Adolf Hitler hated red lipstick. So in America red lipstick became a symbol of patriotism, and against fascism. Red lipstick was even a mandatory part of the Women's Army Corps uniform.
The Red (Lipstick), White, and Blue
The term "lipstick index," coined by Leonard Lauder, described the increase in lipstick sales in bad times, as lipstick was one small luxury that is still available in times of hardship. Lipstick sales continued in the US and the UK during the Great Depression, Women wanted a touch of the glamor they saw on the silver screen. As WWII began, lipstick became more scarce, as manufacturing had shifted to making wartime supplies. Women used every bit they could from the tube, and combined even the pieces into a new lipstick. When lipstick wasn't available at all, women stained their lips with beet juice.
But this was not the case in German-occupied lands. It was widely known Adolf Hitler hated red lipstick. His ideal Aryan woman was blonde, blue eyed - and fresh faced. Women were to avoid excessive cosmetics, red lipstick, and nail varnish of any color.
In Allied countries, red lipstick became a symbol of patriotism, and against fascism.
Lipstick companies gave their shades patriotic names like "Victory Red" and "Patriot Red."
Advertisements featured working worsen, servicewomen, and GIs.
Red lipstick was a mandatory part of the WAC uniform.
Elizabeth Arden's "Montezuma Red" became the regulation lip and nail color for the American Marine Corps Women's Reserve, which matched the color of the trim on the uniform.
Women received an official military issue kit with the lipstick, cream rouge, and nail polish.
Even Rosie the Riveter sported a red lip in her famous poster. [https://www.eatlife.net/wwii/rosie-the-riveter.php]
WWII Lipstick
During WWII, Lipstick Became A Sign Of PatriotismWearing Red Lipstick was a Sign of Patriotism During WWII
Bright red lipstick roared back into fashion during WWIl for a surprising reason. Hitler reportedly hated red lipstick, so American women painted their lips to tell off Hitler's supporters.Women flooded the factories and the battlefields in the 1940s, wearing red lipstick as a sign of patriotism and bravery. The Marines created a mandatory lipstick for female Marines called Montezuma Red. The red color represented the American flag and came to symbolize strength.
Lipstick
During the Second World War, metal lipstick tubes were replaced by plastic and paper tubes. Lipstick was scarce during that time because some of the essential ingredients of lipstick, petroleum and castor oil, were unavailable. World War II allowed women to work in engineering and scientific research, and in the late 1940s, Hazel Bishop, an organic chemist in New York and New Jersey, created the first long lasting lipstick, called No-Smear lipstick. With the help of Raymond Specter, an advertiser, Bishop's lipstick business thrived.
In Allied countries, red lipstick became a symbol of patriotism, and against fascism. Lipstick companies gave their shades patriotic names like 'Victory Red' and 'Patriot Red.' Advertisements featured working worsen, servicewomen, and GIs. Red lipstick was a mandatory part of the WAC uniform. Elizabeth Arden's 'Montezuma Red' became the regulation lip and nail color for the American Marine Corps Women's Reserve, which matched the color of the trim on the uniform.