¡Red Alert!
Dr. Neomi DeAnda claims red lipstick as a Latina expression of resistance and empowerment
Vain, anti-feminist, and downright kitsch, one might say about the bright red lipstick on so many Latina faces, right?
Not exactly.
The other day, during dinner while at a conference, I sat at a table with a group of five Latinas who are traditional-aged college students. One woman was wearing a black t-shirt with names written in large white font: Rita, Frida, Selena, Sonia. As I made my way through the names, I was reminded of an article I had read that very morning, “How Red Lipstick Became A Power Move For Latinas.” It mentions that the red lipstick of the MAC limited Selena line sold out in two hours, suggesting a relationship between consumer demand and connection to Latinidad.
So, in the spirit of lo cotidiano—the Latinx theological approach of daily lived experience being discussed at the conference event—I posed the question to the women at the table:
Is red lipstick really a power move for Latinas?
Their answers surprised me. All five of the women owned at least one red lipstick, though none of them were noticeably wearing any makeup at the time. Curiously, they all said that they never wear red lipstick.
So, why own it?
No response.
I decided to change direction.
What does wearing red lipstick mean to you?
Wearing red lipstick, they responded, signals boldness, a wish to draw attention, a readiness to be the center of attention.
So, why even own red lipstick?
“In case I need it,” one woman responded. The rest agreed and added that they did not need to wear makeup in public all of the time.
Yet, the women did place value on their chosen moment to wear red lipstick, which for them means drawing attention to one’s lips — the place from which words are spoken and that connotes a symbol of leadership and power.
Over the last year or so, red lipstick has caught my imagination as a symbol arising from lo cotidiano, the daily lived experience. During a conversation about different cultural practices, a Chinese-Irish male friend of mine asked if I ever wear the black eyeliner and the red lipstick for which many Latinas are so well known. I responded affirmatively.
From that moment on, I began paying closer attention to the places of power in which Latinas wear red lipstick.
Celia Cruz
Singer, Actress
AfroCuban “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz claims red lips in her iconic, anti-racist song “Bemba colorá” (1966), which turns the feature of thick lips, treated socially as negative, into an empowering image that translates to “Black is beautiful.” The song is also a playful verbal improvisation on lo cotidiano. Like the red bird in its cage, sings Cruz, we want to recover our freedom.
AOC at the Women’s March on NYC, 19 January 2019.
Photo: Dimitri Rodríguez
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortéz
U.S. Representative
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortéz, a woman who has become so powerful that many pay attention upon hearing the initials “AOC,” harnesses the power of red lipstick. Ocasio-Cortéz speaks loud and clear to power, whether at the Women’s March on NYC on January 19, 2019 or on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 23, 2020, when—addressing a verbal assault from her Republican colleague Ted Yoho and the broader culture that condones such behavior even in Congress—she proclaimed: “I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter, and they did not raise me to accept abuse from men!"
Gina Rodríguez
Actress
Jane the Virgin star and Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez was honored as a Female Star of Tomorrow at the Cinema Con awards for her role in Deepwater Horizon. While delivering her acceptance speech, Rodríguez went-off script, using her own unedited words.
Photo: Archivo / GFR Media
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court Justice
Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, grew up in the housing projects of New York City’s South Bronx, and dealt with juvenile diabetes and other personal demons. Justice Sotomayor wears red lipstick in her headshot for the press release announcing her debut as an author for young readers.
Marielena Hincapié
Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center
Marielena Hincapié appeared on MS NBC to speak out against the practices of the government of the USA that traumatize and torture immigrant children.
Dolores Huerta
Labor and Civil Rights Leader
Dolores Huerta and other activists protested outside of Tornillo Detention Center in Texas, where 300 children separated from their parents are being held. I happened to be in my hometown of El Paso, Texas — just 45 minutes from the tent-city detention camp for children in Tornillo — when I saw the video that included an interview with Huerta.
I mentioned my little theory about the power of red lipstick to my parents, and they thought I was joking at first.
Surprising even herself, my mom rattled off the three power moves of red lipstick:
To look professional
To be ready to speak
To make sure your audience hears the message
Highlighting red lipstick may play into dominant stereotypical roles that emphasize women’s physicality. But it’s also worth noting that the women I spoke with used words like “bold” and “attention-grabbing,” rather than “meek,” “slutty,” or “tacky.” Their language breaks the bounds of simplistic gender conventions surrounding the use of red lipstick.
A Latino friend of mine remembers his Roman Catholic grandmother ordering her daughters, “Tráeme el puta-red lipstick!” when she wished to wear it. Of course, she understood that cultural customs deem red lipstick as symbolic of women whom society looks down upon. She understood that the term “puta” literally translates to “bitch,” as in a dog in heat, and that it’s linked to prostitutes. But it is precisely because she understood the power of red lipstick that she was prepared to wear it — and to model that choice for her daughters.
By claiming red lipstick for herself, the abuela, like myself and many other Latinas, reframed its negative puta stereotype into an expression of resistance and empowerment.
¡Que viva red lipstick!
