About This Item

The owner of the lipstick perceives the object as something that added value to sense of self-worth and confidence. The object defined as well as enhanced her personality. The lipstick and her face, together created a work of art. She considered herself a beautiful plain canvas which was filled with colors. This thought process resonates with Estee lauder’s definition of beauty which says that every face is unique. Each face is beautiful because it has its own individual personality and depth. If the 19th century considered genuine beauty as different from, the 21st century is into believing exactly the opposite. This ‘normalization’ of aesthetics and beauty by the white race is not universal as observed by the Masai jewellery displayed in the Eskinazi museum. The Maasai jewellery is culturally significant because adornment signifies wealth and social status. Unlike the western norm, the Maasai earrings are not symmetrical and every pair supposedly has at least one difference. A sense of individuality in cultural perceptions can be seen here from which we understand that personal adornment is an individual choice and cannot be dictated by any confined boundaries. This is essentially what the lipstick owner is portraying when she discovers that she is naturally blessed with fuller lips. She has embraced her black and Mexican lineage and used her racial features to her advantage. The Maasai jewellery, made of glass beads, ivory, stone and silver, as seen in the museum, places less emphasis on the aesthetics and instead focuses on favored combinations to balance light and dark colors of nature. The use of glass is a result of trade and commerce in return for their natural resources, while the colors used stand for characteristics like bravery, peace and love. Beauty here in the Maasai culture is all about connecting to the forces of nature and embracing natural beauty. Similarly, the owner of the red lipstick garners attention to herself, but she does not let it bother her. Because in her words, the color reflects her personal choice and personality, that she is proud of. Grooming and beauty are essentially a fashion statement and the growing cosmetic products industry is evidence of this trend. Judith Goldstein believes that the modernist aesthetic is linked organically to individual identities. Private and personal styles is as good as a fingerprint, providing a uniqueness and private identity that marks its own way into the world. This is precisely what was forged by the owner of the lipstick. The fact that she came to be known for her unique ability to wear her lipstick colors matching her outfits, and that she was mentioned in a valedictorian speech, affirm the creation of a unique personality whose individuality blossomed with her personal style. However, there is a downside to makeup and beauty being perceived as a sense of self-identity. Personal style and beauty in the modern world is mostly relegated to specific and accepted norms. As stated by Ginetta in her book, “Hair-Race-ing”, beauty is mediated by racial, sexual, class, political, and geographic cultures and locations. Hair in particular is a defining racemarker and beauty is a defining factor to many races, in this case, the Dominican women. If the owner of the red lipstick had allowed herself to be boxed into defining categories and racialized norms and models, she would have perhaps not been able to establish a sense of self-worth and confidence. It is interesting that the Dominican hair culture has twin notions of (Candelario, G. E.B. Hair Race-ing, pg 137) bad hair and good hair. The bad hair defines hair of the Spanish and African descent, while the good hair defines the hair textures of European and Asian descent. This outlook has automatically segregated beauty spaces in the modern world and unfortunately, this means the racial segregation still exists in the mindsets of the general population. When the red lipstick owner stands up against these definitive norms and embraces her unique race and identity, and enjoys her own perception of beauty, then there is hope for a more rational and balanced mindset that the millenials are likely to develop. There are deeply ingrained notions of caucasian norms of beauty, that are considered universal, subjecting many young women to angst and a lack of self worth. This is an important issue because progress can only happen if the youth of any society is confident and self-assured. Empowerment stems from gratifying one’s sense of self-worth and this could be channeled through any means like education or sports or beauty. Empowerment is an individual perception and Dominican women have made a beauty an economic and social power, but have succumbed to the norms of beauty established by the caucasians. In sharp contrast, black women have embraced their race and physical identities with pride. In “Hair race-ing”Ginetta quotes beauty products entrepreneur saying that black women cared for their hair and beauty, not to look “white”, but to look beautiful. It is this attitude that has been adopted by the owner of the red lipstick symbolising her individual empowerment and breaking free of any beauty norms as defined by the majority of the society. The owner of the lipstick perceives the object as something that added value to sense of self-worth and confidence. The object defined as well as enhanced her personality. The