Lipstick
The painted mouth as declarative, performed-self register: the cosmetic the speaker deploys to mark intent, presence, or seduction. The colour palette does as much analytical work as the cosmetic itself (red, cherry, crimson, black recur), with the red-lip variant carrying additional Shades of Red associations. Surfaces from early-career declarations (Ours' lipgloss smiles, Wildest Dreams' red lips) through to late-career consolidation (cardigan's black lipstick, The Life of a Showgirl's lipstick and lace). Sister motif to Mascara: together they form the cosmetic register, but where lipstick is performance asserted, mascara is performance failing.
The painted face as declared self - performance, seduction, intention rendered cosmetically. The speaker visibly choosing how she will be seen.
Appears in 10 songs
“Pain hidden by the lipstick and lace”
“Sequin smile, black lipstick”
Black lipstick as a marker of the adolescent self, set against the implied red lipstick of Taylor's adult persona, creating a disnarrative element where what's not said (red) is as important as what is said (black).
“So here's the truth from my red lips”
“Crimson red paint on my lips”
“Getting caught up in a moment, lipstick on your face”
“Cherry lips, crystal skies”
Cherry lips as part of the second verse's catalogue of clichéd romantic imagery, the painted mouth as a surface-level selling point in the carnival barker's pitch.
“And I got that red lip classic thing that you like”
“Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again”
“In red lipstick with no one to impress”
“Lurking in the shadows with their lipgloss smiles”