Ugh, When is This Red Lip Thing Over?

I believe most of Brentwood’s campus has noticed my friends and me parading around the past few weeks sporting bright red lipstick. We’re not wearing it just to look fabulous (although we do that too), we’re wearing it to promote recognition for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Red My Lips campaign.  So many victims of sexual abuse are told that because of the clothing they wear or how they looked, they were “asking for it”. But nobody ever asks to be sexually assaulted. By wearing red lipstick, we show our solidarity and support for all sexual assault victims – male or female – who have had their assault trivialized.  Red lipstick is something that is so sexualized in today’s culture that wearing it is seen as an invitation for sexual assault, or even worse, a rationalization. Wearing short skirts, revealing tops, or sexy make-up never means a woman is automatically saying yes.  Apologies to anyone who happens to dislike red lipstick, but I believe I’ll be proudly wearing it until the end of April. I encourage all the ladies to join me (pro tip: you can buy 24 Hour Stay lipstick at Pharmasave and it won’t smudge or stain anything, I promise). For the guys, if you’re really passionate about this cause as well, speak with your Houseparents and see if you can find a way to participate.  Sarah P, Mackenzie ‘15