Black a colour with sex appeal
Black is one of the favourite colours for underwear. And that’s exactly why I want to have a closer view at this colour, its meaning and its symbolic character.
But why black? Black is the contrast to white. White as a colour symbolises – generally spoken – light and positive characteristics. Black is its contrast and symbolises in general the absence of light and negative characteristics. According to that black is no real colour or an achromatic colour. More important if black is a colour or not is its cultural impact. On the one hand black has many negative connotations but on the other hand has also positive connotations and there is also an in between. That paradox is the reason for its success. Black is a very divers colour. Its cultural impact refers to the individual and depends to a huge part on the up bringing. But generally spoken, black is related in Europe and the western society to death, destruction, night, emptiness, darkness, disaster, fatality, hopelessness and despair. But, if you see black in relation to power, then it turns into something positive. Black symbolises in relation to power positive characteristics like identity, individuality, independence, originality and power in general.
The symbolic characteristics have a big impact in relation to underwear and lingerie or in other words to the persons who wear the underwear. There is more than the powerful and sexually attractive person wearing black underwear. Black indicates something forbidden. Just think of the term black market and you realise, that there is the connection between black and the negative characteristics and their temptations. The temptation of the forbidden kicks in and teases us. We experience that since early childhood. Someone says don’t do that and we try because we can’t resist. But what does it mean in respect to underwear? That’s the same effect we cause wearing black underwear. The attraction of the forbidden teases us. That means black underwear and lingerie is surrounded by something mysterious. Black underwear shows us in a different light, a different side of us or should I say the lack of light? That’s mysterious.
Talking about black underwear you will easily notice that most people use instead of underwear the term lingerie. So they talk about something mysterious and exotic. The linguistic term people choose to talk about something indicates how they see the object. Using the term lingerie for black underwear they proof that they see it as teasing and sexually connoted. Black underwear symbolises mystery, prohibition, power and the dark side of life. We want to know it. I want to experience it.
