In "The Handmaid's Tale," the iconic red cloak and bonnet have come to symbolize not just the oppression of women in Gilead, but also the resistance and resilience of the Handmaids. In Season 4, even after her escape to Canada in Episode 7, June's decision to retain the red tag of a Handmaid can be analyzed in multiple layers:
- **Identity and Trauma:** The red tag has been an indelible part of June's identity for years. It's a representation of all the trauma, pain, and suffering she endured. By keeping it, June might be acknowledging her traumatic past, accepting it as a part of her story, and using it to fuel her fight against Gilead.
- **Solidarity:** By retaining the symbol of the Handmaids, June is showing her solidarity with all the other women still trapped in Gilead. It's a visual reminder that while she may have escaped, many others have not, and the fight is far from over.
- **Resistance and Defiance:** The red tag, initially a mark of subjugation, has increasingly become a symbol of resistance. By wearing it outside of Gilead's borders, June turns a mark of her oppression into a sign of defiance, signaling that Gilead's influence doesn't end at its borders and neither does the resistance against it.
- **Personal Empowerment:** The act of choosing to wear or not wear the red tag is in itself empowering. In Gilead, choices, especially for women, were scarce. By actively choosing to wear the tag, June reclaims her agency, turning a symbol of forced identity into one of personal empowerment.
- **Reminder of her Mission:** June's battle with Gilead is both external and internal. Wearing the red tag can serve as a constant reminder of why she fights and what's at stake. It might also serve to remind those around her in Canada – a country which can sometimes be complacent or distant from Gilead's horrors – of the brutal reality that many still face.
Throughout the series, June's character evolves from a somewhat passive victim to an active resistor. Her relationship with the red tag similarly shifts from one of imposed identity to one of chosen identity. By continuing to wear it, she makes a statement about her past, her present, and her commitment to changing the future for all the women of Gilead.
