This Chanel Lipstick Allowed Me To Come to Terms With My Manhood
Should all men wear lipstick?
Witnessing my mother apply her lipstick and become a more confident, elevated version of herself had a profound impact on me as a young boy. For many women, there’s a shift in the atmosphere when you finally find the shade of lipstick that was meant for you. It’s such a powerful experience that you will subconsciously buy the same shade over and over again with different brands.
For my mom and til this very day, my mom and many older women in my family were always taken up with a deep burgundy or dark brown lip color. I remembered how their eyes would light up and the earth would move beneath them when they came across the brand and this specific lip shade that they would adopt as their daily uniform. I understood the influence and the power of lipstick for women, but wasn’t really on-board with the idea of lipstick being life changing until I experienced the same feeling for myself.
If you know me personally, you know that I’ve gone through many phases with my lipstick attire. I consider myself a lipstick aficionado — but it wasn’t until 2023 when Chanel Beauty released its “Rouge Allure Velvet” line and the shade “Sophistiquèe” that my awakening as a Black man had truly begun.
I’ve always been aware of my place in the world and very sure of myself, but now, being in my 30s, a lot of unresolved feelings about myself and my other qualms with the world quietly trickled over into this decade — leaving me to face them full speed ahead with no armor. Well, that was until I came across this specific shade of lipstick.
Early summer of 2023, The Black Beauty Club tapped myself and three other gentleman that work in the beauty industry to share our POV as Black men in this space. Unsure of what lip color I was going to wear, I distinctly remember reaching for the Chanel lippie that ultimately would become apart of my identity such as my signature black sunglasses have.
Upon first swipe, I remember a tingly sensation going through my body. I looked in the mirror and saw myself clear as day for the first time. When it was my turn to speak on the panel, the words I used to tell my experience as a Black man in beauty flowed seamlessly and effortlessly without a stammer or pause. Wanting to know if that feeling would continue, I opted for the lipstick to be apart of every look I wore for the rest of the summer and with each application, my quiet insecurtites, doubts and fears disappeared and for those present moments, I was invincible — the world was mine.
While wearing this lipstick, I wasn’t worried about not being desirable to a romantic partner for being too feminine?
While wearing this lipstick, I wasn’t unsure about my place in the world as a Black man. I am powerful. I’m more than a conquerer.
While wearing this lipstick, I can stand up to my trauma’s I’ve faced while working as a queer man in beauty and stand up for myself without my voice trembling.
Who knew that something as a lipstick could have so much agency? Maybe this is why my mom and so many other women religiously swear by their chosen shades? Who knew that a man himself could discover himself through a shade of lipstick?
Maybe all men should wear lipstick?