Jump to content

Lipstick lesbian: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Refnames need semantic value - see Refname rules. New sources need citation templates and to follow citation style that existed - WP:CITEVAR: "If the article you are editing is already using a particular citation style, you should follow it."
Line 1: Line 1:
<!--This article needs to adhere to a consistent citation format with use of citation templates.-->
[[File:Lipstick lesbian Pride Flag.svg|thumb|right|Lipstick Lesbian pride flag<br />(introduced in the [[Blog|weblog]] ''This Lesbian Life'' in 2010)<ref name=McCray>{{cite web|last1=McCray|first1=Natalie|title=Lipstick Lesbian Pride!!!|url=https://thislesbianlife.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/lipstick-lesbian-pride/|website=This Lesbian Life|date=July 28, 2010|accessdate=24 January 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119165126/https://thislesbianlife.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/lipstick-lesbian-pride/|archivedate=November 19, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Mathers>{{cite web|last1=Mathers|first1=Charlie|title=18 Pride flags you might not have seen before|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pride-flag-community/|website=[[Gay Star News]]|date=1 January 2018|accessdate=9 June 2019}}</ref>]]
[[File:Lipstick lesbian Pride Flag.svg|thumb|right|Lipstick Lesbian pride flag<br />(introduced in the [[Blog|weblog]] ''This Lesbian Life'' in 2010)<ref name=McCray>{{cite web|last1=McCray|first1=Natalie|title=Lipstick Lesbian Pride!!!|url=https://thislesbianlife.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/lipstick-lesbian-pride/|website=This Lesbian Life|date=July 28, 2010|accessdate=24 January 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119165126/https://thislesbianlife.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/lipstick-lesbian-pride/|archivedate=November 19, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Mathers>{{cite web|last1=Mathers|first1=Charlie|title=18 Pride flags you might not have seen before|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pride-flag-community/|website=[[Gay Star News]]|date=1 January 2018|accessdate=9 June 2019}}</ref>]]
[[File:Lipstick Lesbian flag without lips.svg|thumb|right|Lipstick Lesbian pride flag without kiss<ref name=Mathers /><br />(copy of original flag bars, but revision designer is unknown)]]
[[File:Lipstick Lesbian flag without lips.svg|thumb|right|Lipstick Lesbian pride flag without kiss<ref name=Mathers /><br />(copy of original flag bars, but revision designer is unknown)]]
Line 7: Line 8:
The term ''lipstick lesbian'' was used in [[San Francisco]] at least as far back as the 1980s. In 1982, Priscilla Rhoades, a journalist with the gay newspaper ''The Sentinel'', wrote a feature story on "Lesbians for Lipstick". In 1990, the gay newspaper ''[[OutWeek]]'' covered the Lesbian Ladies Society, a [[Washington, D.C.]]–based social group of "feminine lesbians" that required women to wear a dress or skirt to its functions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://outweek.net/pdfs/ow_40.pdf|work=OutWeek|title=Lesbian Ladies (or where did all the femmes go?) |date=4 April 1990|first=Patsy|last=Lynch|page=44}}</ref> The term is thought to have emerged in wide usage during the early 1990s. A 1997 episode of the television show ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]'' widely publicized the phrase. In the show, [[Ellen DeGeneres]]'s character, asked by her parents whether a certain woman is a "[[dipstick]] lesbian", explains that the term is ''lipstick lesbian'', and comments that "I would be a chapstick lesbian." An alternate term for ''lipstick lesbian'' is ''[[doily]] [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?id=30931&AuthorID=58475 |title=The Shesaurus: America's First Women's Dictionary-Thesaurus |accessdate=2007-11-18 |author=Keshia Kola|date=2007-11-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://g3mag.co.uk/issues/g3april2007.pdf |title=Issue 71 |accessdate=2007-11-19 |date=April 2007 |format=PDF |publisher=G3 Magazine |page=10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002031455/http://g3mag.co.uk/issues/g3april2007.pdf |archivedate=2008-10-02 }}</ref>
The term ''lipstick lesbian'' was used in [[San Francisco]] at least as far back as the 1980s. In 1982, Priscilla Rhoades, a journalist with the gay newspaper ''The Sentinel'', wrote a feature story on "Lesbians for Lipstick". In 1990, the gay newspaper ''[[OutWeek]]'' covered the Lesbian Ladies Society, a [[Washington, D.C.]]–based social group of "feminine lesbians" that required women to wear a dress or skirt to its functions.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://outweek.net/pdfs/ow_40.pdf|work=OutWeek|title=Lesbian Ladies (or where did all the femmes go?) |date=4 April 1990|first=Patsy|last=Lynch|page=44}}</ref> The term is thought to have emerged in wide usage during the early 1990s. A 1997 episode of the television show ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]'' widely publicized the phrase. In the show, [[Ellen DeGeneres]]'s character, asked by her parents whether a certain woman is a "[[dipstick]] lesbian", explains that the term is ''lipstick lesbian'', and comments that "I would be a chapstick lesbian." An alternate term for ''lipstick lesbian'' is ''[[doily]] [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?id=30931&AuthorID=58475 |title=The Shesaurus: America's First Women's Dictionary-Thesaurus |accessdate=2007-11-18 |author=Keshia Kola|date=2007-11-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://g3mag.co.uk/issues/g3april2007.pdf |title=Issue 71 |accessdate=2007-11-19 |date=April 2007 |format=PDF |publisher=G3 Magazine |page=10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002031455/http://g3mag.co.uk/issues/g3april2007.pdf |archivedate=2008-10-02 }}</ref>


