A red shirt under a red light appears pale because red

To understand why a red shirt appears pale under red light, we need to consider how colors are perceived. A shirt's color is due to the light it reflects. A red shirt reflects red light and absorbs other colors. This is why it looks red under normal white light, which is made up of many colors including red.

When you place a red shirt under red light, the only available light to reflect is red. Since the shirt is already designed to reflect red light, it reflects the red light and appears its vivid color. However, it might appear brighter or paler since no other colors are present to contrast against the red.

Therefore, the best explanation is that the red shirt absorbs other colours and reflects red.