The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (2024)

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The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (1)

Purple (or violet) is one of three secondary colors along with green and orange. Its traditional complementary color is yellow, which sits directly opposite it on the artist’s color wheel.

What purple means to us psychologically:
Purple is an interesting color—we often use the word purple to describe hues ranging from deep blue purple (what you might call indigo) through reddish purple (like maroon) and even on to fluorescent (almost pink) hot purple.

The emotional response that we have to purple depends a lot on where the color falls between red and blue.

A cold, blue purple can be a little aloof (almost austere or snobbish) and many times feel rather old fashioned. Reddish purple on the other hand, tends to feel rich and luxurious.

Is purple a “girl color” or “boy color?”
Purple is traditionally a “girl” color. In fact, women often pick purple as their favorite color while only a tiny percentage of men do. It makes sense then, that purple is seen in women’s attire all the time, yet is practically non-existent in men’s clothing.

Also, women’s preference for purple seems to increase with age—younger females are more likely to favor pink or red.

Purple in society:
The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (2)Purple was originally known as the color of royalty since purple dyes were so expensive to attain that only kings and emperors could afford to buy it.

Today in the United States, the purple heart medal is given to those in the military who are wounded or killed in service.

In addition, the color purple was at one time widely adopted by the gay community as a symbol of pride.

Pigments found in purple paint:
Pigments used to make purple are often found in blue and red paint as well, like Ultramarine, Cobalt, and Quinacridone. Other pigments include Dioxazine and Manganese compounds.

Common purple oil paints:
Dioxazine Purple and Quinacridone Violet are two common purple paints, and obviously use some of the pigments listed above.

Many artists make their own purple/violet colors however, by mixing blue and red. You can read more about how to do that, if you’d like, in this color mixing article.

Famous purple paintings:
At first I couldn’t think of any famous paintings which were mostly purple or violet, but an email from Cara at The Capricious Painter reminded me of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work.

Here’s O’Keeffe’s Black and Purple Petunias.

The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (3)

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The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (4)

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The Meaning of the Color Purple: Feminine, Rare, and Royal (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of the color purple? ›

The color purple is associated with a variety of meanings, including wisdom, creativity, royalty, power, ambition, and luxury. It can also represent magic, extravagance, peace, pride, independence, and wealth.

Why does purple mean royalty? ›

The color purple's ties to kings and queens date back to ancient world, where it was prized for its bold hues and often reserved for the upper crust. The Persian king Cyrus adopted a purple tunic as his royal uniform, and some Roman emperors forbid their citizens from wearing purple clothing under penalty of death.

Why is purple a feminine color? ›

Internationally, purple is a color for symbolizing women. Historically, the combination of purple, green and white to symbolize women's equality originated from the Women's Social and Political Union in the U.K. in 1908. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope.

What is the message of the color purple? ›

The Color Purple movingly depicts the growing up and self-realization of Celie, who overcomes oppression and abuse to find fulfillment and independence.

What does purple mean in love? ›

Like the many other heart emoji such as Red Heart ❤️ and Blue Heart 💙, the Purple Heart emoji 💜 is generally used to convey love and other strong, affectionate, positive feelings.

What does purple energy mean? ›

VIOLET ( PURPLE ) / Violet is the color of the crown chakra which relates to connection to our dreams and higher consciousness. Individuals with violet in their auras are dynamic, charismatic, and have powerful personalities.

What color means royalty? ›

Purple's association as the colour of royalty and wealth dates way back to ancient realms. Cyrus the Great – founder and king of the first Persian Empire – wore a purple tunic as his royal uniform.

What is the meaning of royalty? ›

1. the rank, status, or power of a king or queen; royal position, dignity, etc.; sovereignty. 2. a royal person or, collectively, royal persons. 3.

What were colors of royalty? ›

White for Purity, Gold for Wealth; Purple, Violet, and Blue for Royalty and Piety. This gallery shows pictures from the 16th-19th centuries of high ranking or royal people featured in these colors.

