#nathecreative

Young. Wild. & Women. - The Power of Red

In honor of Women's Month, I have decided to do a little research, and landed upon something I use pretty consistently, lipstick, more specifically, RED lipstick.

There have been many women throughout our time, both animated and real life, that have made a staple with the color red. Some of which include: Marilyn Monroe, Rosie the Riveter, Madonna, Betty Boop, Christina Aguilera, and the ones said to have started it all, ancient Sumerian woman and men.

Iconic Faces and Advancements of Lipstick

One of the most iconic women of ancient times was Cleopatra. She was said to have crushed bugs such as beetles and ants to get the right color of red. Because the process of creating these ancient lip stains, the phrase “Kiss of Death” was created because of the harmful mixture of fucus-algin, iodine, and bromine mannite that  Egyptian women used to create lipstick. Highly toxic, the concoction often led to serious illness and sometimes death (History Of Red Lipstick; Taylor Barringer - https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g8050/red-lipstick/?slide=1 ).

However as time went by, the process of making lipstick was a little safer to wear. In the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth 1 was the first known woman to make cosmetics popular by applying pale face makeup and bright crimson lips which she got from a mix of beeswax and plants. It was said that Medieval Europeans believed that lipstick and cosmetics warded off death which is a huge possibility why Queen Elizabeth’s handmaidens applied this to her face even after death.

In the turn of the century and the majority of the nineteenth century, only particular woman were meant to wear makeup, prostitutes and actors. Such actors as Sarah Bernhardt, who also wore it out in public which was highly taboo at the time. Therefore, makeup being considered non-acceptable for respectful woman.

Be that as it may, by the end of the nineteenth century the first lipstick was sold and manufactured by French company, Guerlain. This lipstick was made from deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax and covered in silk paper. In the states, lipstick was colored with carmine dye and did not come in a tube and was applied with a blush brush. Until 1915, when Maurice Levy invented the first metal lipstick tube and in 1923 the first swivel lipstick tube was patented by James Bruce Mason Jr. Soon companies like Chanel and Max Factor grabbed hold of this and started to create their own lipsticks.

Advertisements, Propaganda, and Women’s Sexuality

The 1930s brought in a boom of sales for lipstick. Helena Rubenstein, founder of Helena Rubenstein makeup, was  the first to advertise lipstick as having sun protection. Also during this time, manufacturers deemed  lipstick ‘an important part of the war effort’, urging women to do their part and buy lipstick (History Of Red Lipstick; Taylor Barringer - https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/g8050/red-lipstick/?slide=1).  Which then later brought to fame Rosie the Riveter, who was used for a campaign to recruit female workers for defense industries during World War II, and has since become one of the most iconic woman in the workforce and later for the Women's Suffrage Movement.

Coming into the 1950s, companies such as Revlon, created the idea that women shouldn’t just wear lipstick for others and their husbands, but to make themselves feel beautiful, sexy, and to cater to their personality. Revlon’s Fire and Ice Campaign was revolutionary in many ways, such as being the first print ad to tie makeup to sexuality and captivating copy to cater to that idea—

"What is the American girl made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice? Not since the days of the Gibson Girl! There's a new American Beauty...she's  tease and temptress, siren and gamin, dynamic and demure." The idea was  that women had multitudes to them, where they were both hot and cold,  passionate and cool. "Men find her slightly, delightfully baffling.  Sometimes a little maddening. Yet they admit she's easily the most exciting woman in all the world!"  (The Most Famous Beauty Campaigns In History; Marlen Komar - https://www.bustle.com/p/the-9-most-famous-beauty-campaigns-in-history-will-probably-surprise-you-62818).

The woman featured in the ad was then It Girl and model Dorian Leigh. She was done up in a silky silver gown wrapped glamorously by a red carpet, her lips and nails painted a scarlet red. Her looks considered to look like fire and ice, thus targeting women as such. This ad was revolutionary because it focused on the lip color and was the first solo placement of a woman in an ad. The ad implying that applying lipstick was something a woman did for her  pleasure and no one else.

