#womansmonth

Young. Wild. & Women. - The Power of Red

In honor of Women's Month, I have decided to do a little research, and landed upon something I use pretty consistently, lipstick, more specifically, RED lipstick.

There have been many women throughout our time, both animated and real life, that have made a staple with the color red. Some of which include: Marilyn Monroe, Rosie the Riveter, Madonna, Betty Boop, Christina Aguilera, and the ones said to have started it all, ancient Sumerian woman and men.


Iconic Faces and Advancements of Lipstick

One of the most iconic women of ancient times was Cleopatra. She was said to have crushed bugs such as beetles and ants to get the right color of red. Because the process of creating these ancient lip stains, the phrase “Kiss of Death” was created because of the harmful mixture of fucus-algin, iodine, and bromine mannite that  Egyptian women used to create lipstick. Highly toxic, the concoction often led to serious illness and sometimes death (History Of Red Lipstick; Taylor Barringer - https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g8050/red-lipstick/?slide=1 ).

However as time went by, the process of making lipstick was a little safer to wear. In the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth 1 was the first known woman to make cosmetics popular by applying pale face makeup and bright crimson lips which she got from a mix of beeswax and plants. It was said that Medieval Europeans believed that lipstick and cosmetics warded off death which is a huge possibility why Queen Elizabeth’s handmaidens applied this to her face even after death.

In the turn of the century and the majority of the nineteenth century, only particular woman were meant to wear makeup, prostitutes and actors. Such actors as Sarah Bernhardt, who also wore it out in public which was highly taboo at the time. Therefore, makeup being considered non-acceptable for respectful woman.

Be that as it may, by the end of the nineteenth century the first lipstick was sold and manufactured by French company, Guerlain. This lipstick was made from deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax and covered in silk paper. In the states, lipstick was colored with carmine dye and did not come in a tube and was applied with a blush brush. Until 1915, when Maurice Levy invented the first metal lipstick tube and in 1923 the first swivel lipstick tube was patented by James Bruce Mason Jr. Soon companies like Chanel and Max Factor grabbed hold of this and started to create their own lipsticks.


Advertisements, Propaganda, and Women’s Sexuality

The 1930s brought in a boom of sales for lipstick. Helena Rubenstein, founder of Helena Rubenstein makeup, was  the first to advertise lipstick as having sun protection. Also during this time, manufacturers deemed  lipstick ‘an important part of the war effort’, urging women to do their part and buy lipstick (History Of Red Lipstick; Taylor Barringer - https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g8050/red-lipstick/?slide=1).  Which then later brought to fame Rosie the Riveter, who was used for a campaign to recruit female workers for defense industries during World War II, and has since become one of the most iconic woman in the workforce and later for the Women's Suffrage Movement.

Coming into the 1950s, companies such as Revlon, created the idea that women shouldn’t just wear lipstick for others and their husbands, but to make themselves feel beautiful, sexy, and to cater to their personality. Revlon’s Fire and Ice Campaign was revolutionary in many ways, such as being the first print ad to tie makeup to sexuality and captivating copy to cater to that idea—

"What is the American girl made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice? Not since the days of the Gibson Girl! There's a new American Beauty...she's  tease and temptress, siren and gamin, dynamic and demure." The idea was  that women had multitudes to them, where they were both hot and cold,  passionate and cool. "Men find her slightly, delightfully baffling.  Sometimes a little maddening. Yet they admit she's easily the most exciting woman in all the world!"  (The Most Famous Beauty Campaigns In History; Marlen Komar - https://www.bustle.com/p/the-9-most-famous-beauty-campaigns-in-history-will-probably-surprise-you-62818).

The woman featured in the ad was then It Girl and model Dorian Leigh. She was done up in a silky silver gown wrapped glamorously by a red carpet, her lips and nails painted a scarlet red. Her looks considered to look like fire and ice, thus targeting women as such. This ad was revolutionary because it focused on the lip color and was the first solo placement of a woman in an ad. The ad implying that applying lipstick was something a woman did for her  pleasure and no one else.

Such ads like these brought into play one of the most iconic red lips and sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Famous for playing the comic “blonde bombshell”, Monroe was also known to influence woman and to grab hold of their personal beauty and sexualities. Till this day Monroe is still considered to trend set the beauty industry and the classic “bombshell” look.


Lips Now

Throughout the years and now, lip colors have fluctuated in style and color. There are a broader range of colors, textures, and finishes, such as-lipsticks, liquid lipstick, gloss, matte finishes, and stains-red is still a consistent color of classic boldness and sexiness.

Woman now wear lipstick for a variety of reasons. To feel sexy, confident, to add a little pop of color to the face, to complete an outfit, to wear for that special occasion and more. But most importantly, the history of lipstick and makeup have taught woman that we can embrace our sexualities and personalities. Every woman is different in this factor, some like a soft look during the day and a bold look in the evening. There are no set rules, whatever her pleasure may be she is able to wear, or not wear. Lipstick being a small product item but a major pinnacle point in women's history.



Poetry - Double Standards

She cries, she's too sensitive.

She gets angry, she's dramatic.

She speaks her mind she' a bitch.

She shares her feelings, yet there are still those who don’t care to understand.

 

Be more like a man, but work twice as hard.

Once she’s the boss, rumors flutter through.

Yet when she stays quiet, she gets overlooked.

 

Constant awareness of her surroundings, makes her paranoid.

Not paying attention, she becomes victim, and then she's the one to blame.

 

Dresses fashionably, she's too into her looks.

Dresses in something that makes her feel confident and sexy, she's told she's asking for the hook.

She covers up, and she's a prude,

There’s no winning in her wardrobe.

 

Double standards is a thing of the past?

Ask any woman, and it continues to be a daily fact.

 

Come together, both woman and man,

We must stand as one,

For equal rights no matter what the sex/gender outcome.