“Radical Red” is NOT the Color of Love

Color is big, bold, telling, and indicative of character in more ways than one. If my blog wasn’t suggestive of this, I urge you to take a lesson in the importance of color from Shonda Rimes’ fictitious femme fatale, Olivia Pope.

Indeed, Miss Pope is notoriously fashioned as the political badass who dons her metaphorical (and, on a few occasions literal[1]) “white hat” when helping her clients out of precarious, often scandalous[2] situations. Specially, Pope’s line of work continuously causes her to tread the precarious precipice between good and evil, legitimate and shady, light and dark, and her wardrobe wondrously reflects this moral tightrope. Tellingly, whites and blacks traditionally dominate Pope’s wardrobe—from her immaculate white suits to her trendy black trenches to her monochromatic assortment of Prada bags— Olivia’s clothing and accessories forcefully reflect and epitomize the world she strives to live in: A world where things are metaphorically black and white and where she evocatively seeks to embody the beacon of “white” hope amidst the otherwise “black” and politically tainted political environment that is Washington D.C. And, while I’ve always thought Kerry Washington, the actress that plays Pope, is stunningly gorgeous and would look striking in a more vibrant wardrobe, America can sleep easy at night knowing that Olivia Pope upholds the common good even in her stark, yet fiercely feminine white pantsuit, symbolically reminding us that the metaphorical “white hat” continues to reign victorious over the “bad guys.”

My fellow Americans, I am sad to announce that this is no more. Hold on to your long-stemmed wine glasses for this one…

Since its Christmas episode that aired mid-November, Scandal has been off the air for a brief hiatus, leaving women across the country without a legitimate excuse to drink wine by themselves on Thursday nights. However, my Lilly Pulitzer planner, in her optimistic explosion of color, cheerfully reminded me that I could uncork the pinot sans judgment this Thursday night: Pope and Associates was back!

Aside from the nearly immediate—yet expected— sex scene, I was struck by the stark change in Pope’s traditional wardrobe. Notably, gone where the soft whites and forceful dark tones, only to be uprooted by… Red?

And, while the latest Scandal episode did air on the 11^th a mere three days before Valentine’s, I can confidently assert that Shonda Rimes did not don her leading lady in red in order to festively usher in the lovey-dovey holiday.

Rather, Olivia Pope’s pulsating new wardrobe is profoundly indicative of a new woman—of a changed character, if you will—of a redefined woman reasserting herself and her identity with color. And, as cliché as this might be, it works for Miss Pope.

I certainly was not the only Scandal fan to notice this drastic reflection of Pope’s identity transformation. Upon Googling “Olivia Pope wears red” I was hit with a multitude of articles and posts unpacking this apparently popular color scandal[3]. Indeed, one Washington Post article titled “On ‘Scandal,’ Olivia’s new red leather trenchcoat means everything you think it does[4],” chronicles: “With a single cherry-red trenchcoat, “Scandal” creator Shonda Rhimes has signaled a change in direction, a shift in tone, a brand new day in the story of Olivia Pope — ABC’s fictional Washington fixer and presidential mistress who has spent the last five seasons struggling to heal her own psychic wounds.”

Huh: Who knew a red coat could connote so much? True that the character has recently undergone the considerable trauma that comes with constantly being thrust in and out of her powerful position in the Oval Office, but Pope traditionally does not come off as the type of woman whose wardrobe would symbolically reflect and represent her emotional state—moral convictions yes, but not her emotional state: That is so not Olivia.

Notably, in addition to her usual black and white attire appropriately upholding her convictions regarding the reinforcement of justice in a chronically unjust society, Pope’s wardrobe is also used to reflect her consistent, unwavering emotional state. Indeed, even in the most trying and stressful of times Pope famously remains cool, calm, and collected, and her sharp attire reflects this graceful stability. Rather than “wear her heart on her [metaphorical] sleeve”, Pope not only keeps total control of her emotions, but she stabilizes them, as is evidenced by her steadfast fashion choices.

But alas, with vivid shades of red, crimson, and fuchsia, clearly we have encountered a whole new level of Pope. And, while I personally appreciate a little more color in my tv life, I can’t help but wonder if Pope’s new wardrobe inherently contradicts her ever popular phrase of confident assertion: “It’s handled.” Is it truly handled? Or is Pope undergoing a monochromatic metamorphosis?

The Washington Post article continues:

“…Olivia literally throws her white fedora aside. The supporting cast is mostly suited up in leather. And if one goes all the way down the rabbit hole of semiotics, Olivia’s red coat — indeed her new, more richly colored wardrobe — is bursting with all manner of possible meanings: Olivia is angry. Olivia has become re-acquainted with her bold, dynamic self. Olivia is blood-thirsty. Olivia has become the equivalent of a matador’s cape — teasing and tormenting Fitz-the-bull.

The one thing it is not, says costume designer Lyn Paolo, is “retail therapy.” Olivia did not go on a soul-soothing shopping spree. “It’s about her being stronger than ever and more determined than ever,” Paolo says. “It’s actually less about anger.”

“She’s deciding that she’s stronger on her own and she’s determined to be on her own,” Paolo says. “I think in turning away from Fitz, she’s proving that she’s powerful enough to do things on her own.”

Paolo added: “She’s not relying on a man.”

And, while I find this attire upheaval symbolically fascinating in a way that only an English teacher truly can, I can’t help but be a little offended for Olivia (even if she is a fictional personality): Yes, maybe she is a little unstable and unsure of herself right now, but why must Pope’s transformation inherently be contingent upon a man? Did Fitz dress her up in immaculate black and white for each of the five other seasons? I highly doubt it—No man, not even the deliciously debonair President, has that good of taste—so why must Pope’s new wardrobe seemingly center on Fitz and his world?

Yes, Pope was never one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she’s different now: She isn’t in the Oval, she isn’t at the center of everyone’s attention, and she doesn’t have to fit into the tiny box of what people expected her to be. Upon escaping from that kind of contaminated environment, who wouldn’t wholly want to embrace their newfound freedom and reflect that through their fashion choices? “She’s determined to be on her own?” Really? Do my obnoxious polka dot printed pants or neon yellow dress scream that I am “determined to be on my own,” that I am not otherwise confident in myself and am desperately trying to assert my identity without it being reinforced by a man?

I don’t think so. If this were the case, given my closet, Cam would be in big trouble…

Instead, Pope, freed from all the duties and obligations of the White House, is finally allowed the time and space needed to sort through her life and fully embrace her personal identity. I mean the woman doesn’t even have time to go grocery shopping—although, somehow as if by magic, her apartment seems to be continuously stocked with an unrelenting supply of red wine and popcorn[5]—do you really think she has ample time to cultivate much of an identity outside of the infamous gladiator that runs train for Pope and Associates and does damage control 24-7? In this way, her work identity became her overall identity: Pope herself became black and white. In her past there was no grey area: There was no room for color. Things only went from zero to sixty: Pope was either on her couch lounging in impossibly luxurious pajamas[6] or chasing bad guys in her white hat. Now, with time to breathe and step out of the isolated, limiting black and white world she once knew, Pope is able to expand her horizons (and color palate) and assert the burgeoning new identity she is now coming to terms with through fashion. While I’m not certain where the rest of this season is headed, I am excited to see how Pope, as an increasingly complex character, continues to develop. And, I’m eager to see how her wardrobe naturally reflects these changes.

Contrary to popular belief and tomorrow’s holiday, red is not the color of love; instead it is the color of exciting change and growth, bringing whole new meaning and possibility to Pope’s phrase “Suit up, gladiators.”