From ‘The Thing to Do’ to ‘Defying the Ravages of Age’: Older Women Reflect on the Use of Lipstick

Abstract

Using data from in-depth interviews with 36 women, aged 71 to 93, this manuscript examines older women's use of lipstick. The most ubiquitously used cosmetic by the women we interviewed, lipstick was a taken-for-granted practice in the women's performance of gender. In the women's youth, the performance of gender through lipstick usage was related to rebellion and peer acceptance. In contrast, the use of lipstick in later life was related to the maintenance of an attractive and respectable appearance. We discuss our findings in light of interpretative feminist theorizing concerning beauty work, doing gender, and the presentation of self.

KEYWORDS:

• older women
• aging
• beauty work
• feminist theory
• lipstick
• makeup
• presentation of self
• qualitative methods

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Career Scholar Award and a MSFHR Establishment Grant. The time and insights of all research participants are gratefully acknowledged.