How Red Lipstick Became a Symbol of Feminism
P.S. Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t wear red.
At a time when women are shattering the glass ceiling and taking center stage in every sphere, it is hard to believe that her choice of lipstick could ruffle feathers.
This is exactly what happened to a 54-year-old woman in India in November 2020. Slut-shamed by her relatives for wearing a bright red lipstick at a family gathering, this woman was made to feel guilty about the color of her lipstick.
As if fighting for property rights, legal rights and wage gap wasn’t enough, now women also have to stand up to bullies who are quick to pass snide remarks and cast aspersions on their character, basis their looks.
This woman must have raised her son well because the very next day her 20-something son wore an electrifying shade of red lipstick and posted a picture of himself on Facebook. To drive the point home, he tagged all his relatives and called them out for their unwarranted opinions. With one stroke of red, he made a powerful feminist statement against toxic patriarchy.
Just like the brave American women who put wore the crimson hue to demand equality. An event that occurred almost 100 years ago. So the red lipstick has quite a bit of history before evolving as a symbol of feminism.
The History of Red Lipstick
Royal women from Cleopatra to Queen Elizabeth wore varying shades of red lipstick, from deep crimson to scarlet hue. Flaunted by royalty, red was once considered to be a symbol of high status. Women in the public domain were quick to adopt the trend of using cosmetics to enhance their beauty.
However, it wasn’t very long before people hyper-sexualized red lips. With time, it lost its high-status symbol as women who wore red were considered to be morally dubious and sexually immoral. Often looked upon with disgust, women began to socially distance themselves from this vermillion shade.
In the late 1800s, Queen Victoria declared cosmetics “impolite” and thereafter, red lipstick completely fell out of favor. If you belonged to that era, you wouldn’t want to be caught wearing red lipstick. It was a total no-no.
The glory of red lipstick was only talked about in hushed tones. But, this was about to change…
Red Lipstick as a Rallying Cry
In 1910, a grassroots movement for women’s rights emerged in America. Women from all walks of life rallied together to demand the right to vote. By 1912, this became a full-fledged suffrage movement.
Ironically, the term suffragettes was coined by a correspondent of Daily Mail in 1906, to belittle women who dared to demand voting rights. But, the badass women of those times embraced the term giving it a new meaning altogether. To bring their issues to light, the suffragettes committed small acts of civil disobedience against the government.
In 1912, women in America began to hold demonstrations and protest rallies against the rules that debarred them from voting.
At around the same time, a young woman, Elizabeth Arden, the founder of the now-famous cosmetics brand, had opened a salon in New York City. In those days, women doing business was unheard of. Most women had to restrict themselves to taking care of the household.
Evolution of Red Lipstick
Elizabeth Arden implemented a brilliant strategy to bring back the disgraced red lipstick. When thousands of supporters marched past, Arden handed out red lipsticks to every supporter of the suffrage movement.
Red was strongly feminine and univocally powerful and daring. Women realized that their desires and choices were being suppressed for far too long. As an act of defiance against the regressive rules, they loved the red lipstick and what it stood for.
With new-found confidence, women marched the streets, smearing red across their lips.
Adopted by the protestors as a sign of liberation, it was well-loved for its shock value. It brought attention to the cause and a society that had men call all the shots, could no longer turn a blind eye to the growing voice of freedom. They were forced to acknowledge the reality that was unfolding in front of them.
“There could not be a more perfect symbol of suffragettes than red lipstick, because it’s not just powerful, it’s female.” said Rachel Felder, author of “Red Lipstick: An Ode to a Beauty Icon,” in a phone interview. “Suffragettes were about female strength, not just strength.”
Red Lipstick Goes Global
Felder’s book explains that women in other places like Europe, New Zealand, and Australia tracked women’s rights movements happening all over the world, often taking inspiration from the tactics used to bring about change.
When the protestors in America donned the red lipstick, their international counterparts were inspired to follow suit. British suffragette leader, Emmeline Pankhurst who was closely following the American movement, colored her lips in red, and the others joined in solidarity. This further helped the spread of the activist symbol.
The movement was a huge success as it resulted in women being granted voting rights. And the red lipstick, once disgraced, rose to prominence as a symbol of feminism. Getting the right to vote would open a lot of doorways for women. It was one step closer to achieving an equal world.
This was the rise of a woman who was unafraid to stand up for her rights. The one who embraced her own strength and resilience and claimed what was rightfully hers. A woman who brimmed with confidence, no longer feeling the need to justify her sensuality. For she was a woman who could wear red whenever she pleased.