Such ads like these brought into play one of the most iconic red lips and sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Famous for playing the comic “blonde bombshell”, Monroe was also known to influence woman and to grab hold of their personal beauty and sexualities. Till this day Monroe is still considered to trend set the beauty industry and the classic “bombshell” look.

Lips Now

Throughout the years and now, lip colors have fluctuated in style and color. There are a broader range of colors, textures, and finishes, such as-lipsticks, liquid lipstick, gloss, matte finishes, and stains-red is still a consistent color of classic boldness and sexiness.

Woman now wear lipstick for a variety of reasons. To feel sexy, confident, to add a little pop of color to the face, to complete an outfit, to wear for that special occasion and more. But most importantly, the history of lipstick and makeup have taught woman that we can embrace our sexualities and personalities. Every woman is different in this factor, some like a soft look during the day and a bold look in the evening. There are no set rules, whatever her pleasure may be she is able to wear, or not wear. Lipstick being a small product item but a major pinnacle point in women's history.


Poetry - Sweetness

Thoughts of the softest touch,

Such as a lovers kiss.

A touch so sweet, sends my whole body into bliss.

 

Honey's sweet,

but you are too, 

I can never get enough of you. 

 

Nectar drips from my lips,

I let it consume, 

For I never what to be rid of the taste...

Of you.

 

 

 

Young. Wild. & Growing. - Self Worth

Self Worth: 

Noun; The sense of one's own value or worth as a person; self-esteem; self-respect. 

This seems to be a trending topic when it comes to Millennial adults. Many of us are hash-tagging, captioning and pumping each other up with these two words. But why? Why do we feel that we need to be consistently reminded of our self-worth? I think the reason is that since the boom of the internet and social media, Millennials are the last real generation that remembers what it was like when there was no social media. And bullying was just "regular" bullying. But now, Generation Z's are being targeted not only in person but also through social media. We see more people body shaming, slut shaming, posting things to just get a rise from a significant other or trying to PROVE our self-worth.

What I have also come to see more of is people posting memes or joking around about the other woman/man in their life. Making it seem okay to have your cake and eat it too. Implying that real love does not exist anymore or that it is rare to find. I feel social media has corrupted this "finding the one" for generation Zers and for many Millennials as well. Which brings the reason for this topic of self-worth.

Despite what social media has let us feel about ourselves or that we want the world to see we have our shit together, there are still many people, for the sake of this topic, woman, that feel low with their self-worth. This can be many reasons, some of which may include: not being as fit or as thin as that girl you follow on your Instagram. Not having that beautiful hair, and for many of the woman I have communicated with, their self-worth is usually highly questioned when they've been through heartbreak or have been rejected by someone they really cared for. 

Personally, I fall into all categories. Granted I have since come to recognize my self-worth, but there are times I do question why I wasn't enough, or if it was just me. Nonetheless, I have come to realize what my self-worth is, by knowing who I am. That's where it starts.

Being okay with being alone, and being by yourself with yourself. Really taking the time to see the person you really are and falling in love with your essence. Your good qualities, your personality, your flaws, and generally what makes you, you.

There are still days when I start to think about the hurt I went through and the people that have hurt me to make me question my self-worth. It still hurts when I think about it but because I have taken the time to fall in love with me, I know that I'm a great person, and it wasn't me. I was just not the one meant to continue my life with that person(s). Thus I remind myself of my good qualities and the things that I have to offer. It may sound conceited but all you're doing is a power stance to yourself. 

Why I chose to speak on this subject is because I feel that this topic has been brought up pretty often in conversations I have with girlfriends of mine. Furthermore, much of the reasons why we (woman) question our self-worth is because someone (usually a man) made us question it. Commonly it being the man we were in love with or interested in, chooses someone else rather than us, regardless of how long/little we were with that person or the type of relationship we had. Once the break-up happens, and soon after they end up with someone else while we're still trying to heal, it gets to our self-esteem even more. This is where a woman really questions their self-worth. (NOTE: I am not blaming men, I am just referring to personal experience and to those close to me.) 

