Did you know that your clothing is sending a message?
When you are traveling to different countries, immersing yourself in new cultures, and meeting new people, first impressions matter — we determine whether others are trustworthy, attractive, friendly, and even intelligent by the way that they look every single day.
But what if you could manipulate the impression you are putting out there based on the color that you are wearing?
Well, guess what? You can.
We all make snap judgments about other people based on what they are wearing, but a lot of that could be based on the color of their clothing — whether you realize it or not! And, the meanings of different colors change depending on what country you are in!
To help you pack for your next trip (and make sure you aren’t sending the wrong message), here are the various meanings behind different colors.
What Does Wearing Red Mean?
In Western cultures, this is the color of passion, love, fire, energy, aggression, action, and danger. It is an intense color that draws people in and conveys a bit of mystery.
In Russia, red is associated with communism and revolution.
In Asian countries, this color represents prosperity, celebration, good luck, and happiness.
India associates red with purity and spirituality — brides in India wear red, as do brides in Nepal.
When used with white, it is a color that represents religion in Mexico.
In some countries in Africa, red is associated with death.
It is considered lucky or to mean good fortune in Egypt and Iran.
What Does Wearing Blue Mean?
This is considered to be the safest color choice, as for the most part, it is associated with positivity!
In North America and Europe, this color evokes a feeling of sincerity, trust, wisdom, and confidence. It is the color of the sea and sky and has a calming effect.
In the Middle East, Turkey, and Greece, it is associated with healing and evil repellence (if you have traveled in any of these areas you have probably seen the blue, eye-shaped amulets meant to repel evil).
It is associated with good health in Ukraine.
In Indian culture, it is the color of Krishna, who embodies love and divine joy.
Blue is a feminine color in China.
In Central and South America, which has a high Catholic population, it is associated with religion, as it is the color of the Virgin Mary’s clothing.
What Does Wearing Purple Mean?
In most of the world, purple is considered a royal color that conveys power, wealth, and extravagance — think royal robes, rockstar’s clothing, buddhist monk’s robes, Catholic priest’s robes. It is also associated with dignity and wisdom —the Purple Heart in the American military.
In Thailand and Brazil, purple is associated with mourning and death.
In Tibet, a lighter shade of purple is considered sacred and so rosaries are often made from amethyst.
What Does Wearing Orange Mean?
In the United States, orange is associated with energy and sunshine, autumn, harvest, and warmth — full of enthusiasm and happiness.
In Hinduism saffron (a soft orange color) is considered auspicious and sacred, and so is usually the color of monk’s robes.
In Japan, orange represents love and courage.
In the Netherlands orange symbolizes the Dutch Royal family, and is also associated with their sports teams.
In the Middles East, this color is associated with mourning and loss.
What Does Wearing Yellow Mean?
In North America and most of Europe and the Middle East, because yellow is the color of sunshine, it is associated with joy and happiness. But, while warm and attention-grabbing, it is also considered a childish color that evokes instability and spontaneity rather than stability and safety.
In Germany, yellow represents envy.
Because members of the ruling class tend to wear yellow in Eastern and Asian cultures, it is considered sacred. This is similar to many African countries where only people with high rank in society wear yellow.
India considers yellow to be the color of commerce.
In Latin American countries, yellow is the color used in mourning.
What Does Wearing Green Mean?
In the West, green is calming and a symbol of nature promoting the idea of growth, freshness, and fertility. Darker greens are associated with money, banking, and power. It can also be associated with jealousy.
The color is emblematic for Ireland aka “The Emerald Isle.”
In Eastern and Asian cultures it can also represent new life and nature, but it also has negative connotations. It is the color of exorcism and infidelity — in China wearing a green hat means that you have been cheated on.
In Mexico, green represents independence.
Green is traditionally associated with Islam in the Middle East.
What Does Wearing White Mean?
In the West, this is a color associated with goodness, innocence, cleanliness, and purity, this is the color of perfection. It is also a color used to represent new beginnings, like at a wedding.
In Asian countries like China and Korea, white represents death, mourning, and bad luck,
In Latin America, white represents peace and purity.
In Egypt, wearing white shows that you are of a high-ranking status.
What Does Wearing Black Mean?
In North America and Europe, this is a very mysterious color. One the one hand, it is associated with death, mourning, and evil. But on the other, it represents power, elegance, sophistication, strength, and prestige.
In the Middle East it also can represent both rebirth and mourning.
In Africa it is a symbol of maturity and masculinity.
In China, black is the color that represents masculinity, wealth, and prosperity.
In both Thailand and Tibet it is associated with evil.
in Latin America it is also a masculine color and is linked to mourning.
As you can see, the colors you wear when you travel can make things complicated when dealing with the locals. Based on what you’ve read, do you think you will select what you pack based on what the colors mean in different countries? Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your next trip!
