For me—like many people—red lipstick is definitely hit or miss. I have found when I wear it I give less “sexy” and more clown, despite the fact that it supposedly could look good with my high-contrast features.Â
But, that doesn’t change the fact that red lipstick is iconic and timeless, and that it is making a comeback for 2025. A staple of femininity worldwide, red lipstick has represented the power of women from all walks of life at one time or another. From ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian queens who wore crushed up red rocks and carmine to display their high status and power, to sex workers in Ancient Greece where it became symbolic of female sexual liberation, to the ultra-feminist “self-sustaining individuals (and [those] part of the scandalous party scene of the Prohibition era)” in the 1920s. (Who What Wear) Historically provocative and confident, red lipstick has been worn by strong women for centuries as a mark of empowerment and femininity.Â
Red lipstick famously played a part in the women’s suffrage movement, with Elizabeth Arden popularizing red as the color of rebellion and resistance during the fight for women’s rights, “distributing lipstick tubes to suffragettes in 1912.” (National Geographic) Bold and fearless—but still feminine and powerful—red lipstick became part of the suffragette uniform for campaigning for the right for (white) women to vote.Â
But, while red lipstick was seen as a bold and daring lip color on the white suffragettes that symbolized their independence, according to Teen Vogue, red lipstick being seen as scandalous and promiscuous still held true for Black women who were largely excluded from the women’s suffrage movement. This persists even contemporarily, because of how red lipstick has played a part in racist narratives. Narratives that are the result of a history of “hyper-sexualization that is amplified by caricatures of Black women with exaggerated red lips. There’s also the history of minstrel shows with actors mocking Black people by painting their skin black with big red lips, to the caricatures of the mammy who were often wearing red lipstick.” (Teen Vogue) Women of Color were famously left out of the movement for women’s suffrage, and were seemingly left out of the empowerment it brought to white women because of how it had been used against them.
But in more modern times, it seems as though Black women are finding empowerment in the reclamation of red lipstick as a symbol of defiance against racism. Black-owned beauty brands like UOAMA Beauty have changed the beauty industry through this idea with “a lipstick collection dubbed “Badass Icon,” which features lipsticks named after and inspired by notable Black women, and a number of them are reds.”(Teen Vogue) In the world of political art, Black women were not included in the empowerment that came from red lipstick. But, Leta Harrison’s photography exhibit entitled Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick challenged the beauty standards that “discouraged [Black women] from wearing red lipstick…[like] that red doesn’t look good with dark skin…that it signifies that the wearer is sexually promiscuous.” (Reporting Texas) In Harrison’s own words: “I have an overwhelming sense of joy and I feel like I have a big responsibility to other Black women and other Black women creatives,” championing the reclamation of previously exclusive empowerment and feeling of confidence that came from red lipstick.Â
But probably my favorite era of red lipstick was the 1940s, where red lipstick became a show of American patriotism during World War Two. “Designed to pair with the khaki and blue uniforms worn by women of the United States Armed Forces,” (Who What Wear) patriotism wasn’t the only thing that red lipstick meant to the women that wore it. Red lipstick once again became synonymous with resistance, this time in the fight against fascism, and the role that women—now vital to the American war effort—played in it. As women went off into the workforce and U.S. military, they wore red lipstick as a display of resilience and defiance against the oppression of Nazism. Even the well-known Rosie the Riveter sported cherry-red lips, boldly stating her iconic message to women: “We can do it!”
Several sources also claim that red lipstick was banned in Nazi Germany, as Adolf Hitler supposedly hated it. Meanwhile, (seemingly out of spite) red lipstick had actually become a required part of the U.S. Army women’s uniform regulation,leading the U.S. government to ask Elizabeth Arden—who had contributed to red lipstick’s scandalous reputation just three decades earlier during the women’s suffrage movement—to create a regulation “lip and nail color for serving women. Her “Montezuma Red” matched and accentuated their uniforms’ red piping.” (CNN Style)Â
Contemporarily, we see a powerful red lip on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—or as many know her, AOC—her signature specifically is the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in the shade Besos. A role model to young women for her outspoken and witty nature, her championship of justice and human rights, and the achievement of being both the youngest woman and the youngest Latina to be sworn in as a member of the United States Congress, AOC’s red lipstick is both an expression of her femininity and her roots. In her Vogue Beauty Secrets spotlight, she states: “Being Latina, this is very much our culture, where we come from. I will wear a red lip when I need a boost of confidence.” Refinery 29 expands on the historical meaning of red lipstick being symbolic of Latinas allowing themselves to take up space beyond other’s stereotypes of their femininity—a meaning that goes deeper than the confidence-boost it is for women of other cultures—referencing AOC specifically, “In a society where Latinas are told to keep quiet or hide in the background so that they aren’t labeled as “spicy” or “fiery,” red lipstick has become a symbol of fighting back…Ocasio-Cortez, who takes a stand for political injustices and wears her favorite lip color proudly as an unconventional congressional candidate.” (Refinery29) In response to the claim that makeup is “frivolous” and that women who wear it shouldn’t be taken seriously, AOC says: “femininity has power — and in politics, there is so much criticism, nitpicking about how women and femme-people present ourselves…There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty or fashion, that’s somehow frivolous, but I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make and we make them every morning.” In short, if you look your best you’ll feel your best, and when you feel your best you’re empowered and ready to take on anything.
To sum up—in the words of AOC—femininity has power. Red lipstick has been the embodiment of feminine power for strong women throughout history. Women who pushed back against beauty standards, injustice, and a society that sought to silence them all while wearing a makeup look that is clearly timeless. From queens to suffragettes, the first women in the workforce and modern-day politicians going toe-to-toe for justice for all, wearing a bold red lip connects the modern-day woman to powerful women of the past. So whether you’re going for a statement look that screams sexual liberation, a brick red that breaks beauty standards, or a crimson that connects you to generations of women in the past, wear your red lipstick with pride. Remember, femininity has so much power, and so do you.