The Art of the Red Lip

Growing up as a little gay boy in a Latinx household, I was obsessed with special events; Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Birthdays, Parent-Teacher Conferences, anything that gave a reason to break out the “nice clothes.” As much as I loved my vests and perfectly shined cowboy boots, I was always mesmerized by the clacking of my mother’s high heels on our hardwood floor. They only came out on such occasions, and the outfit was never complete without the tube of Red Lipstick coming out before we left the house. It was then that my mother became much more than that. She became a superhero. Suddenly there seemed to be no obstacles; no language barriers, no need to ask for permission. She was a charmer, sweet talker, a fearless mama bear. As I got older, I would overhear my mom give life lessons to my sisters. Coming from those red-stained lips, I would pretend she secretly included me in the conversation on how to be a strong, fearless human being. As I got older, I held on to those lessons, and it wasn’t until the moment I picked up a tube of red lipstick that I realized how transformative a red lip could be. Yes, even for men.

1. Red lipstick as a power move.

Red is often used to represent power. From the “power tie” to the hallowed "red carpet,” the relationship between red and power can be found all over modern-day society. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains to Refinery29: "One of the things that I realized is that when you're always kind of running around, sometimes the best way to really look put together is a bold lip. I will wear a red lip when I need a boost of confidence." As with my mother, a red will definitely give you the confidence of a superhero to take on all of Congress or just the PTA.

2. Red lips in romance.

There’s nothing sexier than passion and feeling desired and red will definitely offer that. The color is often associated with passion, love, and desire. In a study for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, men were shown an image of a woman and asked them to rate her attractiveness. Some men saw a woman wearing a red shirt while others saw the same woman wearing a blue shirt. Results showed that men rated the woman in red as more sexually desirable than the same woman in blue. Likewise, the same study was done on women with pictures of a man in blue and red and found simply wearing the color red makes a man more attractive and sexually desirable to women. Red lips give the same reaction, whether you put it on yourself or it made its way on your skin from a special someone who couldn’t resist.

3. Red lipstick in our blood.

Red lips and Latinx culture go together like warm conchas and a mug of Abuelita’s hot chocolate. Latinas historically wore red lipstick as a symbol of fighting back in a society where they are told to keep quiet so that they aren't labeled as "spicy" or "fiery." A powerhouse lineup of women proudly wore their red lips to call attention to their efforts. These icons included Frida Kahlo, who transformed her struggles into dynamic art and defied society's beauty standards, Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, who played an important role in the conscious elevation of Afro-Latinidad, and Grammy-award winning Selena Quintanilla, who was one of the first Latinas to be open about her struggles with cultural self-identity. Comedian Cristela Alonzo explains to Refinery29 that "I want my words to be the most important thing on that stage. I decided to go for a bright red to highlight my mouth so that people knew my words were important." It's with these bold examples that a full red lip is synonymous with my Latinx roots.

4. What's more Punk Rock than a Red Lip?

Honestly, what's more Punk Rock and Anti-Patriarchy than rocking a bright red lip and bending gender rules? Artists like Prince, Freddy Mercury, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Tim Curry are just a few of the artists who rocked their way into legendary status with their flair for pushing the limits of gender expression. Each were known for smudging on some eyeliner and splashing on glitter to set themselves apart from the average frontman, only to find that femme-ing up their looks only heightened their masculine edge onstage. They inspired a whole generation of boys and girls to blur the gender lines and give a big middle finger to traditional society. This legacy of gender-bending glam is nothing new to the stage but slapping on some lipstick and glitter will still make you feel like you can start a moshpit or crowd surf just about anywhere. Be invincible.

5. Red lips in activism.

Since the pandemic has pushed us to stay home, tensions at home could run high. The Covid pandemic has caused another global crisis. Domestic abuse has risen worldwide as more families are forced to stay home with the added stress of Covid-19. UN Secretary General António Guterres tweets, “I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” as layoffs and record unemployment cause surges in domestic violence cases. This brings me to the most important reason to wear a red lip.

Founded in 2012, after Danielle Tansino fell victim to sexual violence, the Red My Lips campaign has raised money and attention to the rising rate of sexual and domestic abuse around the world. Men are encouraged to wear red lipstick to bring attention and start a conversation about rape and domestic violence. Australian Olympic athlete Simon Orchard explaining his participation: “I think this is a fantastic opportunity for me to stand up and speak up for something which is often brushed aside in society. There's nothing humorous about the message; this is just a good way to try and captivate people's attention." Along with bringing attention to the violence, the campaign also works towards ending victim shaming. University lecturer Glynn Greensmith explains, “Not only do we need to say stop sexual violence - everybody knows that - we need to stop the victim-blaming. We need to change the way the conversation is going on this, and I want to start that here. We're asking men to stand up; we're asking men to be part of the people who say 'don't teach your girls what to wear, teach your boys not to rape.”

Along with sharing a photo of yourself baring red lips, people also include hotline numbers and resources for women and children in need of assistance. Tansino explains the movement, “Wearing red lipstick allows supporters to speak out against these damaging myths and victim-blaming attitudes. It allows us all to stand in solidarity with survivors and refuse to be invisible…refuse to be silent.”

While the campaign runs during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, these acts of violence need to be brought to the forefront during a time when many families are forced to stay indoors with added stress and tensions.

Whether mkaing a bold statement, honoring your herritage, flirting, or raising awareness for a worthy cause, there nothing that a red lip will not encourage. My mother came from a long history of women who took back the red lip. Because of them, it no longer part of a stereotype of Latinx people being loud and hot-tempered but a symbol for resisilience, creativiy, passion, and activism. If you've read this far, I challenge you to stop by your nearest drug store or department store and get the brightest shade of red lipstick and feel your confidence level up and your attitude join the legacy of superheros changing the world.