Some authors have commented that the term ''lipstick lesbian'' is commonly used broadly to refer feminine bisexual women or to heterosexual women who temporarily show romantic or sexual interest in other women to impress men; for example, Jodie Brian, in the 2009 ''Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1'', states, "A common depiction of lipstick lesbianism includes conventionally attractive and sexually insatiable women who desire one another but only insofar as their desire is a performance for male onlookers or a precursor to sex with men."<ref name="Brien"/> In ''Intersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies'', the term ''lipstick lesbian'' is defined as "a lesbian/bisexual woman who exhibits 'feminine' attributes such as wearing makeup, dresses and high heeled shoes"; the book adds that "more recent iterations of feminine forms of lesbianism such as 'femme' (e.g. wears dresses/skirts or form-fitting jeans, low cut tops, makeup, jewelry), or 'lipstick lesbian' [...], are an attempt to define as both lesbian and feminine."<ref name="Nair_49"/> “Lipstick lesbians” say that they are choosing to perform femininity rather than be subjected to it- that is, they have made an active decision to be feminine, which subverts society’s demand of forced femininity.<ref name=":0">Black, Inge, and Kathryn Perry. “Scarlet Starlets .” ''Feminist Review: Perverse Politics: Lesbian Issues'', Routledge Journals, 1990, pp. 68–69.</ref><ref name=":1">Bell, David, et al. “All Hyped up and No Place to Go.” Gender, Place &amp; Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, 1994, pp. 31–47., doi:10.1080/09663699408721199.</ref><ref>Schorb, Jodi R., and Tania N. Hammidi. “Sho-Lo Showdown: The Do's and Don'ts of Lesbian Chic.” Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 19, no. 2, 2000, p. 255., doi:10.2307/464429.</ref>As well, it is noted that those who identify as “lipstick lesbians” commonly modify a typical feminine style to make it less heteronormative, and Inge Black gives the example of “twinning short skirts with Doctor Martens (DMs) or lacy underwear with men's trousers”.<ref name=":0" /> Author M. Paz Galupo stated, "Young women exposed to mainstream media outlets are seeing expressions of the same-sex desire between women much more frequently than ever before. However, mainstream images of same-sex desire between women are very specific, meaning they are often of hyper-feminine women ('lipstick lesbians')."<ref name="Paz"/>The prominence of lipstick lesbians in media is echoed by Rosalind Gill as she says, “The figure of the ‘luscious lesbian’[lipstick lesbian] within advertising is notable for her extraordinarily attractive, conventionally feminine appearance.”<ref>1.      Gill, Rosalind. “Beyond the `Sexualization of Culture' Thesis: An Intersectional Analysis of `Sixpacks',`Midriffs' and `Hot Lesbians' in Advertising.” Sexualities, vol. 12, no. 2, 2009, pp. 137–160., doi:10.1177/1363460708100916.</ref>Though some authors have argued that the existence of lipstick lesbians is in fact a destabilization of the heterosexual ideals, by breaking the assumption that a feminine person will always desire a masculine person, and vice versa, others have concluded that the lipstick lesbian emergence simply fails in this regard,<ref name=":1" /> <ref>1.     Kirby, Andrew. “VIEWPOINT Straight Talk on the PomoHomo Question.” Gender, Place &amp; Culture, vol. 2, no. 1, 1995, pp. 89–96., doi:10.1080/09663699550022125.</ref> as lipstick lesbians are still subject to the male gaze, and still found acceptable due to their femininity.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Farquhar, Clare. “`Lesbian' in a Post-Lesbian World? Policing Identity, Sex and Image.” Sexualities, vol. 3, no. 2, 2000, pp. 219–236., doi:10.1177/136346000003002007.</ref> 
Some authors have commented that the term ''lipstick lesbian'' is commonly used broadly to refer to feminine bisexual women or to heterosexual women who temporarily show romantic or sexual interest in other women to impress men; for example, Jodie Brian, ''Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1'' (2009), states, "A common depiction of lipstick lesbianism includes conventionally attractive and sexually insatiable women who desire one another but only insofar as their desire is a performance for male onlookers or a precursor to sex with men."<ref name="Brien"/> In ''Intersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies'', the term ''lipstick lesbian'' is defined as "a lesbian/bisexual woman who exhibits 'feminine' attributes such as wearing makeup, dresses and high heeled shoes"; the book adds that "more recent iterations of feminine forms of lesbianism such as 'femme' (e.g. wears dresses/skirts or form-fitting jeans, low cut tops, makeup, jewelry), or 'lipstick lesbian' [...], are an attempt to define as both lesbian and feminine."<ref name="Nair_49"/> “Lipstick lesbians” say that they are choosing to perform femininity rather than be subjected to it- that is, they have made an active decision to be feminine, which subverts society’s demand of forced femininity.<ref name=Black1990>Black, Inge, and Kathryn Perry. “Scarlet Starlets .” ''Feminist Review: Perverse Politics: Lesbian Issues'', Routledge Journals, 1990, pp. 68–69.</ref><ref name=Bell_1994>Bell, David, et al. “All Hyped up and No Place to Go.” Gender, Place &amp; Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, 1994, pp. 31–47., doi:10.1080/09663699408721199.</ref><ref>Schorb, Jodi R., and Tania N. Hammidi. “Sho-Lo Showdown: The Do's and Don'ts of Lesbian Chic.” Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 19, no. 2, 2000, p. 255., doi:10.2307/464429.</ref>
It is noted as well that those who identify as “lipstick lesbians” commonly modify a typical feminine style to make it less heteronormative, and Inge Black gives the example of “twinning short skirts with Doctor Martens (DMs) or lacy underwear with men's trousers”.<ref name=Black1990 /> Author M. Paz Galupo stated, "Young women exposed to mainstream media outlets are seeing expressions of the same-sex desire between women much more frequently than ever before. However, mainstream images of same-sex desire between women are very specific, meaning they are often of hyper-feminine women ('lipstick lesbians')."<ref name="Paz"/> The prominence of lipstick lesbians in media is echoed by Rosalind Gill, “The figure of the ‘luscious lesbian’[lipstick lesbian] within advertising is notable for her extraordinarily attractive, conventionally feminine appearance.”<ref>Gill, Rosalind. “Beyond the `Sexualization of Culture' Thesis: An Intersectional Analysis of `Sixpacks',`Midriffs' and `Hot Lesbians' in Advertising.” Sexualities, vol. 12, no. 2, 2009, pp. 137–160., doi:10.1177/1363460708100916.</ref> Though some authors have argued that the existence of lipstick lesbians is in fact a destabilization of the heterosexual ideals, by breaking the assumption that a feminine person will always desire a masculine person, and vice versa, others have concluded that the lipstick lesbian emergence simply fails in this regard,<ref name=Bell_1994 /><ref>Kirby, Andrew. “VIEWPOINT Straight Talk on the PomoHomo Question.” Gender, Place &amp; Culture, vol. 2, no. 1, 1995, pp. 89–96., doi:10.1080/09663699550022125.</ref> as lipstick lesbians are still subject to the male gaze, and still found acceptable due to their femininity.<ref name=Bell_1994 /><ref>Farquhar, Clare. “`Lesbian' in a Post-Lesbian World? Policing Identity, Sex and Image.” Sexualities, vol. 3, no. 2, 2000, pp. 219–236., doi:10.1177/136346000003002007.</ref> 


