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‘So revolutionary’: Why TikTok’s ‘Red Lipstick Movement’ is drawing criticism from liberals and conservatives alike

‘Red lipstick is just the next blue bracelet.’

Photo of Rebecca Leib

Rebecca Leib

3 panel image of 3 different people wearing red lipstick.

Over the last few years, social media movements have used safety pins and blue bracelets to show solidarity; now, it’s red lipstick. While the original movement was rooted in anti-Fascist and suffragette history, 2025’s “red lipstick movement” has liberals wearing red lipstick as an act of defiance against President Donald Trump’s presidency, promising to wear the bold color until he is out of office.

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What is the Red Lipstick Movement in 2025?

In late January 2025, TikTok users began putting on and wearing red lipstick as an “act of resistance” to the current president, committing to the continued use of red lipstick for the duration of Trump’s time in office.

@kara_bowler During WWII era wearing red lipstick by woman symbolized resistance, patriotism and femininity #humanrights #womansupportingwoman #redlipstick #fypシ @e.l.f. Cosmetics ♬ Le chant des partisans (Remastered 2022) – Germaine Sablon
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Comments on these videos initially showed support, with users saying “red lipstick! I love it,” “getting me some red now,” and “I’m so here for this.”

Comments on a red lipstick for resistance TikTok post
@kara_bowler/TikTok

As more people participated in this trend, the more the gesture empowered liberal users on the platform: both as a simple gesture showing where they stood politically, and also as a means to foster community with other like-minded users.

A still of a Tik tok where a masc-looking person is putting on red lipstick
@kara_bowler/TikTok
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The history of the Red Lipstick Movement

But the history of the red lipstick movement is decades old, beginning in the 1920s. On Feb. 3, 2025, TikTok user @kimberleyonline broke down the specific history of why wearing lipstick is innately political, and how exactly it became an act of political defiance.

In the early 1920s, lipstick carried a powerful suffragette message. While red lipstick was considered at that time to be distasteful and promiscuous, as the suffragette movement increased in popularity, they embraced the color and its inferences, and wearing red lipstick became, as Kimberley explained, a “symbol of rebellion and freedom.”

The trend then evolved as WWII commenced. During WWII, Hitler hated red lipstick and sought to ban cosmetic surgery from Germany altogether. “So as you can imagine, wearing red lipstick actually became symbolic of victory against the mustache man’s regime,” she said, “and became a symbol against fascism as a whole.”

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Because of this, red lipstick also became an Allied Forces symbol of patriotism; after 1941, the U.S. government made it mandatory for women joining the army to wear it. The U.S. and British governments teamed up to promote this ideology as another anti-Hitler initiative. “Now that I know this,” the TikToker said, “I’m not going to stop wearing this for the next four years.”

@kimberleyonline

The history and meaning behind wearing Red Lipstick💄 Do with it what you will!!🙂‍↕️ Red lipstick can be viewed as a symbol of the empowerment of women throughout history, whether that be through politics or protest!❤️

♬ original sound – ♡ Kim ♡ | Commentary & Content

As TikTok users began understanding the deeper historical meaning of the red lipstick movement, it made the trend even more popular. One user said, “getting me some red tomorrow,” while another said, “well, I just learned the meaning of red lipstick and now I’m now going to buy some red lipstick.”

Comments on user Littletoe's TikTok of them putting on red lipstick
@lil.toes/TikTok
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Conservatives criticize the Red Lipstick Movement

As the red lipstick movement spread to X, it faced criticism from users on the conservative-skewing platform. One user shared a popular TikTok of a woman putting on red lipstick, captioning the post “So apparently there is a ‘red lipstick movement’ where liberals are wearing red lipstick every day until Trump isn’t President. So revolutionary. What’s next? Sleeping until Trump’s gone?”

An X user criticizing the lipstick trend
@GenXNewsOnX/X

Comments on the post echoed the uselessness and futility of this action. One user said, “They think they’re being Ghandi,” while another said, “Back in the 1930s, this was a statement by the suffragettes, fighting for equality. It doesn’t have any impact today. Nobody cares.”

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Comments on @GenXNewsOnX's post critical of wearing red lipstick
@GenXNewsOnX/X

…and so do liberals

Similarly, leftists have also been critical of the red lipstick movement, insinuating that it was “performative,” and somewhat useless, a way to feel like an activist without actually making an impact. User @elizabethjeannel made a video saying, “red lipstick is just the next blue bracelet,” captioning the video, “We. Should. Be. Raging. In. The. Streets. Stop with the bracelets. And the hats. And the makeup. And join a protest. Sign some petitions. Write your representatives.”

A still from TikTok user @elizabethjeannel criticising the red lipstick movement.
@elizabethjeannel/TikTok
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And yet, TikToker and personal sytlist @jenninejacob says that while she agrees wearing red lipstick might seem performative, or “not enough,” she argues that it is an important measure, one that—while small—profoundly unites people. “People need community,” she says. “And these small visual cues, they help create identity. Identity strongly influences behavior.”

@jenninejacob

♬ original sound – Jennine Jacob Personal Stylist

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