In Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, Handmaids wear red. Their clothing is a visible marker of their reproductive role in the theocratic Republic of Gilead, where fertile women are forced to bear children for elite couples.
The color also carries religious and symbolic associations. Gilead's rigid dress codes separate social classes and functions: Wives wear blue or blue-green, Marthas wear green, and Aunts wear brown. Handmaids' distinctive clothing therefore makes them immediately identifiable in public and reinforces the regime's control over their bodies and movement.
Atwood published The Handmaid's Tale in 1985, drawing on historical examples of forced reproduction, religious authoritarianism, and restrictions on women's rights. The novel is narrated by a Handmaid known as Offred, whose personal identity has been replaced by a name indicating possession by her Commander.
A common mix-up is confusing Handmaids with Wives, whose blue clothing reflects their higher household status. The red outfit belongs specifically to the fertile women assigned to reproductive service, while the white wings around a Handmaid's face limit her vision and help control social interaction.