The color red in literature can mean multiple different things including power, strength, carnal sin, and even war. The color black however, usually hints at death, grief, and strength. Beyoncé, the famous American singer, is seen by many in our society as a powerful and strong woman who relates her songs to the social problems in modern day America. In the video Formation, Beyoncé uses the colors red and black to bring light to the black lives matter movement and the tension between the black community and the police force.

At 0:40/4:53 in the video, Beyoncé and friends appear in a room full of neutral and dull colors while wearing a red one-piece clothing. This red is used to direct the viewer's attention at the bodies and body movement of the dancers. The red makes a bold statement, as to say, look here. As the clip pans out, the rest of the room begins to incorporate light shades of red as well. The red here acts as the color red does in literature by showing power and strength. The fact that this clip shows only women who are wearing red, and not men, it implies that women are of power here. Beyoncé wants women to embrace their sexuality, as a kind of expression of power. Red is also symbolic of carnal sin in most cases. By mixing strength with the idea of carnal sin, Beyoncé’s clothing is telling the viewer that women who wear red should not be viewed as not having respect for themselves or committing carnal sin, but rather should be seen as women full of strength and power. The women in the scene are dressed promiscuously and purposefully chose the color red for their dresses. The do this because women are typically discouraged from dressing this way to show their beauty. Beyoncé intends to show that women should be able to dress this way and be themselves while not being judged for this action.

At 4:26/4:53, Beyoncé is seen laying on top of a sinking cop car during the recent floods while wearing a red dress. Her red dress here hints on the common meaning of red as a sign of war or danger because Beyoncé is in an obvious state of danger as everything around her is flooding. The attention of the viewer along with the sense of danger is directed towards Beyoncé and her red dress. The scene not only describes Beyoncé’s imminent danger of drowning as the car she lays on gradually sinks, but it also describes the danger that those who live in the Louisiana area face on a day to day basis. The red dress being centered in the middle of the shot is intentional because it symbolizes danger. The dress symbolizes the danger that the people in the Louisiana area face every day. The area is prone to hurricanes and flooding. Just by living in this area, these people are in danger. As seen in the shot, some type of flooding has already occurred. In most cases, when a natural disaster occurs, the people in the area resort to crime and looting. This has been the case in the Louisiana area recently and because of this, police forces have formed a stigma that black people in this area are criminals. This stigma causes even more tension between the police force and the population of black people. This is all hinted at by the red dress worn by Beyoncé in the scene, almost as if the dress if foreshadowing more events. However, it is ironic because the everything around Beyoncé and her red dress is already submerged by water while she is still safe for the time being on top of the car. Knowing the dress is foreshadowing these events, Beyoncé lays calmly on the sinking car, unaffected by the imminent problems. 

At 3:03/4:53, a clip of a black man eating red crawfish is shown. The red of the crawfish here depict poverty and a difference in wealth; Beyoncé is talking about red lobster and is dressed formally, however, the screen flips to show a middle to lower level class man eating crawfish out of a “to-go” box. This shows the extent to which there is an economic divide in the Louisiana area and between different races overall.  

As mentioned, the color red is used to show danger, power, sexuality, and even the differences in wealth. While red is a large staple in the video “Formation”, black is used as well to show critical problems in society and this community. At 1:13/4:53 in the video, Beyoncé is seen alongside five men on the steps of what looks like a church dressed in all black formal clothing. Black here symbolizes death and grief as it often does in literature. The setting of the church along with formal black clothing suggest that they are possibly at a funeral. Beyoncé uses the relationship between black and death here to show a very common problem in this poor area of Louisiana. She is saying that so often, blacks are being killed and that the black community knows the funeral scene all too well. The deaths of blacks in these communities leave people feeling alone. People here often spend their life believing that they cannot accomplish much in life. They do not have hope or optimism, because they grow up thinking they will end up stuck in their town doing the same thing people in their family did. The youth often feel as if the government and local police offer no help because they are categorized as next to nothing. This builds on racial tensions because blacks here end up blaming whites and police for the lack of opportunities in their areas. 

At 3:44/4:53 in the video, a young black kid dressed in all black attire is shown dancing in front of a line of ten police officers who are all dressed in black clothing as well. The fact that all the police officers and the kid are uniformly dressed in black is a metaphor for saying that all people are the same and equal. However, there is a great deal of irony in the picture because although the uniformity of black clothing shows that people are equal, this picture is actual showing the opposite. The kid in the picture dancing in front of the police represents how the black community has been suppressed and held back by the police. The kids harmless dancing being met by police with full riot gear is how the people in this area feel about recent police interactions with the black community. This irony is caused by the metaphor of the unity in black clothing within the clip.

The colors red and black is seen in multiple clips throughout the music video. Red is used to show many things, such as power, strength, sexuality and war. However, red in general has one overall meaning. Red is used to show the difference in the economic divide between Louisiana natives and between different races. The color black in the video is a direct representation of the black lives matter movement and its philosophy. Black is used to represent the familiarity with death and the feeling of being held back by police. Both colors in the video aid in showing racial tension. Red is used to help create a stigma about the criminal actions of blacks. Black is used show how the number of wrongful deaths has angered and fueled hate in blacks for the police force. This growth in racial tension and familiarity with death is caused by the war-like relationship between the black community and the police. This is highlighted in the video through use of the colors red and black. 