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 03:09, 24 October 2019

Lipstick Lesbian pride flag
(introduced in the weblog This Lesbian Life in 2010)[1][2]
Lipstick Lesbian pride flag without kiss[2]
(copy of original flag bars, but revision designer is unknown)

Lipstick lesbian is slang for a lesbian who exhibits a greater amount of feminine gender attributes relative to other gender expressions, such as wearing make-up (thus, lipstick), wearing dresses or skirts and having other characteristics associated with feminine women.[3] In popular usage, the term lipstick lesbian is also used to characterize the feminine gender expression of bisexual women who are romantically or sexually interested in other women,[3] or to the broader topic of female-female sexual activity among feminine women.[4][5]

Definitions and society

The term lipstick lesbian was used in San Francisco at least as far back as the 1980s. In 1982, Priscilla Rhoades, a journalist with the gay newspaper The Sentinel, wrote a feature story on "Lesbians for Lipstick". In 1990, the gay newspaper OutWeek covered the Lesbian Ladies Society, a Washington, D.C.–based social group of "feminine lesbians" that required women to wear a dress or skirt to its functions.[6] The term is thought to have emerged in wide usage during the early 1990s. A 1997 episode of the television show Ellen widely publicized the phrase. In the show, Ellen DeGeneres's character, asked by her parents whether a certain woman is a "dipstick lesbian", explains that the term is lipstick lesbian, and comments that "I would be a chapstick lesbian." An alternate term for lipstick lesbian is doily dyke.[7][8]

