April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the third annual Red My Lips campaign, when women (and some daring men) wear red lipstick to promote the importance of sexual consent and visibly protest victim-blaming.
“It’s a play on the idiom ‘read my lips’ – a blunt way of telling someone to listen carefully to what you are saying,” said Health 2000 spokesperson Sue Pairaudeau.
“That means, if a person does not give consent to sex, changes their mind half way through it, loses consciousness or falls asleep, you stop and make sure that person is safe. To continue is assault,” she said.
“Further, to rape and then claim ‘she asked for it’ because her skirt was short, she wore red lipstick, or had wanted sex once before, is victim-blaming. Rapists are responsible for rape, not short skirts, alcohol, red lips or past encounters.”
Health 2000’s Hamilton support office is supporting Red My Lips for the first time to promote consent and health, and recommends people read the March 2015 ‘cup of tea’ analogy for consent on rockstardinosaurpirateprincess.com as it explains consent simply.
“Sexual assault is not just a health issue for young women. It affects victims of both sexes and ages, their families, friendships, future relationships – it’s ongoing, widespread, and it’s a community health issue.”
While Health 2000 staff leave lipstick marks on their teacups for the next month, they will also only wear natural mineral lipstick.
“A woman who wears lipstick every day will ingest at least 1kg in her lifetime and absorb whatever ingredients are in it,” Ms Pairaudeau said, “so we avoid brands containing heavy metals because toxins accumulate in the body.”
University researchers tested 32 popular brand lipsticks and glosses used by young women in a Californian youth programme. They found concerning levels of nine heavy metals in many across the spectrum of brand and cost. This is troubling, because heavy metals accumulate in the body over time.
The researchers compared what the women were likely ingesting in lip products to health standards for heavy metal consumption like those for drinking water. They found that average lipstick or gloss use of these products resulted in women exceeding daily intake guidelines for aluminum, cadmium, chromium and manganese. In 10 of the products, daily use meant a woman would exceed chromium intake recommendations by 100 percent.
Health 2000’s nationwide stores and website stock natural lipsticks of all colours – including red. From Kiwi companies Living Nature and Antipodes, these lipsticks nourish lips with oils such as jojoba, avocado, calendula, vitamin E and evening primrose.
“It’s a play on the idiom ‘read my lips’ – a blunt way of telling someone to listen carefully to what you are saying,” said Health 2000 spokesperson Sue Pairaudeau.
“That means, if a person does not give consent to sex, changes their mind half way through it, loses consciousness or falls asleep, you stop and make sure that person is safe. To continue is assault,” she said.
“Further, to rape and then claim ‘she asked for it’ because her skirt was short, she wore red lipstick, or had wanted sex once before, is victim-blaming. Rapists are responsible for rape, not short skirts, alcohol, red lips or past encounters.”
Health 2000’s Hamilton support office is supporting Red My Lips for the first time to promote consent and health, and recommends people read the March 2015 ‘cup of tea’ analogy for consent on rockstardinosaurpirateprincess.com as it explains consent simply.
“Sexual assault is not just a health issue for young women. It affects victims of both sexes and ages, their families, friendships, future relationships – it’s ongoing, widespread, and it’s a community health issue.”
While Health 2000 staff leave lipstick marks on their teacups for the next month, they will also only wear natural mineral lipstick.
“A woman who wears lipstick every day will ingest at least 1kg in her lifetime and absorb whatever ingredients are in it,” Ms Pairaudeau said, “so we avoid brands containing heavy metals because toxins accumulate in the body.”
University researchers tested 32 popular brand lipsticks and glosses used by young women in a Californian youth programme. They found concerning levels of nine heavy metals in many across the spectrum of brand and cost. This is troubling, because heavy metals accumulate in the body over time.
The researchers compared what the women were likely ingesting in lip products to health standards for heavy metal consumption like those for drinking water. They found that average lipstick or gloss use of these products resulted in women exceeding daily intake guidelines for aluminum, cadmium, chromium and manganese. In 10 of the products, daily use meant a woman would exceed chromium intake recommendations by 100 percent.
Health 2000’s nationwide stores and website stock natural lipsticks of all colours – including red. From Kiwi companies Living Nature and Antipodes, these lipsticks nourish lips with oils such as jojoba, avocado, calendula, vitamin E and evening primrose.
Red My Lips – and keep them safe
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the third annual Red My Lips campaign, when women (and some daring men) wear red lipstick to promote the importance of sexual consent and visibly protest victim-blaming.
By Sue Pairaudeau
By Sue Pairaudeau