What is the color of feminine? ›

Pink is a light red hue and is typically associated with love and romance. It is often described as a feminine color, perhaps due to associations people form during early childhood.

What is the most feminine color? ›

Pink, up to the 16th century, was considered a shade or red and was generally associated with the men. Only at the beginning of the 20th century it became a feminine color. This “gender change” occurred because of Elsa Schiaparelli and her creation of the iconic Shocking Pink.

What colour is femininity? ›

When you think about the color pink, you are probably conjuring up images of little girls in pink dresses, with pink toys like Barbie or a Disney princess in a pretty gown. The color is overwhelmingly associated with delicacy and femininity.

What is the story of purple? ›

In 1856, 18-year-old English chemist William Henry Perkin accidentally created a synthetic purple compound while attempting to synthesise quintine, an anti-malaria drug. Recognising that the compound could be used to dye fabrics, he patented the dye and manufactured it under the names aniline purple and Tyrian purple.

What emotion does purple give? ›

Purple. Purple makes you feel creative. Purple is associated with mystery, creativity, royalty and wealth. Lighter shades of purple are often used to soothe or calm a viewer, hence why it is used in beauty products.

What's the famous line from The Color Purple? ›

"I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I'm here! I'm here!"

What does 💜 mean in BTS? ›

"Following a concert in 2016, @BTS_twt. band member Kim Taehyung used the color purple to show love for fans. Since then, BTS fandom adopted the color purple, and they will often use the Purple Heart emoji 💜 on social media." #BTS #BTSARMY 💜

What does a purple soul mean? ›

Purple in the soul indicates that a person is integrating the physical plane and the spiritual plane. It indicates a blending of heart and mind, as well as a sense of leadership. Purple indicates intuition, high imagination, visualization, and connection to the world of dreams.

What do you call a person who loves purple color? ›

Purple as a favorite color is said to represent an artistic and unique individual, who is often very intuitive and deeply interested in spirituality. Lovers of purple are said to be a good judge of character, and a visionary with a great need to participate in humanitarian issues.

Why is purple so powerful? ›

As it turns out, purple is the most powerful color in the spectrum. As a visible form of light, a color's wavelength determines its strength. The smaller the wavelength, the more powerful the energy. The wavelength of violet is 400 nanometers making it the smallest–and strongest–of all colors.

What does purple mean in psychology? ›

In color psychology, purple is a royal color. The color meaning for purple is connected to power, nobility, luxury, wisdom, and spirituality. But avoid using the color too much as it can cause feelings of frustration. Some perceive its overuse as arrogant.

What is a rare aura color? ›

White is the rarest of all aura colors. Gray auras can denote a skeptical outlook, or a person prone to seeing the glass half empty.

Why was purple so rare? ›

And while purple is flashy and pretty, it was more important at the time that purple was expensive. Purple was expensive, because purple dye came from snails. The video above, by CreatureCast, recounts the story of Rome's vaunted Tyrian purple, and the color's close link with the marine snail Bolinus brandaris.

Is royal blue or purple? ›

The Oxford English Dictionary defines "royal blue" as "a deep vivid blue", while the Cambridge English Dictionary defined it as "a strong, bright blue colour", and the Collins English Dictionary defines it as "a deep blue colour".

What are the 3 royal colors? ›

White for Purity, Gold for Wealth; Purple, Violet, and Blue for Royalty and Piety. This gallery shows pictures from the 16th-19th centuries of high ranking or royal people featured in these colors. Who more royal in this age than the Virgin Mary? She is very often portrayed wearing red with blue draped over her.

What is female royalty called? ›

Lady is used when referring to women who hold certain titles: marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness. It can also be used of the wife of a lower-ranking noble, such as a baron, baronet, or knight. Lady is also the courtesy title for the daughters of the higher-ranking nobles duke, marquess, or earl.