This can take a few weeks, to months, to years to get yourself out of the slump. But you can't let it take over your life. I've had friends that compare themselves to the other person their ex is now with, myself included. I can see the hurt in their eyes, the pain they feel when they speak of that person. I recognize it because I have been there too. 

Males and females question their self-worth. However, we will never find it if we don't take the time to truly fall in love with ourselves. Only then will we realize who we really are and what we have to offer. It sucks, and we will still come upon those moments when we're all alone and start to think about the times we felt our lowest and question, "why not me?". That's when we do a power stance to ourselves and point out all the good qualities. 

We all have something to offer. However, we are not everyone's type and vice versa. We may meet people in our lives and question why it never happened, and daydream of the what ifs. Along with comparing ourselves to the other person they do end up with, which causes us to question our self-worth.

But, I strongly believe that we meet people for a reason. We become close to some to teach us lessons about ourselves and to grow. It may not always be you, as much as you want it to be, but think about the other person thinking the same about you. The best thing we can do is know who we are, and not waste our time with people who don't see what we have to offer. 

Till this day I still do a power stance to myself. Almost thirty and I am still dealing with self-esteem, after all, everyone does. We think it's an adolescent emotion but it travels with us throughout our lives. We just learn to grow. And most importantly, we learn to really appreciate ourselves. That, is self-worth. 

Young. Wild. & Growing. - Company With Yourself

I've always been that person to enjoy another's company. When I was younger I was afraid of being alone and would always bug someone for attention. Till this day I still bug people for attention, haha but like my mother says, 'You're still an attention hog', like mother like daughter.

I like being social, but at the same time, I can be really shy. When I'm in a new situation or around people I don't really know, I tend to hold back a little. But as I get more comfortable I become more talkative. The worst thing though is when you try to make conversation or be a part of a conversation and the people look at you weird; this used to set me back from approaching people. But as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that these people are not the people I want to be around. With this realization, I tend to find my own crowd or just wander off on my own. 

Even though I am sociable and crave the attention every so often, I have since grown away from my shyness (although it still happens on occasion). I have also come to enjoy my own company. I have friends who are afraid of being alone and always seek that company, even if that company isn't the best. But as I try to explain to them, yes it's scary being alone, AT FIRST, but once you find that inner peace of being by yourself, you start to really see the person you are. You start to pursue things that attract you physically, mentally and give you jitters to even approach. However, that's the best part! You are challenging yourself to explore, to really see what YOU are about without anyone else painting the path for you. 

I came to realize this at an early age and would slowly start exploring on my own. Just me myself and my thoughts. My favorites of such exploration are hiking or being on the beach. Enjoying the fruits of our nature and hearing nothing but the music in my headphones or reading the words in my latest book. Even better was finding that one spot, away from the crowd and all I can hear peace. Peace of nature's sounds and the peace of my own thoughts, as I live in the beautiful moment that surrounds me. 

Even now, living in a new city where I don't know anyone, and the only company I have is my roommates, whom one I see during morning passing or an evening dinner, and the other travels so often that there has been little time to really enjoy this new adventure together. With this, I did reside in my shyness again, thinking often of home and missing those I would socialize with. But again, I remembered, that it's okay to go out and do things alone, to go explore and check out the scenery. To go to a concert to see that artist I've been wanting to see without having someone next to me. Also to just sit out in nature and appreciate Her beauty. 

