War, Women, and Lipstick
A celebration of the female voice with a ferocious colour of strength.
Lipstick is the most treasured and essential item that women cannot live without, and the shade that has the most culturally staying power is red. But did you know that the colour has a rich history lavished in identity, freedom, and liberation?
Whether we want to embrace our sensuality, or want to make a bold statement at a holiday party, there’s a reason for our inclination to reach for red lipstick. We know that the words coming out of a beautifully lipsticked mouth are more fierce than one without.
Red lips have been a signature look in fashion for more than 5,000 years, and it exudes sexuality, mystery, and power. Throughout the centuries, it’s been worn by women to feel bolder, stronger, and more confident. Women during the suffrage movement in the early 1900's wore it to defy the norm, and the factory-working woman considered her lipstick as part of her armour as she struggled to make her way through WWII.
Today, nearly all women own a tube of red lipstick, whether it’s a classic shade they’ve been wearing devotedly for years, or a glamorous boost for those special occasions. To wear red lipstick is to be shamelessly, visibly feminine in a male-dominated world that is systematically stacked against us.
