The Meaning of Black Lipstick in Subcultures
Subcultures have used black lipstick as a tool of beauty for rebellion for decades and it has served multiple purposes. Beauty ideals that permeate specific subcultures showcase black lipstick as a statement for affinity within punk, goth and everything in between. Fashion and black lipstick marks a clear division within society, to its opposing centers of culture. In this chapter, we study the subcultural meanings social groups have attached to black lipstick throughout decades and its effects in the fashion and beauty world.
The History Behind Black Lipstick:
Goths have included black lipstick into their subculture as it plays a vital role in portraying the sheer spooky nature of goth. For goths, black lipstick offers freedom from white, and mainstream culture captures the romantic ideals and their macabre and mysterious sides. Lipstick enables them to create a shadowy and otherworldly existence devoid from what society depicts them to be.
The Punk Subculture
Just like the goth subculture, the punks have also used black lipstick as an emblem of diabolical punitive system. For punks, black lipstick symbolizes the ultimate statement of defiance to violence, racism and standards of society thrust upon them. So they don’t ostracized them- ostracized them. Black lipstick showcases defiance and unapologetic self-service.
The Emo Subculture
For many Emo individuals, black lipstick serves as an emblem of their complex and often painful feelings. Emos use black lipstick because