The holiday season calls for holiday hues, and a red pout is an iconic one that always makes an appearance during this time of year. Being an integral part of the cosmetic world and many women’s makeup bag, the history and power behind the iconic look is as rich as its color.
The origin of this bold hue in the realm of beauty can be traced back to ancient Sumerians and ancient Egypt, where red rocks were crushed and mixed with wax to adorn those of wealthy and royal status, such as Cleopatra. It was even said that promiscuous women in Greece would wear this shade on their lips to signal their occupation to men. From the beginning, this commanding hue has been a status symbol, and over the years adapted it has adapted its interpretation through many global events and movements, being deemed as a symbol of feminine strength, rebellion, activism, and even deviance for some.
In America in 1912, women took to the streets to march for equal rights, including the right to vote. Suffragettes donned the bold color on their lips to command attention to their movement. Though seen as quite scandalous during the time, the decision to wear the iconic shade was to create a symbol of independence for women during this time.
The lip shade was also seen as “intimidating” to men during this time period, due to its cultural association with promiscuity in the early 1900s. Cosmetic brand founder, Elizabeth Arden, passed out free tubes of red lipstick to protesters on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which assisted in marking the red lip as a symbol of women’s liberation and rebellion. Arden would later dub this color “Victory red”, further adding power to this product. After the march in New York, British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst donned the red lip during her activist movement, which further spread the newfound symbol of the red lip.
Fun historical fact: in WWII, Adolf Hitler famously hated red lipstick, calling it “terrorizing” to men. In response, women in Allied countries sported the bold hue to show their patriotism, as well as a statement against fascism. When taxes made the cost of lipstick unaffordable during this time in the UK, women started staining their lips with beet juice to continue their movement.
During WWII, Women wore red lipstick as they entered the workforce during this time, to show their strength, resilience, and patriotism during times of conflict, hence why Rosie the Riveter has rosy red lips!
Other, and more recent, uses of this iconic pout as a political statement show the continued power behind the look. In 2018, Nicaraguan men and women took to the streets sporting the iconic lip shade and uploaded images of themselves online to demand the release of anti-government protesters, in response to activist Marlén Chow, who wore the iconic shade to defy her interrogators. In 2019, 10,000 women in Chile marched with blindfolds and the statement lip to denounce sexual violence in the country. Such a simple product continues to hold power and meaning in today’s world, just as it has since its integration into women’s beauty.
The statement behind a red lip spans a long history across the world as many symbols. From signaling wealth or royalty, to being a persecuting factory for promiscuity, to a symbol of liberation and feminine rebellion, to an iconic empowering beauty symbol, there is no doubt of the power behind such an integral beauty product. So don that red lip, and pay homage to the strong women in the past, and present, and cherish it as a symbol of strength and liberty.
