I first discovered the magic of red lipstick around the time Taylor Swift’s Red album came out. It was my senior year and after discovering the album, my best friend and I found our best red lipsticks and had weekly “red lipstick” days at school. It was awesome. Every time we agreed to have one, I always put extra effort into my outfit and felt like I looked amazing.
Now, in college, I find that most days, I’m not willing to put extra time into how I look. I usually brush my hair, pull on a pair of jeans, a sweater, and some mascara. Still, some days I stick on my red lipstick (even though I don’t necessarily feel the need to dress up for it anymore). Somehow, just the act of wearing it makes me feel more confident about myself and everything I do during the day.
I’m not the first to express this feeling, but it’s something I feel deserves repeating. I know there’s a lot of criticism out there for girls who wear bright lipstick on normal days—but it’s been said before and I’ll say it again: girls shouldn’t wear make-up to please other people.
They should wear make-up that makes them happy, that makes them feel confident, that makes them feel beautiful. If that means purple eye shadow, blue mascara, or red lipstick, then wear it. It’s definitely worth it (and yes, I’ve experimented with all of those—my mascara collection includes blue, green, purple, and gold. It’s totally awesome).
Red lipstick has the effect of immediately making me feel like I can do anything. Perhaps it’s because the memory of wearing red lipstick is so ingrained with the memory of Red. Taylor Swift is known for her consistent choice of red lipstick and I think she definitely rocks it. Now, I know I don’t look anything like her but wearing red lipstick makes me feel like I’m as close as I’m going to get and I instantly feel just a little bit better.
I wear red lipstick for interviews, tests, presentations, and normal class days. I even wear it if I know there’s going to be food/coffee involved. This might be in part because I personally think the lipstick stains on coffee cups look awesome (cue singing of 5 Seconds of Summer). I know this isn’t a universal opinion but it definitely makes me a little bit happier to see them.
For me, wearing red lipstick is like a stamp of confidence. I feel if I’m wearing it I instantly look just a little more on top of things and put together. Who knows if this is actually true? Probably. I don’t actually look more together because I’m wearing red lipstick. But I feel and act like it, so I’m sure I definitely seem more prepared than I might otherwise be.
Red lipstick does for me exactly what make-up should always do. It’s not a trick just to make me look more beautiful or like a photograph. It’s a trick to make me feel more prepared to face the world. And that means anyone else’s opinion on it doesn’t matter so much. If your bright make-up choice makes you feel good and confident, go for it. Don’t let the naysayers stop you.
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