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Lady in Red trope talk

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MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#1: May 5th 2013 at 3:47:34 AM

Moved discussion from the Grand and Unified Appearance Trope Clean Up thread on request.

So the main question for now is this: Is Lady in Red strictly applicable to only dresses, or does wearing other kinds of prominent red-colored clothing qualify, like cloaks and so on? I ask because I see the trope being applied to the title character of more than a few Little Red Riding Hood stories.

And for those wondering how the sex appeal part of Lady in Red could apply to a character who is supposed to be an innocent little girl:

  1. Some literary scholars believe that the title character's red cape/cloak is supposed to represent "sexual awakening", implying that the story is an allegory for sexual predation on women (with the wolf standing in for the predatory male).
  2. Several of the aforementioned examples are modern versions of the story that dispense with the "Little" in the title and age up the character into a teenager, or sometimes even an adult, often with a dash of Hotter and Sexier — especially if it's more of an allegorical re-imagining than being much more faithful to the original source, like in Red Riding Hood. Then there's the few Darker and Edgier / Bloodier and Gorier kinds of Little Red Fighting Hood.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
XFllo There is no Planet B from Planet A Since: Aug, 2012
There is no Planet B
#2: May 5th 2013 at 5:33:20 AM

As I said earlier, I believe this should apply to dresses only, though I see your point. I'm simply not sure a red cloak screams "sexy lady" the same way a tight and slinky red dress does.

I think the wicks should get removed from the works' pages about re-imagined Little Red Riding Hood you mentioned.

However, if the consensus is that they count as well, I won't protest too much.

edited 14th May '13 6:03:36 PM by XFllo

Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#3: May 5th 2013 at 6:30:21 AM

Lady in Red is about women who are sexy and who use the eye-catching color red to flaunt that sexuality. Not girls who are awakening to their sexuality.

The scholarly analysis that makes the color of Red Riding-Hood's cloak is academic wankery at best. When the tales of Red Riding-Hood were written, true scarlets and reds were expensive dyes, and red clothing didn't have the same connotation of sexiness that they do now; they indicated the the wearer was either well-off or indulged themselves in luxury goods, or in the case of Red Riding-hood, that her parents/mother doted on her to the point of buying expensive goods to make her clothing.

So in the fairy tales, no, Red Riding-hood does not count as a Lady in Red. She may in some of the re-imaginings, but that will be dependent on how it's handled in each work individually: is the cloak a way that she flaunts or emphasizes her actual sexuality (Yes, it counts) or is it a symbol of her impending sexual awakening (No, it doesn't count)?

edited 5th May '13 6:33:03 AM by Madrugada

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#4: May 5th 2013 at 8:12:29 AM

I don't think it strictly needs to be a dress, but it needs to be a character who already is sexy and enhances it with the red. Not a character where the red is the symbol for said sexiness. And as said, sexiness, not sexuality.

I'd also say most older Little Red Riding Hood variants are wrong as well, since they're not using the red to be sexy. They're using it to contrast their own sexy image with the much more innocent fairy tale character, much like the school girl image of Catholic School Girls Rule (but not the frequently skimpy version of the clothing).

edited 5th May '13 8:27:56 AM by AnotherDuck

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MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#5: May 5th 2013 at 8:16:34 AM

[up][up] & [up] Very good points. So in essence, not every woman who happens to be both sexy/attractive and dressed in red (sometimes or always) is a Lady in Red, regardless of how the name may imply otherwise.

You know, it's times like these that I wish had some sort of "How to Trope Properly, for Newbies" article that concisely summarizes the common pitfalls that one can fall into while troping, with links to more dedicated articles for detailed explanations.

edited 5th May '13 8:18:59 AM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
lexicon Since: May, 2012
#6: May 5th 2013 at 10:09:39 AM

What about, for example, Once Upon a Time? It mentions Emma Swan and Red Riding Hood's counterpart Ruby. Emma doesn't act sexy so I think she shouldn't be there but Ruby is notorious for her provocative clothing. The fairy tale world Red Riding Hood isn't sexy but they were obviously inspired by the color to make her so rebellious and flirtatious in the real world.

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#7: May 5th 2013 at 10:33:12 AM

[up]Looking at images, I just don't see it. Usually very little red, and what red there is seems more to be to highlight the fairy tale connection.

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