RED LIPS

RED LIPS

By Irene Guerra

I was wearing my argollas and blood-red lips before it was considered cool. Although something so trivial seems irrelevant in 2023, wearing bright red lipstick and hoop earrings in my transition years was considered tacky in professional settings. I recall going to interviews in my early career, toning down my lips to a neutral pale pink, and wearing pearl earrings to appear more “professional.”  I avoided any pop of color, fearing I would stand out for the wrong reasons. At the onset of my journey, I felt afraid to completely allow myself the freedom to wear what felt comfortable and powerful and helped me feel like ME. And although I love any shade of rouge on my lips, the act of wearing that lipstick was symbolic of my connection to my roots.  

How can a shade of lipstick be such a transformative and powerful statement?  Think about it: when you are deprived of any form of outward expression of self, even the simplest of actions is an act of rebellion. And really, lipstick is the simplification of any outward expression of cultura. Take diction, for example.  My acento has always been apparent when I speak. The high intonation and rapid increase in pitch at the end of my words always signal my background, my upbringing, my region, mi gente.  I may be able to pass as gabacha on the outside, but that acento will clue you into a part of my life that I love so dearly. I always felt the need to hide that accent and Anglo it up at presentations throughout college and even during my graduate years. I recall lowering my voice, slowing down, and enunciating every word to sound more refined.  But who defines what is refined or not? 

“Think about it: when you are deprived of any form of outward expression of self, even the simplest of actions is an act of rebellion.”

The reality is that at this stage in the game, I absolutely want the world to know how proud I am of my ESL and how hard it is to find the right words to describe the world in any one language. That accent clues you into the sacrifice and pain that my parents endured as they crossed the border to the U.S. The mispronunciation of words or lack of translation capturing the essence of words like apapacho and sobremesa indicates a rich balance of the old world and new worlds merging.  The way the tilde over the N dances across the tongue or the rolling of the Rs echo on the roof of the mouth enriches every ounce of your conversation with others.

Que privilegio! Thinking in two languages, cultures, and worlds is a privilege. Our ability to dream in not one but two cultural realms makes the world seem more attainable and expansive. In this new year, I urge our comunidad to wear that fuchsia lipstick, the patterned tie, and the feathered earrings and share how much you have to offer the world.

“In this new year, I urge our comunidad to wear that fuchsia lipstick, the patterned tie, and the feathered earrings and share how much you have to offer the world.”

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