Back in San Diego, I used to do things on my own a lot. Including going to bars to enjoy the latest art show exhibit, or to support a friend and their music. I recall people approaching me, men mainly, asking who I was there with, and I would say-myself. The reaction was always the same, 'why'? And I would say, 'why not' I'm here for this reason so I came. And they would give me a surprised look or look at me weird, like why would a woman be out here on her own? Why not? Of course, there are certain rules you should follow when female and alone at a bar or walking to your car after a night out. But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying yourself. I learned to be confident in my independence and happy to be surrounded by my own company and enjoy seeing the things that I want to see. Sure, the company always makes it better, but we should all learn to be content on our own.

I truly believe I have learned more about myself being alone than with others. Because when you're by yourself, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide who you truly are, and no shame in being TRULY YOU! Once you reach that inner peace, no one can rain on your parade. Yeah being humans we do need to socialize, but we also should take time for ourselves. In the end, you're living your life for you and no-one else.

Young. Wild. & Growing. - First Visit Home Since My Move

I recently traveled back home to San Diego for a good long weekend. I was so excited to be heading back home to see my family, friends, and my dogs. However, when I landed in San Diego, and got onto that Lyft and was being driven to my destination, I found myself feeling a certain way. I was excited to be home, but for some reason it all felt so surreal. I remember thinking to myself, why do I feel this way? Then I started to mentally jot down all the possible reasons...

  1. I moved away to start anew
  2. San Diego, even though I grew up here, it doesn't quite feel like home anymore
  3. Will things still feel the same?
  4. My gosh it's so hot, I'm not used to this anymore

As I reached the front of my parent's house, I thought "I'm home." As I went up the driveway and knocked and rang the doorbell like a crazy person, I was welcomed by a big warm smile and bear hug from my abuelita. It was so nice to feel her embrace again, I hadn't felt that in three months! As I brought my luggage into the house I see my dogs going crazy in the backyard. Both of them jumping on the glass door and wagging their tails uncontrollably. They too greeted me in a way that made my heart soar. 

As I walked up the stairs to my old room, I couldn't help but feel the house so empty. Especially when I walked into my old room and all the walls were pretty much bare for the exception of a few frames and artwork of mine. Again that feeling of being home, but it not being home was present once more. 

Once my mama and my stepdad got home and got all the love only a mother can give, we all conversed as family dinner was being prepared. Once my sister arrived from work, we all sat down and everything seemed to pick up right where we left off. My sister and I still going at it with our weird inside jokes that no one else understands and my mama asking what my plans were during my visit. That's when it really felt like home.

My visit consisted of art shows, catching up with friends, getting my dance in, family time, and a friends birthday shoot, (photos will be edited and posted soon on my website: lizettphotography.com).

It was nice catching up with everyone and getting that "we've missed you" feeling every time. I also came to notice that a lot of my friends don't get together as much as they used to when I was still living in San Diego. In conversation, I made a joke about me being the glue to the group, and my girlfriend said, "Well you kind of were. You were the only one that made the effort to get us all together. Everyone is just doing they're own thing now and everyone's schedule is different so we don't get together as much anymore." I couldn't help but feel sad and happy; sad because my friends aren't all as close anymore, and happy to know that I was/am that person to bring everyone together once again. I mentioned this to one of my other friends as I said goodbye and he told me, "Welcome to adult life." 

As I left San Diego, I was sad to go but so happy to go back home to Seattle. Even though I miss my family and my friends like crazy, I know I need to stop being a hermit and get out there and make an effort to explore and meet new people. As an adult, it gets harder to make friends in a place where you don't really know anyone because the majority have already established their lifestyles and their groups. But the plus side of this is that I can start looking to get more involved in events around my neighborhood or attend certain classes or workouts where I can meet more new people.

Leaving San Diego and coming back to visit, made me realize that I made the right choice for myself. I made the right choice in wanting to start a new chapter, in a new city and a whole new place to explore and find my niche spot. I also came to the realization of that surreal feeling, it's not that I was missing San Diego as much, it was that I was missing the people I left behind. And now knowing that even with the distance, they are still, and always will be connected to my heart. Just as long as I make the effort to keep myself in the loop and knowing that they miss me just as much as I miss them.