Lena Dunham on Why Red Lipstick is Feminism’s New Calling Card

We saw it on the fall 2017 runways, from Topshop to Prada, Jason Wu to Preen: lips in every shade of vermilion, from just-sucked-lollipop to vampire assassin.

As the world reeled following the surreal circus of the U.S. election season, it was hard not to see the connection between the complete Pantone palette of carmines and scarlets and the sense that many dissatisfied women were collectively demanding more.

Maria Cornejo, long admired for her collections of strong, inventive womenswear, collaborated with the makeup artist Dick Page to send models down her fall runway with clean skin and a warm, glossy brick lip.

It was as much a colorful complement to her velvet dresses in chocolate and crimson as it was a purposeful statement.

“If you’re just wearing red lipstick, you’re usually not wearing much else, and I think that shows confidence,” says the Chilean designer, long a devotee of Shiseido’s matte bullets. “You can still be a feminist if you wear lipstick and look pretty.”

UCJ, UNILORIN.