“Lipstick on a pig” is a phrase used to describe attempts to make an unattractive fact or object more appealing, which is often unsuccessful. Pigs are commonly used as a symbol for something undesirable, and similar phrases have been used since biblical times. The phrase gained popularity during the 2008 US presidential election, with both parties accusing their opponents of using it.
“Lipstick on a pig” is a figure of speech used to describe attempts to make an ugly fact, policy, or object more attractive. These attempts fail, from the speaker’s point of view, because the essential nature of the object cannot be changed by superficial or cosmetic adaptations. Although the term “lipstick on a pig” was coined in the 20th century, many older phrases use the pig as a kind of standard for the crude or undesirable. The phrase was used frequently by candidates and the media during the 2008 United States presidential election.
Pigs are, of course, used as a staple food all over the world, and some people even keep them as pets. They are, however, commonly perceived as lazy and dirty creatures due to their long history as domesticated farm animals. As a result, many people use pigs as a verbal shorthand when they want to describe someone or something as greedy, lazy, unrefined, or otherwise unattractive. Putting “lipstick on a pig” would therefore be a waste of time and a good lipstick; most people still wouldn’t want to kiss one.
Similar phrases have been in use since at least Biblical times; a passage in Proverbs refers to a “golden ring in a swine’s snout.” The common expression “pearls before swine,” meaning to waste something precious by offering it to those who cannot appreciate it, was used, and perhaps coined, by Jesus Christ during the Sermon on the Mount. Other pig-related terms include “making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” which has been in use since at least the 1600s. The phrase “lipstick on a pig,” however, wasn’t documented until the 20th century; lipstick itself wasn’t invented until the 20th.
During the 2008 US presidential campaign, Democratic and Republican candidates accused their opponents of putting “lipstick on a pig,” that is, of manipulating voters into accepting undesirable policies. The media quickly gave the phrase global currency. In September 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain took issue with Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s use of the phrase, arguing that Obama was referring to his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. During the campaign, Palin often jokingly referred to himself as “a pit bull with lipstick.” McCain had used the phrase “lipstick on a pig” the previous year to describe an opponent’s policies.
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