So you want to wear all red but you’re not sure if it’s okay to do. Well, the simple answer to your question is that your body is your own and whatever you choose to put on your body is your choice. That is one of the few freedoms we have the power to own with only fear of what people will say being the consequence for choosing not to adhere to the standards and rules. Besides, you can put together some really interesting all red looks. Check out this screenshot from Google Images showing some interesting all red outfit ideas.
Red is such a bold fun color that is known to elevate mood and potentially enhance confidence. It seems unfortunate that there are negative ideas associated with wearing red clothing that might lead to people avoiding wearing red.
Wear all red if you want to, but keep these few things in mind…
When asking yourself if it’s okay to wear all red, here are some things for you to consider:
Before we did a bit of research to better approach this question, our first thought was “Is it okay with whom?” we were going to ask you, “Whose life is it that you’re living? And who decides what’s okay for you to do and not as it relates to what you wear?” We stand by our belief that the answer to the question “Wear all red – is it okay?” should be as simple as that–wear what you decide is okay for you to wear. But after doing some research, we’ve come to the realization that things which ought to be simple are often made complicated by social practices. And sometimes, not knowing that something we do or say or wear can send a message to people who have certain beliefs about certain things, can get us into trouble.
Is it true that wearing red in certain areas of certain cities in the US can put you in some danger?
Red is just a color right? It should be safe to wear red without people assuming anything about you, or having time to care one way or another what you’re wearing in the first place. But according to information we found via Google while researching the question “Is it okay to wear all red?”, the color red is (or once used to be) a signal of affiliation with one group over another in some US neighborhoods known for dissension between the opposing groups–dissension that is typically expressed through violent measures. Whether it is true or not that wearing red in certain areas of certain cities in the US can put you in some danger, we cannot authoritatively say. But if this is so, one can imagine that if wearing red in any degree could be considered your way of showing allegiance to one group, then wearing all red might scream your allegiance as a challenge and invite a possible confrontation. It might be wise to know if there are groups in any town where you might venture out wearing all red that associate the color with a challenge or insult to their group.
Is it true that only certain types of women wear red?
Apparently, women who wear red have loose values. Red on a woman, whether it’s red lipstick, a red dress, a pair of red shoes, tells the rest of the world that she’s wild and after one thing only. Here’s an excerpt from a Times magazine article written by Alice Park July 13 2014 (The Strange Social Science of the Color Red)
When it comes to sex and women, red is the first color you think of, right? Red lips, red lingerie, red dress. Studies show men perceive women who wear red on dating profiles as both sexier and more open to a sexual encounter.
Red, it seems, sends a very clear message—about sex. And now scientists add to the scarlet sex literature with this piece of data, which we reported on earlier, in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin – turns out it’s not just men, but women too who see women who dress in red as more overtly sexual and open to having sex.
On a personal note, our editor in chief Adela aka Monica aka singer songwriter Adelamonica donned an all red outfit to take promotional selfies in connection with her music career in January (2022). Although she was aware red can be considered a risky color to wear, it never occurred to her that she might be seen in a certain light because of her choice to wear red. She really just wanted to take some pictures in her red stiletto thigh high boots and she decided to go all out and wear all red for her selfie photo session.
Avenuesixty: Now that you know people see a woman in red as being somehow wild and having loose values, will you start to think twice before you wear red?
Adelamonica: I don’t think so. I don’t have a conscious love for red to the extent that I would say it’s a favorite color necessarily, but I do subconsciously gravitate to red (and blue) more than to any other colors. And I don’t plan to now consciously try to avoid red just because people associate it with one unsavory thing or another. I generally wear red lipstick. For some reason I’ve been convinced since I was a teenager that it’s the only color that works to elevate my confidence. I could be wrong, but I’ve yet to find a lip color that I’ve liked more than red. And I’m not going to stop wearing red lipstick or red anything for fear of what people might say about it.”
We get it. Society has “rules” about things. And one of the things about which society has rules is what’s okay to wear and what’s not.
But why are there rules about what’s okay to wear and what’s not? Your body is your own and whether or not to wear all red is really your choice. If you want to wear all red then do it. It’s nobody’s business what you wear.
But it’s true, people can be cruel. And they like to talk about other people and what they’re doing, what they’re wearing. And people judge what you do and what you wear according to what they believe is okay for you to do and okay for you to wear. And what they believe is usually based on the “rules”. So if the fashion rules say you shouldn’t wear all red, you might find yourself being ridiculed for wearing all red.
Ultimately, we’ve always maintained and will continue to maintain that you should wear whatever you want to wear because it’s your body and you have the freedom to put on your body whatever you want to put on your body. Just have the confidence to ignore any criticism you might receive. And also consider where you are going and whether it might be best to save your all red outfit for another occasion and location.