Some authors have commented that the term lipstick lesbian is commonly used broadly to refer to feminine bisexual women or to heterosexual women who temporarily show romantic or sexual interest in other women to impress men; for example, Jodie Brian, Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1 (2009), states, "A common depiction of lipstick lesbianism includes conventionally attractive and sexually insatiable women who desire one another but only insofar as their desire is a performance for male onlookers or a precursor to sex with men."[4] In Intersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies, the term lipstick lesbian is defined as "a lesbian/bisexual woman who exhibits 'feminine' attributes such as wearing makeup, dresses and high heeled shoes"; the book adds that "more recent iterations of feminine forms of lesbianism such as 'femme' (e.g. wears dresses/skirts or form-fitting jeans, low cut tops, makeup, jewelry), or 'lipstick lesbian' [...], are an attempt to define as both lesbian and feminine."[3] “Lipstick lesbians” say that they are choosing to perform femininity rather than be subjected to it- that is, they have made an active decision to be feminine, which subverts society’s demand of forced femininity.[9][10][11]

It is noted as well that those who identify as “lipstick lesbians” commonly modify a typical feminine style to make it less heteronormative, and Inge Black gives the example of “twinning short skirts with Doctor Martens (DMs) or lacy underwear with men's trousers”.[9] Author M. Paz Galupo stated, "Young women exposed to mainstream media outlets are seeing expressions of the same-sex desire between women much more frequently than ever before. However, mainstream images of same-sex desire between women are very specific, meaning they are often of hyper-feminine women ('lipstick lesbians')."[5] The prominence of lipstick lesbians in media is echoed by Rosalind Gill, “The figure of the ‘luscious lesbian’[lipstick lesbian] within advertising is notable for her extraordinarily attractive, conventionally feminine appearance.”[12] Though some authors have argued that the existence of lipstick lesbians is in fact a destabilization of the heterosexual ideals, by breaking the assumption that a feminine person will always desire a masculine person, and vice versa, others have concluded that the lipstick lesbian emergence simply fails in this regard,[10][13] as lipstick lesbians are still subject to the male gaze, and still found acceptable due to their femininity.[10][14] 

See also

References

  1. ^ McCray, Natalie (July 28, 2010). "Lipstick Lesbian Pride!!!". This Lesbian Life. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b Mathers, Charlie (1 January 2018). "18 Pride flags you might not have seen before". Gay Star News. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Intersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies: Working with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Diversity. John Wiley & Sons. 2012. p. 49. ISBN 1119967430. Retrieved April 5, 2015. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b Brien, Jodi (2009). Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1. Sage Publications. p. 524. ISBN 1412909163. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Paz, M Galupo (2013). Bisexual Women: Friendship and Social Organization. Routledge. p. 55. ISBN 1136577122. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  6. ^ Lynch, Patsy (4 April 1990). "Lesbian Ladies (or where did all the femmes go?)" (PDF). OutWeek. p. 44.
  7. ^ Keshia Kola (2007-11-16). "The Shesaurus: America's First Women's Dictionary-Thesaurus". Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  8. ^ "Issue 71" (PDF). G3 Magazine. April 2007. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  9. ^ a b Black, Inge, and Kathryn Perry. “Scarlet Starlets .” Feminist Review: Perverse Politics: Lesbian Issues, Routledge Journals, 1990, pp. 68–69.
  10. ^ a b c Bell, David, et al. “All Hyped up and No Place to Go.” Gender, Place & Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, 1994, pp. 31–47., doi:10.1080/09663699408721199.
  11. ^ Schorb, Jodi R., and Tania N. Hammidi. “Sho-Lo Showdown: The Do's and Don'ts of Lesbian Chic.” Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 19, no. 2, 2000, p. 255., doi:10.2307/464429.
  12. ^ Gill, Rosalind. “Beyond the `Sexualization of Culture' Thesis: An Intersectional Analysis of `Sixpacks',`Midriffs' and `Hot Lesbians' in Advertising.” Sexualities, vol. 12, no. 2, 2009, pp. 137–160., doi:10.1177/1363460708100916.
  13. ^ Kirby, Andrew. “VIEWPOINT Straight Talk on the PomoHomo Question.” Gender, Place & Culture, vol. 2, no. 1, 1995, pp. 89–96., doi:10.1080/09663699550022125.
  14. ^ Farquhar, Clare. “`Lesbian' in a Post-Lesbian World? Policing Identity, Sex and Image.” Sexualities, vol. 3, no. 2, 2000, pp. 219–236., doi:10.1177/136346000003002007.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lipstick_lesbian&oldid=922755941"