Confidence Lipstick

Confidence Lipstick

When I was 17 years old, I loved red lipstick a lot because it gave me a confidence boost when I needed it the most. I remember my High School friends giving me a present for my birthday; a pillow with a photo of them printed on it... all wearing red lipstick.

One of the first conversations I had with a friend not long ago made me remember my red lipstick phase and how that little stick of colour made me feel. We talked about self-esteem and the struggles that come with it. I admitted that I felt my confidence was getting worse, not better. She then told me about her relationship with red lipstick, or as she calls it, “confidence lipstick”. She explained how it makes her feel extra powerful, especially on days she is struggling.

After she explained the concept of the “confidence lipstick”, she stood up searching for something, before handing me my very own “confidence lipstick”.This little gesture took me back in time and I instantly experienced how red lipstick used to make me feel. This little gift is one of the most meaningful gifts a friend has ever given me. Thinking about the impact red lipstick has had on me, I wanted to know more about the evolution of red lipstick.

Red lipstick goes back to ancient Egypt, when people say that Cleopatra made her own red lipstick out of crushed insects and red wax. Elizabeth Arden, a supporter of women rights and owner of her own beauty company, handed out free red lipstick to the people of the suffragette movement who marched in New York in 1912.

During the Second World War, red lipstick was worn by people from allied countries who wanted to signal they were against fascism. After the Second World War, red lipstick symbolised independence, as women were more and more able to afford things with their own money.

Red lipstick is now said to serve as a symbol of revolution. For example, at the protests against sexual violence in Chile in 2019, nearly 10,000 women walked the streets wearing blind-folds and red lipstick. Both historically and today, red lipstick is not only a piece of make-up, it is a rebellion. Red lipstick is powerful.

Red lipstick has been and still is a symbol for women’s empowerment, but keep in mind that it is for everyone to wear, men and women alike! Red lipstick will not solve your problems or mine, but if it makes you feel powerful... do not hesitate to embrace those bold red lips.