Lipstick

Hey girls…. I mean ladies…. no, gals… or women… whatever term you want to use; I have a question to your gender. Why do you wear lipstick?

When I walk into a club or a fine dining establishment or even a disgusting juke joint, I look at the faces and only the women are wearing lipstick. My question is “Why?”

Even with all the applications of colors or powders or creams or hair adjustments or weird eye treatments, the consistent difference between you girls and us guys is lipstick.

I know the history of facial decoration through the eons and fully understand it is a cultural requirement to look attractive or distinctive but why the bother? 

Ancient Sumerian men and women were possibly the first to invent and wear lipstick, about 5,000 years ago. They crushed gemstones and used them to decorate their faces, mainly on the lips and around the eyes. Also Egyptians like Cleopatra crushed bugs to create a colour of red on their lips. Around 3000 BC to 1500 BC, women in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization applied red tinted lipstick to their lips for face decoration. Ancient Egyptians wore lipstick to show social status rather than gender.

Throughout most of the 19th century the obvious use of cosmetics was not considered acceptable in Britain for respectable women, and it was associated with marginalized groups such as actors and prostitutes. It was considered brazen and uncouth to wear makeup.

In the 1850s, reports were being published warning women of the dangers of using lead and vermilion in cosmetics applied to the face.

Dark red was one of the most popular shades throughout the 19th and 20th century. Flappers wore lipstick to symbolize their independence. Lipstick was worn around the lips to form a “Cupid’s bow,” inspired by actress Clara Bow. At that time, it was acceptable to apply lipstick in public and during lunch, but never at dinner.

In the early 1930s, Elizabeth Arden began to introduce different lipstick colors. She inspired other companies to create a variety of lipstick shades. In the 1930s, lipstick was seen as symbol of adult sexuality. Teenage girls believed that lipstick was a symbol of womanhood. Adults saw it as an act of rebellion. A study in 1937 survey revealed that over 50% of teenage girls fought with their parents over lipstick.

In the mid-1940s, several teen books and magazines stressed that men prefer a natural look to a made-up look. Books and magazines also warned girls that wearing cosmetics could ruin their chances of popularity and a career. The implication of these articles was that lipstick and rouge were for teen girls who acted very provocatively with men. Despite the increased use of cosmetics, it was still associated with prostitution. Teen girls were discouraged from wearing cosmetics for fear that they would be mistaken for “loose” girls or prostitutes.

In the 1960s, lipstick was associated with femininity. Women who did not wear lipstick were suspected of mental illness or lesbianism.

Black lipstick became popular in the late 1970s and into the 1990s. In the 1950s actresses in horror films wore black lipstick. It became popular again due in part to punk and Goth subcultures.

In Australia, Aboriginal girls would paint their mouths red with ochre for puberty rituals.

Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that apply color, texture, and protection to the lips.

Many colors and types of lipstick exist. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women. Some lipsticks are also lip balms, to add color and hydration.

Although the name originally applied to the baton (stick) of material, within a tubular container, usually around 10mm in diameter and 50mm in length the term has now generally transposed to the material itself, regardless of method of application.

OK, I get that this is part of the fashion society creating a female culture that must have lipstick to complete the facial presentation and will even agree with soothing oils softening the lips, but why just the girls?

I don’t know any guys… dudes… boys… men, oh fuck this gender thing is too difficult to keep up with; who wear lipstick.

Maybe they do in the secret places but I don’t remember seeing the football team throwing sweaty towels and stinky jock straps applying a thin coat of moisture color to their lips. I didn’t stay in the locker room very long.

I remember waiting for a date while she ‘got ready’ primping and spraying and preparing herself as a vision to sit in a dark theater or mixing it up in the back seat of a car and the lipstick didn’t matter. Social conformity and peer pressure continues with this strange habit for the female gender to place a red line on her lips.

If the genders are to be accepted as equal should we both drop some of these out-date traditions? If all the makeup disguises your flaws, what happens in the rain?

Maybe this would be a step to equalize disparage or even the suggestion of vulnerability to unwanted advancements. Our uniqueness and individually shouldn’t rely on the fashion industry to tell us what makes us attractive.

Cultural changes will take generations to adjust to the new world order and following the trends of celebrities or walkways fed by the couturiers and the chemical cosmetics industry.

In the meantime, keep applying the red stuff to your lips that will rub off on your cigarette and drink glass showing your ‘new’ friend where to drop the pill. 

And while I’m at it… what the Mother, Mary and Joseph are you still wearing these things for?