When you think of make-up you probably don’t think of activism, but Davida Hall saw the opportunity to use gorgeous lipstick to make a real difference. As Hall says, “Make-up is so visual, it’s what you wear on your face, it’s an opportunity to make a statement and have your voice heard.” That’s why she founded The Lipstick Lobby.
The Lipstick Lobby is not like other lipstick companies. First and foremost, The Lipstick Lobby’s business model differs drastically from the usual brands. 100% of the net profits from the lipsticks are donated to charity. The Lipstick Lobby also does not release a variety of shades at a time. Instead The Lipstick Lobby takes its time with each campaign, so that each cause gets its due. But what causes does The Lipstick Lobby support? And how does it pick them?
Hall says, “We go where it is important for women to lend their voices and their thoughts.” She does this by focusing on issues as they happen and putting a spotlight on problems that need attention. The first lipstick The Lipstick Lobby’s launched was “Kiss My Pink” in its campaign for Planned Parenthood. The vibrant shade swooped in after Trump threatened to defund Planned Parenthood. Hall says pink was the obvious choice, since Planned Parenthood has a pink ribbon and pink tends to be the symbol for women.
Then, as racial and immigration issues became more prominent, The Lipstick Lobby came out with their next shade, “Outrage,” a classic red dedicated to the ACLU. “We wanted a really bold, strong, unapologetic color,” said Hall.
As gun violence has become more prevalent in the news and social media, The Lipstick Lobby launched “Fired Up.” In the wake of what feels like endless school shootings, The Lipstick Lobby turns to The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence for help. Started by Jim and Sarah Brady over 30 years ago, after Jim was shot in an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, the bipartisan group fights for common sense, life saving change that everyone can get behind.
Kris Brown, Co-President of The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
In addition to the usual models, survivors and activists stepped up to stand behind the lense. As Hall said, “This photo shoot is more than images on a page. It’s people telling their stories. It’s a tapestry of gun violence in America over the last several decades.” Everyday 96 people die from gun violence. Children, teens, and adults of every gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation have felt the impact. Bullets don’t discriminate.
The orange-red color of the lipstick is not random. While, as summer rolls around Hall says, “Orange is the new pink,” it goes deeper than that. Hall explained that hunters wear orange to tell other hunters, “Don’t shoot me, I’m human.” Now the gun reform movement has taken back that color to spread that same message, that we are people and we deserve to be safe from gun violence. Just this past Friday was Wear Orange Day and National Gun Violence Awareness Day. While in everyday life wearing orange can’t protect you, buying this lipstick can save lives. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence aims to cut death from gun violence in half by 2025.
All of The Lipstick Lobby’s lipsticks are vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, made in the USA, packed with vitamin C and E and a message, so you can wear it with pride. And if anyone asks you where you bought it, tell them the meaning behind the make-up. Maybe they’ll step up and put their money where their mouth is, just like you.
So, are you Fired Up? College students can get 10% off the new lipstick with our exclusive promo code HERCAMPUS10. Order now at thelipsticklobby.com. We challenge you to post a selfie in your Fired Up, tag @TheLipstickLobby and @hcharvard on Instagram and Twitter, and tell us why you are #FIREDUP and we will repost our favorites in the coming weeks! You can also donate directly to The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence here. And if you want to learn more, watch this video about the Fired Up campaign.