"No one mourns the wicked"

Throughout American culture, many objects are utilized as symbols. Take, for example, a dove representing peace, or a heart representing love. However, there are also more subtle symbols that have gradually gained their place in American culture as representing common or universal themes in society. Different colors can easily portray a message or symbol to others – simply based on what each color has regularly been correlated with other the past years. Although relying on color as a symbol is not as obvious as relying on straightforward images like the dove or heart, designing the use of colors to portray certain ideas is more commonly found than one might assume.

Almost every American knows the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz – with the characters, Dorothy, her friends and the two opposing witches. In the Tony award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked – which is “The Untold Story of The Wizard of Oz” – designers rely on color psychology to help the audience recognize the personalities of the two opposing witches, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch of the South). For anyone who has seen Wicked, color psychology was clearly used when the costume designers chose the costumes used for the two witches’ characters. For Elphaba – the Wicked Witch of the West, clothing in shades of black were used, while oppositely, for Glinda – the Good Witch of the South, clothing in shades of white or bright pink were used [see image below].

(http://todaysseniorsnetwork.com/Wicked%20Glinda%20and%20Elphaba.JPG)

Since Elphaba was portrayed as the “bad” character, at least moreso in The Wizard of Oz, black in her costumes was used to symbolize an ominous look. The color black is often used to dress “the bad guy” in American films or theater productions, since it also symbolically portrays the sense of mystery, seriousness or even death. On the other hand, Glinda was often dressed in pure white or bright pink costumes. White is often associated with purity and peace, while pink is often associated with spring and femininity. Although it is subtle, the color for such characters’ costumes is a crucial element in costume design because would the characters be perceived the same way if the Wicked Witch of the West came frolicking out in a hot pink dress, while the Good Witch of the South came dragging out in a plain black robe?