Women's History Month 2023: Her Lipstick

Yesterday we looked at her purse. That got me thinking about what was in her purse. One item that might be found was lipstick.

Image by annca from Pixabay 

Lipstick has a long history starting about 3500 BCE. At times, it was used by both men and women. Lipstick has also had a problematic history with the poisonous ingredients it contained and the negative judgments on women who wore it. 

Lipstick has gone in and out of fashion, but in the 20th century, American suffragists started wearing lipstick as a sign of emancipation, according to this JSTOR article on Lipstick's Complex History. 

An online search reveals what colors were popular during the decades of the 20th century. This might help to better understand what she might have worn. Vintage cosmetic company Besame sells lipsticks in shades that were popular during years spanning the 1920s to the 1970s. 

I remember that my paternal grandmother had numerous Estee Lauder lipstick tubes on her dressing table. If I remember correctly, they were mostly shades of red. What did your grandmother wear?