lipstick and her face, together created a work of art. She considered herself a beautiful plain canvas which was filled with colors. This thought process resonates with Estee lauder’s definition of beauty which says that every face is unique. Each face is beautiful because it has its own individual personality and depth. If the 19th century considered genuine beauty as different from, the 21st century is into believing exactly the opposite. This ‘normalization’ of aesthetics and beauty by the white race is not universal as observed by the Masai jewellery displayed in the Eskinazi museum. The Maasai jewellery is culturally significant because adornment signifies wealth and social status. Unlike the western norm, the Maasai earrings are not symmetrical and every pair supposedly has at least one difference. A sense of individuality in cultural perceptions can be seen here from which we understand that personal adornment is an individual choice and cannot be dictated by any confined boundaries. This is essentially what the lipstick owner is portraying when she discovers that she is naturally blessed with fuller lips. She has embraced her black and Mexican lineage and used her racial features to her advantage. The Maasai jewellery, made of glass beads, ivory, stone and silver, as seen in the museum, places less emphasis on the aesthetics and instead focuses on favored combinations to balance light and dark colors of nature. The use of glass is a result of trade and commerce in return for their natural resources, while the colors used stand for characteristics like bravery, peace and love. Beauty here in the Maasai culture is all about connecting to the forces of nature and embracing natural beauty. Similarly, the owner of the red lipstick garners attention to herself, but she does not let it bother her. Because in her words, the color reflects her personal choice and personality, that she is proud of. Grooming and beauty are essentially a fashion statement and the growing cosmetic products industry is evidence of this trend. Judith Goldstein believes that the modernist aesthetic is linked organically to individual identities. Private and personal styles is as good as a fingerprint, providing a uniqueness and private identity that marks its own way into the world. This is precisely what was forged by the owner of the lipstick. The fact that she came to be known for her unique ability to wear her lipstick colors matching her outfits, and that she was mentioned in a valedictorian speech, affirm the creation of a unique personality whose individuality blossomed with her personal style. However, there is a downside to makeup and beauty being perceived as a sense of self-identity. Personal style and beauty in the modern world is mostly relegated to specific and accepted norms. As stated by Ginetta in her book, “Hair-Race-ing”, beauty is mediated by racial, sexual, class, political, and geographic cultures and locations. Hair in particular is a defining racemarker and beauty is a defining factor to many races, in this case, the Dominican women. If the owner of the red lipstick had allowed herself to be boxed into defining categories and racialized norms and models, she would have perhaps not been able to establish a sense of self-worth and confidence. It is interesting that the Dominican hair culture has twin notions of (Candelario, G. E.B. Hair Race-ing, pg 137) bad hair and good hair. The bad hair defines hair of the Spanish and African descent, while the good hair defines the hair textures of European and Asian descent. This outlook has automatically segregated beauty spaces in the modern world and unfortunately, this means the racial segregation still exists in the mindsets of the general population. When the red lipstick owner stands up against these definitive norms and embraces her unique race and identity, and enjoys her own perception of beauty, then there is hope for a more rational and balanced mindset that the millenials are likely to develop. There are deeply ingrained notions of caucasian norms of beauty, that are considered universal, subjecting many young women to angst and a lack of self worth. This is an important issue because progress can only happen if the youth of any society is confident and self-assured. Empowerment stems from gratifying one’s sense of self-worth and this could be channeled through any means like education or sports or beauty. Empowerment is an individual perception and Dominican women have made a beauty an economic and social power, but have succumbed to the norms of beauty established by the caucasians. In sharp contrast, black women have embraced their race and physical identities with pride. In “Hair race-ing”Ginetta quotes beauty products entrepreneur saying that black women cared for their hair and beauty, not to look “white”, but to look beautiful. It is this attitude that has been adopted by the owner of the red lipstick symbolising her individual empowerment and breaking free of any beauty norms as defined by the majority of the society.

From the Contributor

Lipstick is how I make myself known to the world. I love matching lipstick to my outfits and accessories and highlighting my beautiful lips that have been passed down in my family. I am black and Mexican, and full lips have been a marker in both communities and I love showing the world how proud I am of mine, as well as showing pride in my communities.