Red Lipstick: A History.

No doubt if you have read many of my posts on this blog thus far, you will have learned that I am a diehard fan of red lipstick. Whether it is fire engine, crimson, or bordeaux , painting the lips red brings liveliness, vitality, and drama to the face like nothing else, and its iconic status dates back thousands of years. So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and full, voluptuous red lips to go along with it, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the history of this beautiful piece of makeup.

The first known use of red lipstick was among the Sumerian culture of ancient Mesopotamia circa 3500 B.C. Back then, the formula was comprised of rocks pulverized to powders which were dabbed on the lips with the finger. It is thought that perhaps tinting the lips was not just for adorning the face or indicating class a certain social status but was also a way of protecting the lips against the harshness of the environment. Animal fats and waxes were added later on to the powder pigments to create a more emollient substance that was smoother and more hydrating to the lips.

As time passed, other civilizations adopted the practice of wearing red lipstick, but societal feelings varied greatly. In Ancient Greece, women who wore red lipstick were banned from painting their lips and were often arrested for being prostitutes if they were caught flaunting reddened lips especially. If, however, a prostitute was caught without her red-painted lips, she would be doubly-punished both for actions and also failing to wear the appropriate lipcolor. Conversely, in Ancient Rome, red lips were considered a desirable thing and were a symbol of wealth worn by all adults of all genders. However, in the Medieval period, rules about social status and lipcolor were much more complicated. Pink lips, especially bright pink, were symbol of high wealth and purity, whereas rusty red tones signified being working class.

In the 1500s, red lipstick found it status of truly being in vogue when Queen Elizabeth I of England became publicly famous for painting her lips a deep English rose red and others following her lead. This was much to the dismay of church clergymen who thought the practice both being sinfully seductive of men and a mark of witchcraft. Thus began a religiously-fueled battle against red lipstick that lasted for centuries. Some red lip-loving ladies, however, granted themselves an exception by appealing to their priests that wearing cosmetics including red lipstick was a symbol of retaining their beauty to keep their husbands. By the late 1880s and early 1900s, throughout the world lipstick, and especially red lipstick, regained popularity as formulas became much more refined, and women used the color to symbolize empowerment and rising above the social stigma of centuries prior. A notable example the famous makeup artist and beauty company founder Elizabeth Arden created her famous Red Door Red shade and passed it along to women activists who marched passed her salon during the suffragette movement as a synbol of boldness and unity in their fight for equality.

In 1923, the first bullet lipstick with a twist-up design and cap like we see today was invented. Thus lipstick, especially those with bold hues like red, easy-to-use and accessible for every modern user from then on. From there, red lipstick became the symbol of glamour and romance that is today, being the hallmark of Hollywood starlets from the 30s onward and a symbol of American pride for women during World War II. The rest is truly history.

For all its reputations and the different implications that it has evoked across cultures throughout the ages, red lipstick is truly something that turns heads and starts conversations. So if you are planning to rock a red lip for Valentine's Day or any other, know you will be taking part in a time-honored tradition of sensuality, freedom, rebellion, and most of all, unending beauty.

* Sources (and for further reading) : Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

"The Feminist History of Red Lipstick" Article by Ashley Hesse www.yourdream.liveyourdream.org