Scarlet WOMAN

For one Latina novelist, reclaiming the color red turns out to be the ultimate power move.

- Lilliam Rivera

In 2013, I was up for a prestigious literary fellowship and arrived at the committee interview wearing a red dress, a simple A-line shape reimagined in vintage fabric. Facing the conference table of eager eyes waiting for me to justify my candidacy, I admitted how nervous I was, to which the director of programs and events responded, "But you're the one who decided to wear red!" And she was right. I knew the color would draw attention. I wanted them to remember who had entered the room: a Latina with talent. But was I also leaning in to a well-worn stereotype? To wear red is to be "spicy," a "hot tamale." Just ask Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about being shamed for wearing scarlet suits and lipstick.