Why is it called a royalty? ›

The term originated from the fact that in Great Britain for centuries gold and silver mines were the property of the crown; such “royal” metals could be mined only if a payment (“royalty”) were made to the crown.

What are the types of royalty? ›

Some of the more common types of royalties are book royalties, performance royalties, patent royalties, franchise royalties, and mineral royalties. Book royalties: They are paid to authors by publishers. Typically, for every book that is sold, the author will receive an agreed amount.

What color means love? ›

Red: Passion, Love, Anger. Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality. Yellow: Happiness, Hope, Deceit.

What shade of purple means royalty? ›

A lot of work went into producing the dye, as more than 9,000 mollusks were needed to create just one gram of Tyrian purple. Since only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear the color , it became associated with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt, and Persia.

What color represents God? ›

Regardless, one of the three gifts given by the Wise Men to Jesus was gold. While gold represents God's deity, black represents suffering and death in the Bible.

Is purple a feminine color? ›

Purple is traditionally a “girl” color. In fact, women often pick purple as their favorite color while only a tiny percentage of men do. It makes sense then, that purple is seen in women's attire all the time, yet is practically non-existent in men's clothing.

What does feminine look like? ›

In Western cultures, the ideal of feminine appearance has traditionally included long, flowing hair, clear skin, a narrow waist, and little or no body hair or facial hair. In other cultures, however, some expectations are different. For example, in many parts of the world, underarm hair is not considered unfeminine.

What is dark feminine power? ›

Dark feminine energy, on the other hand, is all about being dominant, assertive and most importantly, sultry. It's about setting boundaries, saying no to people and manifesting success.

What is female favorite color? ›

Most scientific studies report that both boys and girls prefer primary colors, chief among them blue. Yet when it comes to pink, girls in the U.S. and Great Britain choose the color significantly more often than their male peers. In fact, you can see girls as young as 2 starting to prefer pink over other colors.

What color attracts men? ›

Studies reveal that red is the most attractive colour to both men and women but, curiously, the two genders are attracted to the same colour for different reasons.

What color helps sleep? ›

Blue. Blue is perhaps the best color for your bedroom. Not only is it more muted, but blue tones also tend to have more calming effects on the brain, as shown in a 2018 study of blue walls in a university residence hall.

What does feminine power look like? ›

Feminine power is beautiful, graceful, nurturing, creative, and warm. There is power in being. There is power in silence. These are two feminine qualities that we may not think of as powerful initially, but as we explore them, the strength becomes apparent.

What is a symbol of femininity? ›

The Triple Moon is one of the most well-known feminine symbols, representing femininity, female energy, fertility, wisdom, intuition, and strength. The three phases of the moon (waxing, complete, and waning) depict the three stages of a woman's life: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.

Is pink a girls colour? ›

In Europe and the United States, pink is often associated with girls, while blue is associated with boys. These colors were first used as gender signifiers just prior to World War I (for either girls or boys), and pink was first established as a female gender signifier in the 1940s.

Is purple good or evil? ›

Colour Psychology

As it balances, purple possesses three different connotations. Light purple has more feminine energy and nobility; bright purple is associated with richness and royalty, whereas dark purple represents evil, sadness and frustration.

Why is it called purple? ›

The word “purple” comes from the Old English word “purpul,” which is from the Latin “purpura” and from the ancient Greek “porphyra.” This was the name of the Tyrian purple dye manufactured in classical antiquity.

What happened at the end of the color purple? ›

Later, when Celie's father dies, she and Nettie inherit his home, creating financial freedom for the two women. At the novel's end, the two sisters are reunited, while Albert and Harpo have learned to take on new roles in the household and in their relationships.

What does the color purple do to your brain? ›

The color purple stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving, while also being a feminine and romantic color.

Is purple a energy? ›

Each one is colored uniquely (e.g., anger is “red”, fear is “purple”, and disgust is “green”).

