Wearing Red for Mental Health

I do wonder why very few people wear red. Red represents warmth, vitality, heat, passion, movement. A stirring of the imagination. As well as anger, that red flash we all experience when the blood is stirred.

I feel alive when I wear red. The colour gives me potential, possibilities, choices. This colour says: “Notice me. I’m not to be ignored. I matter. I’m alive. I claim my space.”

When I turned 50, I decided I was going to become a version of the ‘Wise Crone’ to honour my age, experience and wisdom. Go natural. No longer needed the protection of bright colours. I stopped dyeing my hair red. Grey was welcome. I imagined a new form of myself - a natural shiny, silver-haired individual, with flowing skirts, still stylish but no longer bold. I wore browns, beiges, muted greens.

My hair emerged not stylish white, but an uninviting, murky brown with salt & pepper grey streaks. This new version of myself I’d created was not welcome. I seemed to imbibe the neutrality of these clothes devoid of colour. Energy drained. My vitality had been stolen by my outer garments.

Felt ‘less than,’ unnoticed, ignored. Sought advice from friends. The majority opinion agreed with my perception.

‘Bring back the red person’, was the verdict. That experiment hit the bin.

Marsha Hunt made a TV documentary about her experience surviving breast cancer. She said that what kept her spirits up through the long haul of chemotherapy and radiation, losing her huge mane of hair, and being minus one breast, was applying her bright red lipstick, every day without fail.

“Because it made me feel better,” she said.

That made sense. Red in any shape or form is uplifting. When I put on a red jacket, skirt, scarf or earrings and the lipstick, I immediately feel stronger. I can face the world.

Wearing red, with my flaming scarlet hair, I feel bold. I feel better. 

As Kaffe Fassett said: “When in doubt add more colour.”

During the Second World War, the British government was aware of the psychological research that colour can have a positive effect on our emotions, heightening our sense of ourselves, helping us feel more powerful.

To fly in the face of the German threat to the country and raise spirits in order to help win the battle, they wanted to encourage women to wear bright colours and be stylish. They enlisted the help of Vogue magazine with their ‘Colour in Austerity’ campaign. Looking good became a metaphor for escaping the victim mentality.

Their argument was that wearing grey and black would make us feel low and defeated. If we all wore colour and well-designed clothes, we would feel better about ourselves. The nation’s spirits would be raised, and this would help people feel confident that the threat of German invasion could be overcome. Their propaganda message was: ‘Wear bright colours and we can win the war.’

Likewise, wearing vivid colours can help remind you of your energy and vitality.

Wearing red helps me remember that I am a red-headed, red- spirited fashionista. This colour is my choice. The choosing matters. Wearing red helps me walk tall and feel OK in my own skin.

If you’re feeling low or less than, try stepping out in some red and see what happens.

Author of ‘Wearing Red – One Woman’s Journey to Sanity’

Available from www.amazon.co.uk and www.browndogbooks.uk