The Friday 5 - Beautiful Defiance
*in case you missed it, the Galentine’s event has been cancelled
I’ve been known to rock a red lip, especially when I had my platinum blonde pixie cut. Red lips almost always make me feel spicy and confident. And as someone who wears way too much black, it also gives me a pop of color to brighten up the drab complexion that certain black fabrics can sometimes create on me.
So given the state of the world today, you can imagine my absolute delight when I learned that for over a century, red lipstick has literally been a symbol of DEFIANCE.
In the times of Cleopatra red lips were a statement look. The Egyptian queen and Egyptian upper crust rocked them as symbols of status and elite standing. In ancient Greece, prostitutes were required by law to wear it to show they were “women of ill repute” (insert eye-roll). Even in the Golden Age of Hollywood glamour, were you even a starlet if you didn’t wear a bold red lip?
BUT, in the very early 20th century, red lips found their place in the activist spotlight during the suffrage movement. At that time, thousands of people supporting the movement for voting rights for women marched in the streets of New York City. One of the shops they went past on their journey was Elizabeth Arden’s relatively newly opened storefront. Elizabeth was a big supporter of women’s rights and to show this support, she started handing out free tubes of her bright, red lipstick to the Suffragettes marching past.
According to an article in CNN Style by Jacqui Palumbo, “Suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman loved red lipstick for its ability to shock men, and protesters donned the bold color en masse, adopting it as a sign of rebellion and liberation and it became a pivotal part of their look around the world.”
THEN, during World War II, women in allied countries started wearing it as an ‘F-You’ to Hitler because he had a well-known hatred of it. He thought that the perfect Aryan woman wore a pure, un-scrubbed face (to go along with her fascism). Women who were part of the Resistance, working in the factories at home, and joining the army all started wearing bold, red lips to symbolize their “resilience in the face of conflict” according to the book, Red Lipstick: Ode to a Beauty icon. In fact, beginning in 1941 through to the end of the war, women joining the US Army were mandated to wear red lipstick and guess who was tapped to develop those lipsticks? Yep, Elizabeth Arden. Basically, during the war, red lipstick in Allied countries, became a sign of patriotism and a statement against fascism.
There are many, many other examples throughout the last century of red lips (and red in general) being used as a symbol of female strength, resistance, rebellion, and DEFIANCE (not to mention making your self-esteem soar).
So this week, I give to you
Five ways to tap into your DEFIANCE
So here it is.
Are you ready?
(1) WEAR THE GODDAMN RED LIPSTICK
During WWII, the adoption of red lipstick was the catalyst for many famous lip colors to be created. Famously, Victory Red and Montezuma Red by Elizabeth Arden and Regimental Red by Helena Rubenstein.
While these cosmetics companies no longer make these colors, I have discovered a GEM of a company that recreates reds made famous throughout the decades. The company is called Besamé and they boast 22 shades of red available on their website including VICTORY RED! With so many amazing reds to choose from, you are sure to find the right hue for your skin tone.
The red lippy I’m wearing in the photo above is an older MAC Viva Glam but the exact color is discontinued. This one is close to it… (yes, I know it’s not a clean brand but I do love this color)
Fore a more matte, blurred effect in an orangey-red, I love this Bisou Balm from Violette.Fr. If a deep, red is more your jam, they also make this gorgeous, saturated matte lipstick
While you’re at it, pick up a copy of the book, Red Lipstick: An Ode to a Beauty Icon by Rachel Felder to take a deep dive into the history of the red lip.
Also, this CNN article (referenced above) is a quick read if your bedside table "‘To Be Read’ list is too long already.
(2) FIND YOUR DEFIANT MUSIC
Punk, folk, hip hop, rap, R&B, reggae, the blues, rock—I would venture to say that all musical genres have been used as activism against the injustices of the day. Whatever the protest, there was/is music to go along with it.
Find what fuels YOU and lean into it. Maybe you need the pulsing chaos of punk to light a fire under you. Maybe the poetic, truth-seeking lyrics of 60’s folk or Americana folk are more your style of motivation. I usually need the gritty grind of certain rock artists to start that fight.
Here are some places to start:
Rage Against the Machine
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
Joan Baez
The Clash
Public Enemy
Nina Simone
Or you could always begin with some inspiration from the show Severance and listen to the playlist from the episode titled, Defiant Jazz
(3) BE LIKE BILLIE HOLIDAY
Not only did Ms. Holiday wear a red lip but she also used music AND fashion to exert her defiance in a white world that didn’t want her belonging too much.
Maybe more than the red lip, her clothes were another of her symbols of defiance. Dressing in a manner that society thought should be reserved for successful, uppity whites only, was a radical act of defiance and activism. Billie wore her diamond earrings and necklaces, her furs, and stunning designer clothes (made specifically for her by the designers) showing her stature of success, black excellence, and glamour for all to see. She wore them almost as a dare to not place her equally in the world in which she had earned a position of respect and honor. So use that fashion in your closet to build yourself up to get out there and fight back against tyranny.
While Ms. Holiday’s life was hard and heart-breaking, she upheld her commitment to beautiful defiance in her performances. One need only listen to the song Strange Fruit to feel that.
(4) GALENTINE’S DAY
It might seem silly to include Galentine’s Day in this list of suggestions but hear me out. Last year I briefly mentioned in my A Word About Valentine’s Day post about how Galentine’s was an actual celebration from the 5th century Normans that honored romance (OK, technically it was called Galatin’s Day which means ‘lover of women’—even better in my opinion). Somehow it has found it’s way back into the world and I don’t think there is any coincidence in that. It’s what the world need now.
Because women gathering together inevitably celebrate each other. When we drop into our innate femininity together, it creates an environment ripe for support and celebration which can buoy efforts to lift everyone up (and plot defiance that will go above and beyond the dumb riots and violence that men seem to default to). By sharing stories and being authentic, we inspire defiance, movements, and actions that can counter the injustices and fascism from a different direction than the dumb violence and riots men seem to default to. Hopefully it’s from a direction they never see coming. And THAT is beautiful.
(5) NO FEAR
I’ll end with this. Fear is what has led us to this point. Fear of scarcity. Fear of someone taking “what’s mine.” Fear of “otherness.” Fear of differences. Fear, fear, fear.
For someone like me, my fear isn’t about any of those things but comes from a place of “not being good” or rocking the boat. The fear that saying what I believe might lead to confrontation and that would be bad. Well the time for that is gone. The time of being a “good girl” has evaporated. I recognize that my job is to work on transforming my fear into motivation.
In our new era, there is no room for small-minded fear. There is only room for big, beautiful defiance.
If you are feeling brave and defiant, here are some active ways to fight the crap currently happening:
- Call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 or (800) 972-3524 to be connected to your Senator’s office to file a complaint. Apparently, phone calls are better than emails or letters. Even if your state/city is a blue state, it still helps to make the calls, write the emails, etc…
OR
-Find your Representative’s contact info here and let them know what you want to happen (ie. get musk out, block all of the BS, etc…)
-Find your Senator’s contact info here and let them know what you want to happen (ie. get musk out, block all of the BS, etc…)
**If you want to dive deeper into the importance of DEFIANCE. I suggest listening to this episode of Armchair Expert with Dr. Sunita Sah. And check out her book, Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes)
I promise next week I will send out a lighter, more fun newsletter. This week, I was in my aggressive feelings and needed to share it.
And truly this week….
TGIF!
XO,
E