I absolutely adore the color red! My eyes are automatically drawn to it wherever I go. I have tons of red clothes, so many, that my boyfriend suggested that I start buying different color clothes because my wardrobe was becoming an endless sea of red. So as I was photographing my lovely red shoes, I wondered what the color red means and what liking the color says about me as a person. After a little google search, this is what I came up with:

Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.

Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.

Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Click Here’ buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, ‘Lady in Red’, etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.

Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.

From that description it is evident that red has a dual identity. A good side and a dark side. Red can invoke emotions like danger and anger however, conversely, it can bring up feelings of love, passion, and determination. I care to look at the positive side of my favorite color because it is those attributes that I feel describe me perfectly. So here’s to the color red! You are still a favorite in my book and since things are much better with a picture… here are my lovely red shoes!

~Saadia Me*Chel