Color Meanings and Moods – What Do Your Whites Say about You?

Many colors have different meanings, and often the color you decide to wear can reflect your mood – and this is subconscious a lot of times.

Personality traits can often be reflected by one’s preferred color of clothing. Some people only choose blue in various hues, while others are drawn to whites. The colors of the clothes we wear are a form of non-verbal communication. They also work on one’s psyche to give a confidence boost or uplift the mood when anxious or sad.

Let’s see what your clothing choice says about you:

Black

Strictly speaking, ‘true black’ isn’t a colour^[1], but an absence of colour. The absence of colour is often used to convey power and authority, but can also be secretive, hiding vulnerabilities or insecurities. Many people suffering from body issues consciously choose black, because they believe black is a slimming colour. Black also conveys sophistication and affluence – take a cue from the terms ‘black tie event’ and the ‘little black dresses’.

But any stain in lighter colours stands out starkly on black clothing. Baby food, milk and milky tea stains can often stand out far more than if it were on white, or a lighter colour. 

When it comes to washing stains out of your black clothing, your usual detergent might not be enough. In fact, detergents might not only fail to remove stains but actually fade dark coloured clothes. Vanish Black, which is specifically tailored to deliver high performance stain removal for dark clothes, also helps to prevent your dark items from fading. So you can rest assured know the stains are gone but not the colour.

White

Where black is the absence of color, white is the opposite, containing an equal balance of all the colors of the spectrum, representing both the positive and negative aspects of all colors.

White, used in a professional setting, can provide reassurance, as is the case with doctors who often wear white coats to convey clinical cleanliness and efficiency. White clothing can also suggest neutrality, and hence is typically worn by match referees and adjudicators in sport events.

Another way that wearing white can lift your mood is by promoting confidence. White is one of the few colours that is easy to match with most outfits and also never goes out of fashion, especially in the summer sunshine. It can help the body remain cool in the summer as white reflects much of the sun’s heat, with a white t-shirt providing a SPF of about five, meaning it will only allow 1/5th of the sun’s UV rays to pass through^[2].  

But white clothes can be very hard to keep clean, and even harder to keep pristine. People can be apprehensive about wearing white as it is inevitable that it will fade to grey, a shade which has entirely different connotations.

A virtual absence of colour, grey is often seen as depressing and can have a dampening effect on other colours. However this shouldn’t be a worry, because the Vanish White Range you can keep your wardrobe looking brilliantly white all year round. 

Red

It is possible to call the colour red ‘emotionally intense’ as it is used to send out messages of dominance, passion, impulsion and sensuality. Red is empowering and can give us added confidence^[3], projecting an extroverted, bold personality, even if you consider yourself introverted.

A 2012 study into the psychology of the colour red^[4] found that men perceive women in red, such as a red dress, more attractive.

Green

Overall quite an emotionally positive colour which happens to fall in the middle of the colour spectrum. It promotes a sense of balance, helping you feel more at ease with others around you.

With strong associations with the natural world; wearing the colour green can be an escape from the stresses of modern life, restoring us back to a sense of wellbeing. Green clothing can help you feel grounded, calm and can soften other dominant colours that could be a part of the same outfit. 

Blue

The world’s most popular colour^[5], blue has connotations of coolness, calm and trustworthiness. According to a study by the University of British Columbia^[6], the colour blue has been shown to help improve the brain’s ability to think creatively.

Through links to the natural world (the ocean and the sky), the colour blue can be associated with openness, peace and tranquillity. For that reason lighter blue items of clothing can be a great choice if you are feeling nervous or on edge.

However, if you are opting for a lighter colour, make sure you are extra careful not to develop any stains on your clothes throughout your day. However, if you do accidentally end up with stains you can count on Vanish to help remove it!

What does your outfit say about you today?

Other sources used:

http://globalpropaganda.com/articles/TranslatingColours.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/28/clothing-colour-personality-_n_1924156.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205142143.htm

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103112001527

^[1] http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/are-black-and-white-colors

^[2] http://www.skincancer.org/publications/the-melanoma-letter/summer-2012-vol-30-no-2/clothing

^[3] http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-red.html

^[4] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002210311100299X

^[5] https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/05/12/blue-worlds-favourite-colour/

^[6] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205142143.htm