Tribute to the hue: The iconic red

Here’s our tribute to the hue and all the flavour, inspiration and creativity it brings out in the world.

Every time I’ve seen a woman try to get back at her ex in a film, it usually starts with them dressing up seductively in a short red dress and parading her womanly goodness in front of him. And when a man wants to swoon over his lover in song, there’s usually a lyric or two about her red lips, her red kitten heels or her little red skirt.

Even animals are not immune to the seductive power of red. While bulls are supposedly colour blind, they are still instigated by the matador’s red cape, female baboons show their reddened behinds when they are ready to mate. From anger to love, happiness to extreme hate, a faster heartbeat to quick breathing, an aphrodisiac to a total turn-off, the colour red always brings out an intense emotion. With this popular perception about red in place, it’s not a surprise that us women like to stock at least one red item in our wardrobes and our makeup bags.

Listed below is everything that you might want to know about this colour.

Facts about red

1. The word red translated into Russian means “Beautiful”

2. Seeing “even a hint of red” on an exam can affect a test-takers performance “to a significant degree,” researchers reported in 2007.

3. As few as 2% people in the United States have red hair

4. The colour red can be intimidating — just ask Tiger Woods, who famously wears red on the final day of every golf tournament

5. Red is the colour most commonly found in national flags. Over 75 per cent of national flags of the world have red

Quotes on red

•  “When in doubt wear red” — Designer Bill Blass

•  “Out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air.” — Writer Sylvia Plath

•  “I painted my dining room red and I must say the conversation became very heated in that room.” — Actor Amanda Pays

Films about red

Red

Red is a 2010 film starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman. It is about a former black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses, who comes out of retirement and reassembles his old team to catch a high-tech assassin.

Three Colors: Red

This 1994 film is the final part in a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society. It is about a model who discovers that her neighbour is keen on invading people’s privacy.

Code Red

Released in 2001, Code Red is about a psychologically disturbed solider who is forced to come out of retirement to find his brother who disappeared in the jungle.

Songs about red

1. “The Woman In Red” — Stevie Wonder

2. “Lady In Red” — Chris De Burgh

3.   “Red Headed Woman”- Bruce Springsteen

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2012.