The color red represents different meanings to different people and cultures. In Chinese culture red symbolizes good luck and is believed to ward away evil, hence, the reason you often find red front doors in China. However, in American culture, red habitually signifies sex and sexual openness.

A new collaborative study by researchers at the University of Rochester, Trnava University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences aims to establish what information the color red conveys to women. The research observes how women perceive the color red worn by another female, if they view other women dressed in red as appearing more sexually receptive and if those perceptions would result in a woman guarding her mate against those women.

Woman wearing red dressShare on Pinterest
Previous studies have demonstrated that men perceive a display of red by a woman to be a signal of sexual receptivity but until now women’s impressions of other women wearing red have been largely neglected.

If red is associated with sex, then does wearing red make a woman sexier and more sexually receptive?

Popular culture would indicate an unmistakable yes, with movies such as Pretty Woman portraying Julia Roberts in a revealing red dress, Jessica Rabbit in her jaw-dropping glitzy number and, of course, the scene from American Beauty with the raining red rose petals on a naked Mena Suvari. Imagery linked to passion is often red: red roses, red lipstick, red lingerie, red heart boxes of candy on Valentine’s, the “red light district.”

Previous studies have demonstrated that men perceive a display of red by a woman to be a signal of sexual receptivity but until now women’s impressions of other women wearing red have been largely neglected.

The study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin aimed to test the following three hypotheses regarding women’s perception of and reactions toward another woman in red (relative to other colored) clothing:

Hypothesis 1: Women will perceive another woman wearing red as sexually receptive.

Hypothesis 2: Women will explicitly derogate the sexual fidelity (but not financial resources) of another woman wearing red.

Hypothesis 3: Women in a committed romantic relationship will intend to guard their mate against another woman wearing red.

To test the hypotheses the researchers, including lead researcher Adam Pazda, developed three experiments.

Experiment 1: Perceptions of sexual receptivity

The researchers selected 196 women between the ages of 18-65 (mean age 30) and invited to follow a weblink to access a study about “forming impressions of others.” The participants were instructed to view a photograph of an individual for 5 seconds, and then proceed to a questionnaire assessing their impression of that individual.

Participants were assigned randomly to view either a woman wearing a red dress, or a woman wearing a white dress – aside from the dress color, the images were exactly the same.

Perceived sexual receptivity was evaluated using statements such as “This person is interested in sex,” and responses were made by moving a slider anchored from “No, not at all” to “Yes, definitely.”

Results of the experiment showed that participants rated the woman in red as more sexually receptive than the woman in white. Relationship status appeared to not have a significant effect on their opinion.

Experiment 2: Derogation

Experiment 2 sought to investigate whether female participants would derogate another female wearing red, relative to white, clothing. Sexual receptivity and promiscuity are often viewed as closely connected notions, and implying a woman is promiscuous could be seen as an approach for undermining their value as a potential mate.

This experiment – which involved 327 participants – was conducted similarly to the first, with two exceptions:

  1. Text appeared above the target photograph: “Please imagine that the person in this photograph is competing against you for the attention of an attractive man”
  2. Perceived sexual receptivity was accessed with two additional variables. Assessment was made to evaluate whether participants would derogate two different characteristics of the target female: derogation of fidelity and finances. Questions included “I would guess that this woman cheats on men” and “I would guess that this woman has no money,” with a slider anchored from “No, not at all” to “Yes, definitely.”

Pazda explains:

Derogation [involves] speaking poorly of another person to make them seem inferior, undesirable, or unlikeable, while making oneself seem superior and more likable by contrast. Mate-guarding is the act of protecting one’s own romantic partner from romantic or sexual encounters with others.”

Participants exposed to the competitive mating text perceived the target female as more sexually receptive and derogated the sexual fidelity of the target in red.

Experiment 3: Mate-guarding

In experiment 3, the researchers changed the color white to green, to devoid white associations of purity and virginity. Web-based design was replaced with printed media, and a different model was used, with the attire changed from a dress to a shirt. The 143 participants were located in an Eastern European country rather than the US.

“Using green allowed us to equate both hues on lightness and chroma, which allowed for a more rigorous, controlled test of the red effect.” says Pazda.

In addition to perceived sexual receptivity, participants’ intentions of guarding their romantic partner against the target female were assessed with questions such as “How likely would you be to introduce this person to your boyfriend?” and “How likely would you be to let your boyfriend spend time alone with this person?”

Results indicate that women are more likely to guard their partner from a woman in red if they are in a committed relationship.

The researchers’ hypotheses were supported across all three experiments and consistent with two different target females, wearing two varying styles of clothing of chromatic and achromatic colors.

Women perceived another women in red as more sexually receptive, derogated a red-clad woman’s sexual fidelity, but not her financial resources and those in a relationship, were more likely to guard their partner against a woman in red.

The present research demonstrates red’s influence on female perceptions and behavioral intention. The scale to which social pairings of red with female sexuality or an underlying biological predisposition (or both) is responsible for perceptions and reactions remains unknown. The results suggest color signals are interpreted similarly across sexes.

The color photographs were manipulated using Adobe Photoshop CS2 to change the color of the female’s attire and thus her sexual receptivity according to the experiment. In the words of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” character Jessica Rabbit, known for her glitzy red attire, “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”