Lesbians, Levis and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives
Lesbians, Levis and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives has been co-published simultaneously as Journal of Lesbian Studies, Volume 3, Number 4 1999.
Lesbians, Levis and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives
Jeanine C. Cogan, PhD
Joanie M. Erickson
Editors
Lesbians, Levis and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives, edited by Jeanine C. Cogan and Joanie M. Erickson, was simultaneously issued by The Haworth Press, Inc., under the same title, as a special issue of Journal of Lesbian Studies, Volume 3, Number 4 1999, Esther D. Rothblum, Editor.
ISBN 1-56023-121-1
First published by
Harrington Park Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580 USA
Harrington Park Press is an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580 USA.
This edition published 2012 by Routledge
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Lesbians, Levis and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives has been co-published simultaneously as Journal of Lesbian Studies, Volume 3, Number 4 1999.
1999 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
The development, preparation, and publication of this work has been undertaken with great care. However, the publisher, employees, editors, and agents of The Haworth Press and all imprints of The Haworth Press, Inc., including The Haworth Medical Press and Pharmaceutical Products Press, are not responsible for any errors contained herein or for consequences that may ensue from use of materials or information contained in this work. Opinions expressed by the author(s) are not necessarily those of The Haworth Press, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lesbians, Levis and lipstick: the meaning of beauty in our lives/Jeanine C. Cogan, Joanie M. Erickson, editors.
p. cm.
Co-published simultaneously as Journal of lesbian studies, vol. 3, no. 4, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7890-0661-8 (alk. paper).ISBN 1-56023-121-1 (alk. paper)
1. Feminine beauty (Aesthetics) 2. LesbiansAttitudes. 3. Beauty, Personal. I. Cogan, Jeanine C.
II. Erickson, Joanie M. III. Journal of lesbian studies.
HQ1219.L476 1999
305.489664dc21
99-31178
CIP
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Jeanine C. Cogan, PhD, is a Congressional Science Fellow at the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC. Blending her expertise in public policy and as a social psychologist, she conducts research for and works to bring national attention to eating disorders and negative body image as a public health threat. Her research and public policy efforts have been recognized in articles appearing in the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Houston Chronicle. Serving as an educator in both the university and public settings, Dr. Cogan has conducted many presentations on the topic of women and beauty, with a recent emphasis on lesbian beauty. She has edited a recent journal issue entitled Dying To Be Thin in the Name of Health for the Journal of Social Issues.
Joanie M. Erickson is Director of Public Relations for a non-profit health care organization in Fairfield, California. Involved in the field of health care public relations for the last 15 years, Ms. Erickson has received many national awards, including the McEachern, given annually by the Public Relations Society of America, and the Touchstone from the American Hospital Association. She is also the former president of the Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing Society in California. In addition, Ms. Erickson enjoys writing poetry and short stories.
CONTENTS
Jeanine C. Cogan
Joanie M. Erickson
Carol Wuebker
Anna Myers
Jennifer Taub
Jessica F. Morris
Esther D. Rothblum
Jennifer Taub
Kim M. Thompson
Nancy Brown
Joan Cassidy
Jacqueline H. Gentry
Jennifer Lyle
Jeanell Jones
Gail Drakes
Tania N. Hammidi
Susan B. Kaiser
Jeanine C. Cogan
Joanie M. Erickson
Beth Daily-Wallach
Jeanine C. Cogan
Dvora Zipkin
Ellen Samuels
Bonnie Ruth Strickland
Jeanine C. Cogan
Karen Heffernan
Gayle E. Pitman
Constance Guille
Joan C. Chrisler
Jeanine C. Cogan
Joanie M. Erickson
IN SEARCH OF A DEFINITION
If you asked a group of lesbians if they find other lesbians beautiful, the answer would likely be a resounding yes!
By definition, lesbians find beauty in other women. But what is lesbian beauty? Jeanine, one of the co-editors of this publication, posed this question to a group of lesbians at a seminar. Their responses, woven throughout this introduction, indicate that lesbians have a broad definition of what makes a woman beautiful. This range of beauty, which emerges from the authors featured in this publication, as well as in our own reflections on lesbian beauty, is a stark contrast to the narrow dominant cultural definitions which are typically defined by physical aesthetics. As one woman at the seminar answered the question What is lesbian beauty?:
strong women, laughter, a certain walk, a certain style, strong arms, strong legs, great earrings, honest, confident, indefinable yet I know what it is
SHOOTING DOWN THE STEREOTYPES
Research shows that the dominant culture perceives lesbians as less attractive than straight women (Dew, 1985; Unger, Hilderbrand, & Madar, 1982). In the movie Good Morning Vietnam, the character played by Robin Williams defined a lesbian as a woman who wears comfortable shoes. Weve all heard similar stereotypes about the physical appearance of lesbians: short hair, drab, dour, masculine dress, unappealing, unattractive, too ugly to find a man.
An old boyfriend once said to me all lesbians are short
Like all stereotypes, these are not an accurate representation. Drab, dour and unattractive we are not. Some of the worlds most beautiful women are lesbians found at clubs and events, on movie and television screens, in magazines, and even in our own mirrors. We can toss the too ugly to get a man stereotype out with the flannel shirts. Yet, generalizations can be made about lesbians styles. For instance, many lesbians (but not all) do cut their hair short, a subject that is discussed by a number of authors in this publication. Although no research has been conducted on the comfortable shoes phenomenon, few of us are likely to be found teetering about on three-inch heels. And, okay, many of us do have more tailored suit coats hanging in our closets than the average woman.
