| 10-10-06 00:00 |
Lipstick lesbian |
A lipstick lesbian is a slang term for a feminine homosexual woman who is attracted to another feminine woman, rather than a lesbian who is attracted to a more masculine woman, such as in a "butch and femme"-type relationship. It is also used to describe a homosexual (or bisexual) woman who exhibits feminine gender expression, a female who wears make-up (thus, 'lipstick'), dresses or skirts, and perhaps takes on other characteristics associated with feminine women.
In mainstream American films, lesbians are often portrayed according to the lipstick lesbian stereotype to be both politically safer and more sexually attractive to male viewers. A good example is Showtime's television series The L Word, which presents most of its major lesbian characters in this way. Most lesbians in mainstream pornography are also portrayed in this way.
The term is thought to have emerged in the early 1990s. A 1997 episode of the television show Ellen widely publicized the phrase. In the show, Ellen DeGeneres's character, asked by her parents whether a certain woman is a "dipstick lesbian," explains that the term is "lipstick lesbian," and comments that "I would be a chapstick lesbian."
A distinction is sometimes drawn between the phrases "lipstick lesbian" and "chapstick lesbian" and the older phrases "butch" and "femme" by suggesting that the former phrases simply refer to appearance, whereas the latter imply mutual attraction of the two types. "Chapstick" lesbians are often considered soft butch. |
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