If A Woman Wears All Black 24/7, There Are 7 Reasons Not To Mess With Her
Design Studio's | Canva There's something powerful about a woman who commits to an all-black wardrobe. You see her walking down the street, and you just know she's not someone who wastes time on silliness or puts up with anyone's drama. While some people use their closet to experiment with every color of the rainbow, the woman in black has made a decisive choice that says volumes about who she is.
Women wear black for lots of reasons. None of them is warm and fuzzy. Black isn't a warm and fuzzy color, and its associations with night, darkness, and nefarious deeds can't be overlooked. Basically, if she's in black, beware. Don't mess with her.
If a woman wears all black 24/7, there are seven reasons not to mess with her:
1. She's mourning the injustice in the world
Johnny Cash called himself 'the man in black' to symbolize his mourning for all the injustice in the world. Roman Senator Cato the Elder wore black for the same reason. Your girl may be habitually wearing black to show her awareness of the bad things in the world, like famine, animal testing, war, or violence.
Do not ask her why she's wearing black. She'll tell you herself. At length. In graphic detail. Do not argue with her. Do not mess with her argument. She's devoted an entire wardrobe to saving fuzzy bunny rabbits from mascara testing. Just back away slowly.
2. She's contemplating the void
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people dressed in black are perceived as more aggressive and are literally penalized more often in sports. The color black carries associations with rebellion and nonconformity in countercultures, which is exactly why goths picked it as their uniform for contemplating the void.
3. She's heading to a funeral
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Generally, all black, which symbolizes deep mourning. You do not mess with a woman in mourning. She's just had someone near to her die, she's on the way to or from the funeral, and she will take no crap.
4. She's a corporate shack
She's a black unit of efficiency, all sleek business and smooth management. She can talk you into anything and fire you all in the same breath. After hours? There are no after-hours. You see her at work, on the subway, or not at all. Approach with caution. Do not attempt to engage. She took a self-defense class and knows how to bring you down.
Research published in multiple journals shows that people dressed in black are consistently seen as more confident, competitive, and authoritative, which is why corporate power players treat their all-black wardrobes as battle armor.
5. She's a serious workout maven
The serious workout maven also wears all black: black yoga pants or leotards, a black tank top, and a black ponytail holder. Do not mess with her. She's been a gym rat since before you could say the word "crunch," and probably runs half-marathons on the weekends.
She can twist you into a pretzel without even trying, then kick you to the curb and leave you wanting her. She and her ponytail are best left alone.
6. She's a member of the clergy
Mikhail Nilov / Pexels
Many nuns wear all-black habits. Stay on their good side — these are God-fearing people. Studies on color psychology found that black is strongly linked to ceremonial power and spiritual leadership across different religions and cultures. The color communicates both formality and authority, so when nuns wear all black, they're essentially dressed in the visual equivalent of divine power.
7. She just really likes the color black
She leafed through catalogues, clicked through websites, and combed department stores until she found the perfect little black dress, which only comes up to here and down to there. It matches her black stiletto heels, which match her black purse.
She's confident. She's cool. You find her out on the town, with either a gaggle of girlfriends (all similarly dressed in black) or a date.
There's no obvious rhyme or reason to her wardrobe choice. You can find her anywhere: walking the neighborhood, cruising the mall, eating at a five-star restaurant. There's no blatant reason for her to wear black. Except for one thing: she really likes the color black.
Studies consistently show that people in black are viewed as leaders and decision-makers, so that a random woman in all black walking down the street might actually be the most dangerous person in the room. All black is a butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners outfit. Look out for this one.
Alissa Scully is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to YourTango who focuses on dating and relationships.
