I own a ridiculous number of lipstick tubes. So many that I haven't even gone through half of them. There's just something so glamorous about being able to swipe a nice shade of lipstick across your lips. But whether you put on some every day (like I do) or just when you're out on a date or with the girls, there's a lot more to lipstick than just being pretty. I actually did a little research and was kind of baffled by some of the mind-blowing facts about this makeup bag staple. Pucker up and read on!
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Do feminists' movements and George Washington cross your mind whenever you're swiping on some lipstick? No, I didn't think so. But they should because they're actually very relevant to this pout-perfecting product. Weird, right? But you'd be surprised by some of the lipstick facts out there. Not only does it have a ton of history but it wasn't always loved and accepted by society. Once upon a time lipstick was a very taboo thing. Don't believe me? Check out some of these weird facts about lipstick. I promise you, you'll never again look at a tube the same!
Lipstick meant you were a prostitute: Believe it or not, red lipstick–or any kind of lip paint for that matter–once meant a woman was a prostitute back during the early Greek empire. How crazy is that?
Lipstick meant you were high class: But during the Roman Empire, lipstick was actually an indicator of social status and economic status. If you were lipstick it meant you were educated and well off. And this was the case for both men and women, by the way!
George Washington totally wore lipstick: Our first president was a pretty high-maintenance guy. He wore makeup, powder, a wig (obviously) and lipstick.
Lipstick could get you killed: During the American revolution, lipstick meant that you sympathized with the aristocracy and could literally get you killed. Men stopped wearing lipstick after this–George Washington included!
Lipstick meant your right to vote: Lipstick actually had a big part in the feminist movement. In 1912, women's suffragette leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman started rocking bright lipstick to advocate for the vote to work. Who knew lipstick was so empowering?
Americans love lipstick more than the French: A study showed that 81 percent of American women wear lipstick while only 70 percent of French women wear lipstick. I guess Europeans are more into the natural look.
Lipstick causes diva moments: Elizabeth Taylor has a famous quote: "Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together," she'd say. But if you were another woman working on her movie set, you were banned from wearing red lipstick. That was reserved just for her.
Lipstick almost got banned in New York: Can you believe the New York Board of Health actually tried banning lipstick back in the 1920s? They were concerned that it could poison a man kissing a woman wearing it. Not too crazy considering lipsticks definitely contained lead back then. Oh wait, a lot of them still do now!
Men love when women wear lipstick: According to a University of Manchester study, men's eyes linger longer when a woman has lipstick on. So go stock up, chica!
Lipstick will keep you sane: I've always said lipstick works as the best confidence booster and I'm not too far off. A beauty parlor with a full line of lipsticks was actually installed in a New Jersey sanatorium as a therapeutic technique and apparently it really worked!
Image via Corbis Images
