Why I Bought Lipstick For Myself

Our employment law class read a case involving a Harrah’s casino bartender who was required to wear makeup for her job. The rule was implemented 20 years into her successful career. She quit over the rule. She said she was intensely uncomfortable wearing makeup. It just wasn’t her.

She lost her lawsuit in which she alleged that women were subject to unequal working conditions compared to men. She was literally right about that. But the appeals court said the grooming differences between men and women were so minor as to be no difference in work conditions.

Many of my students expressed strong views on the matter, almost all in favor of the woman who felt forced to quit her job. Their perspectives: Makeup is (a) expensive, (b) harmful for your skin (and more), (c) sets you up later in life for wrinkles and other damage, (d) violates your self-identity, and (e) amounts to making yourself look attractive for other people (i.e., men).

That intense class discussion spurred me to think about the larger issue in that case: conformity to gender stereotypes.

By chance, I had just bought my Halloween costume. I’ll be Witch Hunt. Yes, I will portray a female. But I decided to check out my students’ complaints. I went to Walgreen’s and bought lipstick.

I was shocked by the cost: the choices ranged from $8-$12. I thought I’d get out of there for five bucks. I wanted a certain color (black, as befits a witch). I spent ten minutes and settled for dark cherry, cleareanced at $7.59.

I left the store with a better appreciation for my students’ concerns.

As a male authority figure who always wears a starched shirt and tie to class, often as part of a conservative suit, I am also looking forward to using Halloween—where dressing up is socially acceptable— to portray a female wearing makeup.

My students will manage women and men who dress and wear makeup in ways that don’t conform to traditional gender stereotypes. If Witch Hunt (her name is chosen for satirical purposes) can convey a lesson about gender non-conformity, my $7.59 purchase will be worth it.