What Does the Color Purple Mean Sexually | The Evolution of a Color’s Connotation

Every person is drawn to a specific, favorite color, whether they're aware of its meaning or not. When it comes to colors, it is usually about personal preference rather than a discovered meaning that draws most people to a particular color.

For example, when we choose the clothes we want to wear, we tend to gravitate toward a specific color because we are drawn to it, and then we try to figure out what that color means. It's not usually vice versa. 

Each color has its own story to tell. It has meanings, conveys certain energies, and has evolved through history in terms of attributions.

Purple is one of the colors that has seen significant changes in meaning over time, and we'll look at how it evolved and what it has come to symbolize from a sexual standpoint today.

The History Behind Purple

Purple is at the far end of the color spectrum and has been tied to an array of meanings that revolve around the concept of mystery over time. Initially associated with royalty, the purple color managed to capture the attention of many people by combining the passion of red with the specific calmness of blue.

Due to the limited number of purple plants, fruits, and animals in nature, this color has always been considered sacred.

The term "purple" corresponds to Tyrian purple dye, which is made from mucus secreted by the spiny dye-murex snail. Furthermore, according to the legends, the color was discovered by Hercules' dog, who found a murex snail on the beach one day.

Only a small amount of color emerged from an impressive amount of murex snails, implying that it was very expensive and thus reserved only for the noble.

There was even a belief in the Byzantine Empire that emperors were “born to the purple,” thus distinguishing themselves from ordinary people.

To ensure that this color remained exclusive to royalty, there were even laws prohibiting people from associating with or wearing purple clothing. Only senators were permitted to wear a small purple portion on their toga.

The laws' justification was that they wanted to control the consumption of purple pigment for clothes or other products because it was so rare. In reality, it was just a way to ensure that this color remained reserved for the upper class, who could buy the pigment at much lower prices.

Purple has lost its mystique and sacredness as time has passed, becoming a less expensive color. But that doesn't mean people's fascination with this color ended there.

In fact, it was used in significant events such as the Women's Suffrage movement, where the colors purple, white, and green were used in protests for women's right to vote.

The Color Purple's Recent Meaning

Purple now has several meanings and, in general, each person can have their own interpretation of the color, as it is no longer reserved for a specific social class.

Some people associate purple with extravagance and individualism, while others associate it with pride, vanity, and greed. Because many clerics wear purple during services, it is sometimes interpreted as a sign of piety.

Purple is nevertheless occasionally linked to luxury, power, ambition, and, why not, creativity, even though it is no longer necessarily an expensive color.

Let's not forget the courage, of course. In fact, the Purple Heart is one of the greatest awards for valor in the military in the USA.

Purple will always be a unique color that will conjure up images of mystery, inventiveness, and spirituality because it is still viewed as an exotic color due to how rarely it appears in nature. The fact that purple also has the strongest electromagnetic wavelength—just a few wavelengths above x-rays and gamma rays—supports all these interpretations.

The Sexuality of Purple

Even when it comes to the sexual overtones of this color, the mystery and controversies surrounding it have been examined over time.

As a result, purple is frequently associated with extremes (being a combination of red, which symbolizes passion–a sexually stimulating hue–and blue, which symbolizes calm). In addition, because it is a color associated with monarchy, it connotes frustration from a sexual standpoint given the numerous instances of sexually deprived royal dynasties throughout history.

It is even associated with either romance, if we're talking about a lighter purple color, or sexual problems, if the shades are darker. This is a color of contrast, and it can have different meanings for different people, including from a sexual standpoint.

From a gender identity or sexual orientation point of view, this color is associated with bisexual people (people who are sexually attracted to both men and women). This is also why you find purple on the LGBTQ+ flag.

Of course, liking this color does not necessarily imply that you have sexual problems or frustrations in your sex life, nor does it imply that you are a romantic. The meanings are simply an attempt by people to deconstruct this color and its contentious history.

In other words, it's okay to pick up one of the purple vibrators available in Tracy's Dog's collection of cheap sex toys, and you'll still be as far away from any trace of sexual frustration as possible. Because, by the way, these vibrators, whether we are talking about clit sucking vibrators or classic ones, are designed to promote a healthy sexual life, even when they are purple (wink!).

Similarly, if you meet red lovers doesn't mean they have to be passionate at all times, and just because there are also yellow lovers doesn't mean they have to be eternally optimistic.

So, you can let the color speak about a person's sexuality, or simply let it be just a nice color.

Wrapping Up!

Purple has undergone many changes throughout history, and we can even say that it is such a special color that laws have been implemented to make sure it stays reserved for a specific social class. 

Since then, it has taken on various meanings, ranging from mystery and courage to frustration and sexual problems. However, each person can interpret this color in their own way, without even approaching the connotations the color has acquired over time and without telling anything about their sexual identity or gender identity.