When Michelle Obama stepped onto the acceptance stage Tuesday, next to her president-elect husband, her red-and-black dress seemed to glow in the Chicago night. The red Narciso Rodriguez dress exuded warmth, confidence and a certain amount of daring. Scientists think they might know why.
A recent study conducted at the University of Rochester in New York found that men find women wearing red more sexually attractive than when wearing any other color.
The study presented men with pictures of women framed in either white or red, and men consistently found the red-framed women most appealing. Researchers then showed men photos of the same woman in red, green, blue and other colors, and red consistently won again.
The men in the study had to answer questions such as “Which woman would you ask to the prom?” and “If you had $100 in your wallet, how much would you spend on a date with each woman?” Overall, women in red got asked to the prom and received more expensive dates overall.
Researchers said the study is the first to lend scientific evidence to the psychological power of red, which has pervaded society for a long time. Some suggested the men were socially conditioned to find red most attractive, but others thought the answer was biological.
What’s going on
| University of Rochester researchers found that women wearing red are more sexually attractive to men than women in any other color. Men had no idea they were the most attracted to red. Researchers think the attraction is biological in primates. Some University women say red makes them feel confident and attractive, but some University men are ambivalent toward the color. |
University costume design professor Sandy Bonds said the study is interesting, but basically old news. People already associate red with love, passion and blood. In theater, a woman in red is often the “fallen woman,” a symbol of carnal passion. However, Bonds thought there was more to the issue.
“Context is just as important as the color,” she said.
A red Harvard sweatshirt doesn’t send the same message as a red evening gown does, and a red power suit – say, on Michelle Obama or Sarah Palin – says something different still. On a man, the color is almost entirely associated with power and not sexuality.
University junior Margot De Laittre said, while clothed in a bright red skirt, that she thought wearing that color, especially as a solid, took confidence.
It “definitely commands attention,” De Laittre said.
Junior Jessica McKain said she wore her red coat Thursday to look presentable for a job photo. She feels more confident in red, she said, and it’s one of her favorite colors.
“People definitely notice red a lot,” McKain said.
Men weren’t as sure. Sophomore Ben Brinich said he could understand red being attractive, but that “any vibrant color could work.”
Sophomore Andrew Burke had a different take. Red for him conjured up mental images of Hillary Clinton in a pantsuit – a look he didn’t find attractive at all.
When Brinich and Burke want to feel more attractive themselves, they both opt for brighter colors. Brinich said dressing up to meet a girl is a lot like dressing for an interview.
The two men said they had never considered which color was most attractive to them and remained lukewarm toward red when finally giving it thought. But researchers wouldn’t be surprised at that.
Researchers said it is normal for men not to be conscious of their inherent desire for red; most men studied had no idea the color would turn them on. Scientists suggest the attraction to red is so primal, men don’t notice it.
When it comes to sexual attraction, men may be animals after all.
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