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"Lipstick lesbian" isslang for alesbian who exhibits a great amount offemininegender attributes, such as wearingmake-up, dresses or skirts, and having other characteristics associated with feminine women.[1] In popular usage, the term is also used to characterize the femininegender expression ofbisexual women,[1] or the broader topic offemale–female sexual activity among feminine women.[2][3]
An alternate term forlipstick lesbian isdoilydyke.[4][5]
The termlipstick lesbian was used inSan Francisco at least as early as the 1980s. In 1982, Priscilla Rhoades, a journalist with the gay newspaperSentinel, wrote the feature story "Lesbians for Lipstick".[6]
In 1990, the gay newspaperOutWeek covered the Lesbian Ladies Society, aWashington, D.C.–based social group of "feminine lesbians" that required women to wear a dress or skirt to its functions.[7]
The termlipstick lesbian became popular when used by writer Deborah Bergman, a reporter for theLos Angeles Times.[8]
Some authors have commented thatlipstick lesbian is commonly used broadly to refer to feminine bisexual women or to heterosexual women who temporarily show romantic or sexual interest in other women to impress men. For example, Jodie Brian, inEncyclopedia of Gender and Society, Volume 1 (2009), states, "A common depiction of lipstick lesbianism includes conventionally attractive and sexually insatiable women who desire one another but only insofar as their desire is a performance for male onlookers or a precursor to sex with men."[2] InIntersectionality, Sexuality and Psychological Therapies (2012),lipstick lesbian is defined as "a lesbian/bisexual woman who exhibits 'feminine' attributes such as wearing makeup, dresses and high heeled shoes"; the book adds that "more recent iterations of feminine forms of lesbianism such as 'femme' (e.g. wears dresses/skirts or form-fitting jeans, low cut tops, makeup, jewelry), or 'lipstick lesbian' [...], are an attempt to define as both lesbian and feminine."[1]
Some lipstick lesbians say that they choose to perform femininity rather than be subjected to it, adding that they have made an active decision to be feminine, which subverts society's demand of forced femininity.[9][10][11] They commonly modify a typical feminine style to make it lessheteronormative; Inge Blackman and Kathryn Perry gave the example of "twinning short skirts withDoctor Martens (DMs) or lacy underwear with men's trousers".[9]
Author M. Paz Galupo stated, "Young women exposed to mainstream media outlets are seeing expressions of the same-sex desire between women much more frequently than ever before. However, mainstream images of same-sex desire between women are very specific, meaning they are often of hyper-feminine women ('lipstick lesbians')."[3] The prominence of lipstick lesbians in the media is echoed byRosalind Gill, who stated, "The figure of the 'luscious lesbian' [lipstick lesbian] within advertising is notable for her extraordinarily attractive, conventionally feminine appearance."[12] Although some authors have said that the existence of lipstick lesbians is a destabilization of heterosexual ideals, by breaking the assumption that a feminine person will always desire a masculine person, and vice versa, others have said that the lipstick lesbian emergence simply fails in this regard,[10][13] as lipstick lesbians are still subject to themale gaze, and still found acceptable due to their femininity.[10][14]
The term is thought to have reached wide usage in the 1990s. A 1997 episode of the television showEllen widely publicized the phrase. In the show,Ellen DeGeneres's character, asked by her parents whether a certain woman is a "dipstick lesbian", explains that the term islipstick lesbian, and comments, "I would be aChapStick lesbian." In the 1999 filmBut I'm a Cheerleader, the character played byJulie Delpy is identified as "Lipstick Lesbian" in the film credits.[15]
The lipsticklesbian flag was introduced by Natalie McCray in 2010 in theweblogThis Lesbian Life.[16][17][18] The design contains a red kiss in the left corner, superimposed on seven stripes consisting of six shades of red and pink colors and a white bar in the center.[19][20] The flag has not been widely adopted[21] due to some lesbians asserting that it is not inclusive ofbutch lesbians, while others have argued that McCray wrotebiphobic,racist, andtransphobic comments on her now-defunct blog.[22]
The colors of the "pink" lesbian flag were copied from the lipstick lesbian flag, and with the kiss mark excluded.[20] The maker of the "pink" flag remains unknown. The pink flag attracted more use as a general lesbian pride flag.[23]
In recent years, use of the "pink" lesbian flag has fallen and it has been largely replaced by the "orange-pink" lesbian flag created in 2018, which some segments of the lesbian community believe to be more inclusive.[24][18]
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