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The Lipstick Vote 01
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THE SUFFR AGE T T E S How Lipstick Gained the Female Vote
When one thinks of the suffragettes who fought for the woman’s right to vote in the early 1900s, glamour probably does not come to mind. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Susan B. Anthony did not show up to the Seneca Falls convention to show-off their fashion forward outfits. Carrie Chapman Catt probably did not care about the public perception of her style when forming the League of Women Voters. In order to back their cause, however, these women turned to one unique accessory, that history and society had rejected, as a symbol of their proud rebellion. They wore lipstick. A simple swipe of red with a big message.
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“WHETHER THEY WERE ‘NEW WOMEN’ CYCLING IN BLOOMERS AND SENSIBLE SHOES, OR ELEGANT LADIES IN BIG HATS AND BRIGHT LIPSTICK, WOMEN SHOULD BE FREE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANTED TO LOOK LIKE AND WHO THEY WANTED TO BE.” WAR PAINT | CHAPTER TITLE
At the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, women gathered to discuss topics usually reserved to male officials. They debated the emancipation of slaves, women’s rights, politics, and the influence of religion on American society. The act of gathering alone demonstrated the courage of the women present, but their choice to dawn lipstick made an equally significant statement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Charlotte Perkins, and others donned rouge to symbolize their wish for emancipation. Women at future rallies during the mid 1800s followed suit with a shade of bright red lipstick. Many dissenters and male opponents to their cause would have found their color choice socially and religiously offensive, (Byrdie) making their bravery really stand out from the crowd. The bravery and boldness of these women and their red lipstick caught the public eye. According to Madeline Marsh, author of Compacts and Cosmetics, “On one famous demonstration in New York in 1912, all the ladies painted their mouths with shockingly bright red lipstick and Elizabeth Arden joined in the parade” (78). Arden’s camaraderie showed that even the leaders of the lipstick industry, supported this feminine cause.
Suffragettes at the turn of the twentieth century continued to wear red lipstick in their effort to gain the right to vote. Wearing lipstick was still seen as disreputable and a social statement reserved for prostitutes and actresses. Due to its defiant implications, it became a symbol of the women’s rights movement, both in the United States and abroad in the United Kingdom. Of course these women were not fighting for the right to wear lipstick, but the message was clear. They were strong, beautiful women; independent in both their mind and their spirit. They were capable of choosing what they wanted to wear and who they wanted to be. Therefore, they should be granted the same rights as their male counterparts. Their decision to defiantly wear red lipstick allowed them to stand tall in the face of discrimination. They fought their battle with lipstick to tell the message of lipstick. To these ladies, lipstick represented freedom. Lipstick represented their voice.
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OF COURSE THESE WOMEN WERE NOT FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TOLIPSTICK, BUT THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR. 11 | 11
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World War II Lipstick 02
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WORLD WAR II WOMEN How Lipstick Won World War II Abroad
Women across the world and throughout history have struggled to feel beautiful and confident due to societal constraints, political turmoil, economic pressures, and general insecurities. This struggle held even more true during World War II. Every business, enterprise and daily practice focused their efforts on the struggle abroad. This meant many women had to leave their homes to support the cause. The U.S. military enlisted approximately 350,000 women in the armed forces (Duke). Some women served abroad as employees of the Red Cross, while 19 million other women, stayed home to take over the businesses left behind by their male counterparts (Duke). All women wanted to take part in supporting the Allies’ cause. Lipstick became a main player in supporting that cause. Many of them turned to lipstick to feel beautiful and strong during one of history’s ugliest times. The power of lipstick was so palpable that even industry leader, Elizabeth Arden, created a makeup kit that included a red lipstick to match the uniforms of the American Marine Corps Women’s Reserve (Face Paint, 175). The United States government even caught on to the hopeful and encouraging power of rouge and encouraged women to wear lipstick in support of American troops. Like the suffragettes who came before them, the swipe of red empowered the women who might have felt helpless at home; the women who felt alone serving abroad; and the women who wanted to show their patriotism.
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“LIPSTICK WAS ONE OF THE WAYS THESE WOMEN DEFINED THEMSELVES TO THEM IT SIGNALED FEMININITY AND STRENGTH.” Women who worked for the American Red Cross on foreign soil during World War II employed lipstick as a key tool in their everyday armor kit. According to United States Government archives, women responding to Red Cross job postings overseas had to be college graduates, single, and at least 25 years old (Government Archives). Their civil duty abroad consisted of lifting the morale of homesick soldiers and running local recreation clubs in a variety of camps throughout Europe (Government Archives). Due to restrictions of the time, women were not able to fight. A Red Cross woman could not bear arms. She could not go to the front lines of battle. She could, however, support the men who had given their time to do so. While they did not fight in battles, they bore witness to the horrors around the continent. They witnessed first hand the mental, emotional, and physical repercussions of the war. Red Cross women saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. One Red Cross service woman, Margaret, described her experiences in a letter to her parents. She wrote, "Believe me, Mom and Dad, we Red Cross have seen more of this war than anyone—and what we've seen and heard could make an excellent book. We feel the spirit and soul of the war." In addition to the men who fought on the battlefields, these lipstick bearing women represented the spirit of the war.
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Red Cross service women left their homes and all senses of comfort behind in the United States to stand for a cause greater than themselves. They dressed in military uniform just like their male counterparts. They wore dirty boots, badges, hats, and all of the regular combat paraphernalia (Government Archives). They were homogenized by their clothes and positions. They participated in a few small tasks, however, to distinguish themselves. According to a 2007 article for the National Archives called, “Wearing Lipstick to War, “they avoided the "mannish" or "Amazon woman" stereotypes that invited disdain from 1940s Americans. They usually took time to put on lipstick, nail polish, and perfume. These smart women quickly came to see that such small feminine connections to the girls back home meant worlds to the boys in the field.” While such “feminine connections” probably boosted the morale of the soldiers, their own attachment to femininity was a brave act of self empowerment. “Red Cross women were not sexy, at least not in a provocative sense. Their uniforms had a military style, enhanced often by muddy combat boots and odd bits and pieces of clothing.” These women found a way to feel individual and confident in an uncertain situation. The boys had their guns, but the women had their war paint.
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THE BOYS HAD THEIR GUNS, BUT THE WOMEN HAD THEIR WAR PAINT.
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