Sarah Sophie Flicker on the Feminist Power of Red Lipstick

For me, that means being critical of my own instincts and asking, Am I attracted to this because I truly love it, or am I trying to please somebody else? My husband claims that I’m the most beautiful when I’m not wearing a stitch of makeup. That just goes to show that, as much as I love him, I really do wear my red lipstick for me. And that choice is extremely validating.

What I also love about a red lip: There’s something profoundly unifying about how it works on everyone; we can all enjoy how it makes us look and feel together. A perfect example: At the Women’s March in 2017, many of the organizers turned up in Washington at 3:00 A.M. with full makeup, red lipstick included. By the end of the night, after we all marveled in the glorious day, we also marveled at how many of us were (a) still looking fresh 16-plus hours later and (b) wearing MAC Ruby Woo. We were all from different walks of life, with different skin tones, but that red was universal.

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