By: Muhammad Zaman Butt
Beyond the women’s march, what’s our next move? As it is observed on the 8th of March worldwide and was first formally recognized by the United Nations in 1977. We’re all fed up with these campaigns, placards, and protests that continue to be held in the hopes of improving the situation for women who have been subjected to the ordeal of discrimination, revenge porn, domestic violence, honour killing, gender parity, deprived right and catcalling. But these all activities seem to be meaningless on account of no fruitful results. Men’s illogical justifications such as you cannot wear red lipstick “because you’re not married” or labelling it a slut-shaming act also skimpy clothes that lead to rape are completely unreasonable and infuriating. This is something I’m convinced of that, even if she’s standing while wearing inappropriate clothes in front of everyone, we can’t touch her. Also, neither we are authorities who can take law into their own hands nor one can determine a person’s nature based on how they look or what they wear. Furthermore, catcalling a woman wearing red lipstick is quite pig-ignorant and now it is high time for all women to wear red lipstick in this Women’s March with zeal and zest to break this societal stigma. Where red lipstick is intended to make a woman look on fleek, it has also become a trigger for slut-shaming. In 2020, it was the month of November when an Indian woman slut-shamed by her relatives at a family gathering she was made to feel guilty about the colour of her red lipstick. Now, she could only bring her distress to light against snide remarks. Even throughout the Greek Empire, it was prohibited for sex workers to appear in public without wearing lipstick that identified who was and wasn’t a sex worker. Before this colour became a symbol of feminism, red lipstick had a historical background. Since circa 2600 B.C., ladies have been reddening their lips for ages. A Queen Shub-Ad, also known as Pu-Abi of one of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. She was known for using lip colourant made with crushed red jewels on a base of white lead. Also, Cleopatra wore it in ancient Egypt, covering her lips in a shade of crimson obtained from crushed red beetles because her crimson colour was a symbol of wealth and power.
Philosophically, Lipstick Feminism believes it is a sign of Woman Empowerment that began during the 3rd wave of feminism. Someone put it very adequately “Give women the right lipstick and she can conquer the world”. In the Darkest hour (WW2), the red lipstick became popular when recruiting women to contribute to the war effort where women were tasked to provide weapons to troops and these workers wore red lipstick to boost morale. It is well known that Führer “The German Reich” despised Red Lipstick. Women who came to see him were advised not to wear this because he claimed that “such lipstick was made from animal fat which is rescued from sewage”. ‘Fighting Red!’ were some of the names given to lipsticks Patriot Red!’ and ‘Grenadier Red! as well. In the early 20th century, red lipstick was synonymous with power and feminine strength, specifically during the suffragette movement in the USA even till 1847 women were restricted to vote. Also, black women were mostly ignored by the beauty industry in the 1940s and 1950s, only a few salons cater to their needs. Red lipstick became an unofficial symbol for white women and can be termed as White Feminism which focused on white women while ignoring different forms of oppression and challenges faced by women from ethnic minorities. Considering the foregoing, Miss Elizabeth Arden was a trailblazer for women’s rights during this movement she and more than 14,000 other suffragists marched through New York City in 1912. She urged ladies to wear lipstick as a sign of strength. At that time, this practice was not socially acceptable. Since then, red lipstick became a part of females’ attire during this movement. Nonetheless, feminist scholars are increasingly grappling with the issue of choice. In the meantime, our institutions and relevant authorities now should focus on the Feminist Legal Theory and make timely action on it which involves the philosophical foundations of law and justice, to improve the quality of jurisprudence and women’s lives. Additionally, it also examines how law contributes to gender inequality, going beyond discriminatory practices. Despite their conflict, Feminist legal scholars are unified by the central tenet that males shape and rule society and how this patriarchal society perpetuates the position of women. Law is the fundamental realm where feminist movements and human rights activists, including advocates, can improve their status. In this regard, such challenges and issues of women improve their confidence and show a sign of strength that is rooted in the history of women’s rights. Fortunately, the bridge between red lipstick and women’s empowerment is embedded in the history of women’s rights for more than 10 decades. Nowhere, this entire view portrays, a misandry or woman chauvinism but an utter reality.
Dear Ladies, I’m writing to you! Be blunt & don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot swipe red lipstick on your lips. Besides this, always nerve yourself to fight against Stumbling Block. From a century ago to now, crimson lipstick has been a significant tool for women’s protest, which personifies women’s defiance.
The writer Muhammad Zaman Butt is a Lawyer. He can be reached at [email protected]. He tweets @MuhammadZamanB5