Red Lip Radicalism
Empowering and alluring, the lips draw an onlooker's attention. In fact, lips have driven revolutions with the adornment of red lipstick representing rebellion and liberation in the women's suffrage movement of the early 20th century (1). Red lips became and maintained a symbol of strength and female power. As Rachel Felder, author of “Red Lipstick, an Ode to a Beauty Icon states, “There could not be a more perfect symbol of suffragettes than red lipstick, because it’s not just powerful, it’s female.”
Red lips have been used throughout the centuries to represent many things. For example, red lips represented class in early Egypt, identified prostitutes in Greece, and was a symbol of glamour in Hollywood. Before it became popularized in the 20th century, red lips symbolized morally dubious, sexually promiscuous, mysterious, and frightening women. As the American suffrage women started wearing red lips, it began to spread internationally.
After the suffragettes adorned their lips in red, came the flappers in the 20’s both representing a modern woman. World war II offered another act of defiance for the red lip when Hitler “famously hated red lipstick,” according to Felder. One that wore red lipstick was both a patriot and against facism. As women went to work while the men were away at war, red lips helped women retain a sense of their own identity. We can all recall the famous Rosie the Riveter, used to recruit women to the workforce, and her infamous lipstick colored lips. In 1941, lipstick was actually mandatory for women in the army and Elizabeth Arden was asked to create a regulated lip and nail color. According to Felder, red lipstick was linked to resiliency and a strong female self-esteem.
To this day, red lips maintain a strong, confident, resilient look. In 2015, a Macedonian woman kissed a riot shield during a protest, leaving a red kiss mark as a symbol of rebellion. In 2018, Nicaraguan men and women adorned in red lipstick uploaded photos on social media to support the release of anti-government protesters. A reaction to activist Marlen Chow, who defied her interrogators by wearing red lipstick. In December 2019, roughly 10,000 women in Chile protested in the streets wearing black blindfolds, red scarves, and red lipstick to denounce sexual violence in Chile.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart because I”m in the business of lips. February is a time when us injectors promote the lip fill treatment with slogans like ‘plump it,’ ‘pucker it,’ and ‘pout it.’ With goals for achieving your most kissable and desirable lips. While this is awesome, there's some more radical shit happening here. Whether it be treating yourself to a lip filler treatment, or wearing red lipstick, adorning your lips maintains a defiant beauty symbol that was established by the women’s suffrage movement and permeates through social movements today.