My WhatsApp profile name, “Lipstick Revolutionary”, often sparks curiosity and prompts questions from those who interact with me on the platform.
Proudly, I explain that red lipstick is my weapon against stereotypes about women who wear it, while also showing solidarity with survivors of sexual violence.
Recently, some colleagues deemed the profile name “unprofessional”, which only fuelled my determination to challenge societal norms about undertones tied to lipstick, particularly red lipstick.
The characterisation of the name as unprofessional simply plays into common and unhealthy misconceptions about women who wear lipstick and embrace their femininity in the workplace.
It cannot be acceptable that in 2023 women are still expected to downplay their femininity in order to be deemed “professional”.
So, we must educate those around us about the detrimental effects of gender stereotypes and challenge these harmful attitudes whenever they surface. These need be fought hard to claim women’s rights to wear whatever they want without being misconstrued as seeking sexual attention.
However, the persistence of these dangerous views and attitudes towards women will not get us a South Africa free of GBV. We are bound to repeat the same mistakes despite our beautifully designed plans and strategies, especially when they come from those who sit at decision-making tables.
That is why we need campaigns such as the Red My Lips Campaign, which aims to dispel these myths and stereotypes about survivors of sexual violence. The campaign is about calling for societal change about sexual violence.
During the month of April, everybody is encouraged to wear red lipstick as a symbol of resistance against those harmful stereotypes about survivors of sexual violence. By participating, we declare our refusal to accept the blame that society often places on rape survivors, whether on what they were wearing, how they were acting, or even how much alcohol they consumed. We emphasise that the responsibility lies with the perpetrators, not the victims. We refuse to be shamed, victimised, silenced or blamed.
What was more offensive about this is that red lipstick is used to fight rape myths, and that is why I consider it a revolutionary tool. South Africa is often referred to as the “rape capital of the world” or as “a South African nightmare“, in the words of author Pumla Gqola. .
South African women declared a #Totalshutdown on gender-based violence 1,714 days ago.
So powerful was this event that employees of UN Women joined the protest.
Ninety two days later, President Cyril Ramaphosa convened the first Presidential Gender Summit at the St George Hotel, in response to the bold demands of the women. In announcing the summit, the president correctly observed that there was “a war that was being waged against women’s bodies, their dignity and their right to freedom and equality, which necessitated a collective response”.
The historic summit gave birth to the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, a document that is not only comprehensive in articulating what we face but also in setting clearly what we need to do as a collective to end this scourge. The plan envisions a South Africa that is free of gender-based violence.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.