Conquering the Red Lip: How to Stop Fearing the Bold
Image Courtesy: Carson Bassett
For years, I envied the effortlessness that came with girls with a red lip. The ability they possessed to make such a statement with ease, that casual beauty I was convinced I could never pull off. I felt too young, too naive, never an It Girl, but instead a child with a Kool-Aid-stained mouth.
The peak of this jealousy culminated in getting ready for a dance with a friend-of-a-friend, the kind of girl who could pull off any look, effortlessly pretty in a way that created a ball in my stomach and a lump in my throat. She started the night crying, hysterically sobbing into her Chipotle bowl while the rest of us got ready- somehow I still thought she was the most captivating person in the room.
Image Courtesy: Carson Bassett
Our differences became apparent immediately. I was fully prepared to leave an hour early, always worried about being late, but fearing that voicing this fear would tear down the “cool girl” facade I desperately tried to maintain. This girl, on the other hand, clearly had never worried about being late in her life— a tried and true “real” cool girl. She wiped her tears, finished the remnants of her bowl and started getting ready with less than five minutes to spare. Tousled her slept-in hair, threw on a borrowed and pinned-together dress and pulled the look together with a bold red lip. How she applied that red lip captivated me, a careless swipe of scarlet— the highlight of her effortless bombshell look.
I saw in her everything I lacked, a funhouse mirror version of myself. A version that was easygoing, carefree, and confident compared to my calculated, anxious, overthinking self. I sat there and thought about the chewed-down nails underneath my colorful press-ons, a desperate attempt to cover up the parts of me I spent every second praying no one saw through.
Image Courtesy: Carson Bassett
I wanted to be her— and I hated her for that. I hated how obviously cool she was, hated how I wasn’t. That little green demon of envy had me in a chokehold, convincing me there was some element, some mystery allure she had— and every other girl didn’t.
She didn’t think she was the “cool girl” in that moment. She wasn’t looking down on me, picking apart my clothes, hair and face the way I was in my head. This pedestal I put her on in my head, never really existed. In reality, she was probably playing through the exact same struggle I was, only seeing her own insecurities.
You can’t become the “cool girl.” She isn’t real, just a figment of our collective imagination, a better version of ourselves that we can spend our whole existence chasing after.
Leave her behind. Stop looking at others, only seeing the parts of yourself that you wish were different. Let go of the envy and resentment for the illusive cool girl, instead focus that energy on embracing the parts of yourself you love.
Image Courtesy: Carson Bassett
Wear the red lip. Even if you don’t believe you’re the type of person who could pull it off. No one type of person can “pull off” a look better than anyone else, there are only people who choose to embrace unironically and unabashedly loving themselves. The second you start believing you are worthy of being loved and appreciated, people will reflect that attitude right back at you. Find your strength and embrace the bold.
Strike Out,
Writer: Bella Riley Love
Photographer: Carson Bassett
Photo Models: Sean Reed Doolittle, Samuel Gayoso, Bella Riley Love, Cicada (cat model)
Edited By: Delaney Gunnell and Olivia Wagner
Orlando
Bella Riley Love is a content writer for Strike Magazine Orlando. You’ll usually find her with headphones in and sunglasses on, trying desperately not to accidentally make eye contact on campus. In her free time, she loves to watch Elliot Page movies, listen to live music, and obsess over Stevie Nicks. You can reach her at bellarileylove@gmail.com.
