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Have you ever wondered why your favorite color is your favorite color? Neither have most people. Nevertheless, your most loved color says much about you. If you prefer black to any other hue, read on to learn what the color means and why it is significant.
The Meaning of the Color Black
The color black has many meanings. Black can symbolize authority, evil, humility, conformity, rebellion, poverty, and wealth. In Western countries, where black is often worn at funerals, the hue also can represent death, fear and mourning. Interestingly, “East Asian countries typically utilize white as the value for their funeral attires, due to the fact that white is symbolic of death in East Asian cultures,” says Shane Hirschman. In Japan, the black often symbolizes experience. This perfectly explains why advanced Martial Artists are granted a black belt, and beginners are given a white belt. In Western religious contexts, black can represent submission. This may be one reason why priests wear black – to show their submission to God. Obviously, the black means different things to people of different cultures.
The Significance of Black in Art
Have you ever seen an artist do an initial sketch using a red, purple, blue, or green pencil? How about another shade? For the most part, aspiring and professional artists alike use plain black to sketch their work before filling in with other colors. The article Symbolism of the Color Black states, “From the charcoal bison drawings in the caves of Altamira, to the charcoal studies created during Life Drawing classes at art schools throughout the world, the black marks made by charcoal contain a particular sense of freshness and immediacy that isn’t found in colored artwork.”
The Color Black in Fashion

Image courtesy of pixabay.com
When discussing the black, it is almost impossible not to mention it in the context of fashion. What woman in the developed world doesn’t know what a “little black dress” is? Black looks great worn with just about any other shade. Wearing solid black certainly gives one, man or woman, a sophisticated, mature look. According to Pigments Through the Ages, “Black has been a fashionable color throughout history. For instance, a black tie dinner is very formal and elegant. Wearing black is a current fashion trend because it is believed to make people appear thinner. Black was fashionable in the Medieval era also…”
What does the color black mean to YOU? Share your thoughts with us in the section below.
Read more Segmation blog posts color:
What Is True About The Color Blue?
Can Certain Colors Attract the Opposite Sex?
Blue is for Boys, Pink is for Girls
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