What did the suffragette movement, the two World Wars, the Vietnam war, the Great Recession and the Ukraine invasion have in common? The answer may surprise you. Women’s cosmetics, especially red lipstick, are frequently modes of resistance, rebellion and propaganda. They can be an economic indicator of recession (known as the Lipstick Effect) and a coping mechanism. The suffragettes, it is believed, wore red lipstick as an act of protest in their marches. Cosmetics entrepreneur, Elizabeth Arden, marched down Fifth Avenue in 1944 to support women’s voting rights, handing out red lipstick to fellow suffragettes as a symbol of solidarity, says the brand’s website. During World War I, lipstick and rouge were adopted by women to reinforce their femininity as they entered the workforce. World War II saw cosmetics and red lipstick being promoted as opposition to Hitler who reportedly hated it. During the Great Recession in 2008-9, the sale of lipsticks increased leading economists and leaders of companies to call it the Lipstick Effect, to indicate that people bought small-ticket items during an economic slowdown instead of splurging on luxuries and big-ticket items.
When women joined the army to fight in Vietnam, names for lipsticks took inspiration from the war. Commando, Jeep Red and Regimental Red were coined to make women feel feminine and counter the belief that women in the army were ‘manly’. Helena Rubinstein, makeup entrepreneur in the early 1900s, strategically designed her lipstick cases to resemble bullets. Elizabeth Arden was commissioned to create a makeup kit for the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve with a lipstick, rouge and nail polish in Montezuma red, to match the colour of the scarves worn by the women.
Cosmetics were heavily weaponized in Western war propaganda (‘Beauty is duty’) to get women to look beautiful, boost the morale of the soldiers and create a mood of optimism that things would go back to normal soon.
Fast forward to Ukraine. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, nail salons in Ukraine have been thriving, and colourful manicures, or ‘self-help manicures’ are reportedly helping women cope as their world falls apart. In between power cuts, air-raid sirens and gut-wrenching fear for those fighting the war and an uncertain future, women have sought refuge in colour therapy offered by manicures and pedicures. Nails in bright jewel tones and intricate designs have not only become morale boosters, but sometimes have also helped to identify women who have died in bombings, says a New York Times report. From battle fields to boardrooms, colour cosmetics are a code for survival, strength and self-preservation. A painted pout can be as strong as a shout of protest.
InkSights is a monthly art series by NWMI member Anupama Bijur viewing current affairs through a gender and news lens.
