International Women’s Day: Now With More Makeup (Thanks To #RockTheLips)
Taken from here.
You know what they say the difference is between a woman who’s celebrating International Women’s Day, and one who isn’t? Lipstick, according to the Rock the Lips social media campaign, which has been created to unite women across the planet tomorrow in solidarity, pride…and red lips. Because, you know, heaven forbid women have a celebration that doesn’t involve getting all gussied up. I think there are better ways to celebrate being a woman, don’t you?
Lipstick, of course, isn’t always the healthiest stuff to slather on your pucker–it can contain lead and other carcinogens, not to mention carmine, which isn’t necessarily toxic, but is made of crushed bugs, which is enough to put many women off it. But even if you were wearing the natural kind that’s free of nasty ingredients, is putting on more makeup really the best, most progressive way raise awareness and celebrate being a woman?
What exactly does wearing red lipstick make anyone more aware of? That we have lips? That we’re expected to live up to unrealistic beauty standards? That we routinely put poison on our mouths?
Here’s the official goal, according to the Rock the Lips Facebook page:
This reminds me of the Facebook campaigns that were very popular about two years ago, during which time women would change their statuses to vaguely sexual sentences like “I like it on the table.” These grassroots pushes were supposed to do things like raise awareness for heart disease or breast cancer, but were missing important elements like helpful information, educational literature, or actually saying the words “breast cancer.” Thus, no awareness was raised–except that we all became more aware of where our friends kept their purses.
International Women’s Day is tomorrow, but I won’t be celebrating it with lipstick. Instead, I’ll probably celebrate it by giving a small amount of money to my local women’s shelter, or possibly a local organization that offers empowering programs for young women, like Reel Grrls or something similar. I suggest you leave the lead-packed lipstick in the drawer and do the same.
Image: Rock the Lips
Related posts:
You know what they say the difference is between a woman who’s celebrating International Women’s Day, and one who isn’t? Lipstick, according to the Rock the Lips social media campaign, which has been created to unite women across the planet tomorrow in solidarity, pride…and red lips. Because, you know, heaven forbid women have a celebration that doesn’t involve getting all gussied up. I think there are better ways to celebrate being a woman, don’t you?
Lipstick, of course, isn’t always the healthiest stuff to slather on your pucker–it can contain lead and other carcinogens, not to mention carmine, which isn’t necessarily toxic, but is made of crushed bugs, which is enough to put many women off it. But even if you were wearing the natural kind that’s free of nasty ingredients, is putting on more makeup really the best, most progressive way raise awareness and celebrate being a woman?
What exactly does wearing red lipstick make anyone more aware of? That we have lips? That we’re expected to live up to unrealistic beauty standards? That we routinely put poison on our mouths?
Here’s the official goal, according to the Rock the Lips Facebook page:
Our goal is to get 1 million women to join us and turn our offices, streets, buses, cities, countries, and the world into a sea of power pouts to celebrate that Women Rock!Oh! Our power pouts! I forgot that our mouths are entirely powerless without lipstick. How could I be such a ninny? I guess that’s why I have to rely on powerful advertising firms like AKQA to tell us how and when we’re allowed to be powerful, and what makes us so.
This reminds me of the Facebook campaigns that were very popular about two years ago, during which time women would change their statuses to vaguely sexual sentences like “I like it on the table.” These grassroots pushes were supposed to do things like raise awareness for heart disease or breast cancer, but were missing important elements like helpful information, educational literature, or actually saying the words “breast cancer.” Thus, no awareness was raised–except that we all became more aware of where our friends kept their purses.
International Women’s Day is tomorrow, but I won’t be celebrating it with lipstick. Instead, I’ll probably celebrate it by giving a small amount of money to my local women’s shelter, or possibly a local organization that offers empowering programs for young women, like Reel Grrls or something similar. I suggest you leave the lead-packed lipstick in the drawer and do the same.
Image: Rock the Lips
Related posts:
- Natural Lipsticks Like Burt’s Bees Can Still Contain Lead
- Lead-Free Lipstick: 6 All-Natural, Affordable Brands
- FDA Finds Lead In 400 Lipsticks, Proving Toxic Cosmetics Are A Legit Health Concern
- This Is Why Even Doritos Could Be Healthier Than Your Lipstick
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