Why are people obsessed with purple? ›

The wavelength of violet is 400 nanometers making it the smallest–and strongest–of all colors. This may explain why purple is associated with supernatural energy. Purple is also associated with magic, mystery, spirituality, creativity, dignity and royalty.

What are 2 facts about The Color Purple? ›

As a once-royal color, purple symbolizes wisdom, power, spirituality, luxury, wealth and nobility. Since it is between red and blue, purple is known for the combination of red's power and blue's stability. The color purple also symbolizes independence and dignity.

Did Celie have children in The Color Purple? ›

The letter confirms that Celie's two children, Olivia and Adam, were adopted by Corrine, the lady Celie saw in town, and her husband, Reverend Samuel. Nettie joined the missionaries on their journey to Africa as the children's nanny.

What are some purple words? ›

purple
  • lavender.
  • lilac.
  • mauve.
  • periwinkle.
  • plum.
  • violet.
  • amethyst.
  • heliotrope.

Why is purple the color of equality? ›

Purple is historically associated with efforts to achieve gender equality. In this context it was first used alongside green and white as the colors of the Women's Social and Political Union, the organisation that led Britain's women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century.

Why does purple represent luxury? ›

Purple is a rare color in nature, and for the longest time, purple dyes were extremely difficult and expensive to produce. As a result, only the wealthiest and most powerful people could afford it. To this day, we think of purple as the color of royalty and luxury.

Why is Queen Elizabeth purple? ›

Sharing the significance behind the royal purple hue, Vogue mentioned that the colour has been associated with royalty since ancient times, with natural purple dye historically among the most expensive.

Why was purple important to Prince? ›

Prince felt the color purple symbolized the end of the world. To him, the song “Purple Rain” was about finding divine guidance during Armageddon. According to NME, he said “When there's blood in the sky – red and blue = purple…

What color represents femininity? ›

The color pink, for example, is thought to be a calming color associated with love, kindness, and femininity. Many people immediately associate the color pink with all things feminine and girly.

Which is the strongest reason that purple is associated with royalty? ›

Purple has long been associated with royalty, originally because Tyrian purple dye, made from the mucus secretion of a species of snail, was extremely expensive in antiquity.

Why is the color purple so powerful? ›

Purple is said to represent transformation. Purple is the color of royalty because of its association with the colored clothing of ancient monarchs and their relatives. Purple is the most powerful visible wavelength out of all of the colors in the rainbow.

Is purple colour lucky? ›

You should opt for black, purple, dark brown and green as your lucky colours because these are highly profitable for your business and work life. These colours will give you monetary success and are also useful for enhancing your personality.

What color means loyalty? ›

BLUE. Blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth and heaven.

What is the Queen's Favourite colour? ›

Answer and Explanation: According to an evaluation of the clothing Queen Elizabeth has worn on public appearances in the past year, blue is the Queen's preferred color.

Why did Queen wear green dress? ›

There was actually a touching and sentimental reason for the Queen wearing the shade, which was in tribute to her late husband. The colour, known as “Edinburgh Green”, was Philip's official livery colour. The duke was well known for his love of the colour.

Does queen get her own color? ›

Remember, as per the chess rules, the queen is always on her own color while the king is always on the opposite color.

Why did Prince love purple so much? ›

She said that “contrary to what has been said, purple was and is Prince's color.” Nelson want on to say that Prince “was fond of many colors in the rainbow, he especially loved the color purple because it represented royalty…the color purple always made him feel Princely.” So…

How did purple get its name? ›

Our word “purple” is derived from the Latin word purpura, which was often applied to the dye used to turn clothing to a rich blueish-red shade. Unlike today, there was a more profound hierarchy of color that could and did advertise status to others.

What does royal purple mean in the Bible? ›

Purple as a color in the Bible represents wealth or royalty. Purple dye was made from the blood of tiny sea snails from the Mediterranean Sea. Wearing purple symbolizes royalty, grandeur, independence, wisdom, devotion, extravagance, pride, and creativity, just to mention a few.

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