outfit. Just don’t wear it to a wedding if you’re not the bride!

Gray

Gray is a neutral that is neither too light nor too dark, giving the wearer an element of mystery, neutrality, and maturity. Gray is a favored professional color because it doesn’t attract too much attention (unless you’re Ariana Grande at the Grammy’s) and gives off an impression of neutrality and maturity. The color really lets the wearer display what they want to display, since it is harder to tell what the person wearing gray is like due to that mysterious element of not drawing attention to themselves. Wear gray if you want to look sophisticated and mature without wearing a color too dark, like black, or too light, like white. Gray is a good color to wear in a professional environment, such as job interview, but it is also stunning in formal gowns and suits as well as in casual clothing like sweaters.

Black

Finally, we come to black. Black is classic, elegant, powerful, serious, and intelligent, the color worn by many from fashion icons to Justices. Wearing black shows someone who is ambitious, powerful, and/or elegant, or at least wishes to be perceived as such, but also someone who is sensitive and pays attention to detail. Black creates clean lines which flatter any body type and the color is versatile for any person or occasion, whether it be a wedding, a date, or a day of work or class. Wear black when you want to feel powerful and elegant and give off the impression of being serious, intelligent, and sophisticated.

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