My Story: 'Here I Am, Man With Beard And Red Lipstick'

Red lipstick—from the deepest crimsons to the brightest cherries is associated with several contrasting notions. On one hand, it is considered to be one of the most powerful symbols of female beauty while on the other hand, it has, on numerous occasions, been labelled and condemned as a visual statement of flirtation or seduction.

Accentuating one such meaning of this beauty product and taking on social bullies, a Kolkata-based man took to social media to share his experience.

Pushpak Sen took to Facebook to narrate the incident that happened with his 54-year-old mother who was slut-shamed and was bombarded with unpleasant name-calling for wearing red lipstick at a family function.

What stands out about his post is the fact that he donned the same 'red lipstick' with equal elegance while sharing his powerful message.

"My mother, a woman of 54 years, got slut-shamed, by some of our nearest relatives, for wearing red lipstick at a family get-together.

So yesterday, I sent all of them this picture with a 'Good morning. Get well soon.' message.

What baffled me the most is that some of these relatives have children, who are super 'woke' on social media and were present when this 'gossip' was happening but didn't say a word.

Here I am, a man with a full face of beard and red lipstick.

Here I am, standing up for all the mothers, sisters, daughters, non-males and all the womxn who have had to suppress their desires because of the toxicity of an insecure society.

Here I am, standing up for all of them and asking my fellow brothers to stand up for the womxn you know, in your own way, when you see your loved ones getting bullied," he wrote.

#NoFilter #NoEdits

Netizens applauded the man and his effort to take a stand against the existing prejudices that restrict one's freedom to life and expression due to factors such as age, gender, colour, etc.

Also Read: MyStory: 'I Faced Child Sex Abuse From Close Relative, Today I Help Children Understand Abuse'