Weird History of Lipstick

 Base, concealer, foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and finally the finishing touch is lipstick to complete the look every woman has created for herself but lipstick hasn't always been acceptable or safe. Lipstick has been around for a very long time, since about 3500 BC when Queen Schub--ad of Ur painted her lips with a mixture of white lead and crushed gems.  In ancient Egypt both men and women wore lipstick as a way of signifying their status.  They often used magenta, blue-black, or orange in addition to the traditional red.  

Once the use of lipstick reached Greece, members of the higher classes used lipstick as a calling card until it fell out of favor and became associated with prostitution.  In fact, the Greek government passed a law requiring prostitutes to wear lipstick so everyone knew their profession and they would not be able to deceive anyone.  If they were found out during the day without their lipstick, they could be punished for posing as "respectable ladies". On the other hand, the more wealthy women has makeup artists who applied their lipstick every day.  

Unfortunately by the time the Middle Ages arrived, the church discouraged the wearing of lipstick by associating it with Satan.  The Church in England claimed that women who wore lipstick and makeup were incarnations of Satan because they were trying to challenge God and his creations. In addition, parliament claimed that if a woman used lipstick and makeup to entice a man into marriage, she could be convicted of witch craft.

 This attitude change with Queen Elizabeth I come to the throne because she believed that lipstick was so powerful that it could protect the wearer from illness.  It is said that she wore a half inch of lipstick on her death bed.  Her attitude spread out to the common people who embraced it's reputation and some even used it instead of money.

The idea of wearing lipstick diminished by the time of Queen Victoria especially once she prohibited it during her years of mourning because she felt it was both dishonest and impolite but that didn't stop women from making their own, exchanging recipes, and appearing on the black market.  However, lipstick became acceptable when actresses took it from the stage to the general population and the women's suffrage movement decided that wearing lipstick was a way to show female emancipation.  It was a move against societal dislike of lipstick.

A little bit later,  the movie industry blossomed with women such as Clara Bow, wore bright red lipstick in the photos and the average woman wanted to have the same look by wearing lipstick to emulate them. Then during World War II in America and the United Kingdom, women were told that it was their patriotic duty to wear lipstick.  In fact, many of the women who served in the military during World War II received tubes of lipstick as part of their kit.   

Since then, lipstick has remained an accepted part of a woman's look.  Of course there have been times when it's been perfectly acceptable for both men and women to wear lipstick.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.