Lipstick feminism is a third-wave movement that believes femininity and sexuality can coexist with feminism. It aims to reclaim words like “slut” and empower women through displays of sexuality. However, some criticize it for playing into a patriarchal system and not addressing social challenges.
Lipstick feminism is a third-wave school of feminism in which women hold the belief that it is possible to be a feminist while also exhibiting femininity, being sex-positive, or engaging in other manifestations of sexuality that previous generations of feminists once condemned. Quite literally, lipstick feminists believe it’s possible to wear lipstick and still be called a feminist, since feminism is so much more than how you dress. Some feminists have criticized the lipstick feminism movement because they believe it is contradictory to engage in displays of sexuality while advocating for equal rights for women.
So-called “third-wave” feminism began to emerge in the 1980s and 1990s, in response to a perceived failure of second-wave feminists. Second-wave feminism was characterized by extremely radical activities and a focus on correcting social inequalities for women as well as legal inequalities. Second-wave feminism empowered many women in the 1960s and 1970s, but it also generated a backlash in some regions, spurring stereotypes about feminists, feminism, and what it means to be a feminist.
Lipstick feminism is simply a part of the third-wave movement, and it’s hard to make generalizations about lipstick feminists. Some women, for example, find sexuality empowering and believe that being positive about sexuality, pornography, and sexual deviancy is an important part of the feminist movement. Others wouldn’t go that far, but would say they don’t see a conflict between wearing makeup or cross-dressing and holding feminist values that include a desire for equality between the sexes.
One aspect of lipstick feminism and the third-wave movement in general has been an attempt to reclaim words that were once used to insult women, such as “slut” and more aggressive phrases. Some people call lipstick feminism “slut feminism” both in reference to a desire to take the stigma out of these words and in an nod to the sexual behavior of some lipstick feminists. For a classic example of lipstick feminism, look to people like Madonna, a famous performer who embodies “girl power” for many women.
Lipstick feminism is a topic of intense debate. Some women believe that lipstick feminists are simply toying with secular ideas about female sexuality, and that displays of sexual power actually play into a patriarchal system that objectifies the female body. Other women argue that by taking control of their sexuality through everything from wearing short skirts to pole dancing, they are empowering themselves and women in general.
One of the more serious criticisms of lipstick feminism is that lipstick feminists tend to focus more on legal challenges and issues for feminists, rather than social challenges, especially the representation of women in the media. For example, critics of the movement suggest that sexualized displays of female bodies in print media are difficult to criticize when a woman sexualizes her own body.
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