Lipstick Etiquette and Marketing

After the death of EmilyPost in 1960, her granddaughter in-law Elizabeth Post took over writing her books and her syndicated columns. They were nearly all, however, under the banner of “Emily Post Etiquette.” The Elizabeth Post cosmetic and beauty line was available however, as early as the 1930s to the 1950’s,  if not even later at that. Brava to Elizabeth for carving out her own business niche, especially in the long shadow of her husband’s grandmother!

💋 TRUTH ABOUT KISSING! 💋

Almost since man first beheld woman and found her desirable, the kiss has been immortalized in poetry, sculpture and painting. What a shame that today something has been added to kissing that is so disturbing to so many men.

MEN, bless them, too often feel it's ungentlemanly to talk about lipstick smears. But think about it, they do! And they just don't want any part of it.

Perhaps, you, as a busy woman, haven't realized the full consequences of lipstick smears. And if you did, most likely you didn't know what to do about it. For until recently there was nothing you could do except not wear lipstick, which of course is unthinkable.

A woman a housewife, probably very much like yourself has now done something about lipstick smearing — not only when kissing, but when eating, drinking and smoking as well,

She has invented a clear liquid that is brushed lightly over lipstick and is guaranteed to prevent lipstick smearing. It is not a lac- quer. It is not a basecoat. And it. does not change the color of your lipstick. It's an amazing new product called LIP-STAE- and it's wonderful. 

What Lip-Stae Will Do For You

1. It will keep lipstick on you; of him, cigarettes, glasses, linens.
2. It leaves no odor on the lips; makes them softer, more lovely than lipstick alone.
3. It doesn't crust or cake; Lip- Stae actually becomes part of the lipstick itself.
4. It is completely safe; approved by Good Housekeeping.

Look what Emily Post says about Lip-Stae:

Mrs. Post, the indisputable authority on all matters of etiquette, minces no words. She says emphatically, “It’s bad manners to smear your hostess’ linen and glassware, and it is inexcusable when there is Lip-Stae.”

Kiss! Smoke! Eat! Drink! Lip- Stae is guaranteed to keep your lipstick on you all day, OFF everything else.

Only 60 and $1 (plus tax) — Newspaper Advertisement, 1949

 

One can only imagine what chemicals may have been in this product. I’m not sure there was much oversight when it came to women’s beauty products at the time. Then again, in the US and in Great Britain, lipstick was considered so important to women during World War II, the United States government kept a large stock of red lipstick in the munitions factories and other places where women were employed in the war effort. Winston Churchill deemed we that British women needed their lipstick to feel more feminine, so it was not rationed during the war, nor afterward.

💄Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette and Gilding the Lily

For centuries, books of manners and proper etiquette, had advised young women especially against wearing cosmetics. Lipsticks and powders, etc... were supposed to do no more than enhance one’s “natural charms” and not “gild the lily.” A young woman was seen to be reckless if she were to appear during the day and out in public, in a “made-up” manner. But, by the end of WWI, as more women were smoking and drinking in public, among other things, American women felt much more comfortable in cosmetics, and it wasn’t long before even a few etiquette authorities were promoting its use. Soon, women around the world were taking their cues from their American sisters.   – Along with being the first successor to Emily Post’s etiquette media business, Elizabeth Post, Emily’s only grand-daughter in-law, had a line of “Correct Cosmetics” that were marketed to American women.

American  Beauties

Listen to this girls! A newspaper writer on beauty methods quotes a “famous Frenchman who is a leading light in the cosmetic field” as follows: “To me the most alluring thing about the American girl and woman is that she acts as though she were beautiful, whether she is or not. In France, only the most attractive women have the courage to carry themselves off in the charming manner that is part of almost every American girl and woman.” There is more to this, it appears, than a mere boost for American use of cosmetics. Also, there is more than is meant by the saying, “Beauty is as beauty does.”

 

American women, with or without classic features and perfect natural coloring, do not hesitate to groom themselves smartly and develop ease of manners and charm. The result is that America has acquired international fame as a land of beautiful women. As a woman thinketh, apparently so is she. Courage, good health, independence, cleanliness and—ahem!—wise use of cosmetics, have worked marvels. Only a grouch will raise the question. “What is beauty?” – Lompoc Review, 1930

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

Profiles in Etiquette – Elizabeth Post

                               

Etiquette writer and authority, Elizabeth L. (Libby) Post, was the wife of Emily Post’s only grandson, (Bill) Post. It was Elizabeth who took over as the spokesperson and author for The Emily Post Institute in 1965, five years after Emily Post’s death in 1960. 

Born in Englewood, New Jersey, and educated at the Dobbs Ferry Master’s School, She was the first successor to Emily Post’s family business, working for more than 30 years on behalf of The Emily Post Institute. During her tenure as author and spokesperson, Mrs. Post revised and updated Emily Post’s book “Etiquette” five times from 1965 to 1992.

Along with helming the company throughout the sweeping social changes of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Post authored many other books, all under the “Emily Post” name. The books were frequently revised, and included “Emily Post’s Complete Book of Wedding Etiquette,” “Emily Post’s Wedding Planner,” “Emily Post’s Table Manners for Today,” “Emily Post on Business Etiquette,” “Emily Post on Second Weddings,” “Please, Say Please,” “The Complete Book of Entertaining” with co-author Anthony Staffieri, and “Emily Post’s Teen Etiquette” with co-author Joan M. Coles.                 

Along with her books, she wrote a monthly column for Good Housekeeping magazine entitled “Etiquette for Everyday” and even created and marketed a line of “Correct Cosmetics” sold in small department stores nationwide, which included face powder, lipsticks, scents and more. She gave hundreds of media interviews annually and frequently appeared as a guest speaker across the country. She enjoyed an active outdoor lifestyle and traveling with her husband, and divided her time between their homes in Florida and Vermont. Post retired in 1995 and passed away 15 years later, in April of 2010.

Doing the Right Thing 

By Elizabeth L. Post, 1968

Expressions of Sympathy

Dear Mrs. Post: I often encounter a situation which I find very awkward. What does one say to a girl or boy whose brother is leaving for Vietnam? What does one do if the boy or girl begins to show signs of crying? M.H.

Dear M.H.: This is a situation we are all facing more and more. The best answer is to say little, especially if the other person is very emotional. A word or two, such as "Wish him good-luck for me," or "Tell him we'll be thinking of him,” or possibly "I hope the year will pass quickly for you. I will remember him in my prayers,’’ is enough to indicate your sympathy.

Corsage for Godmother

Dear Mrs. Post: I will be married soon and I would like to get a corsage for my godmother. When I was baptized my godparents weren’t married, now they are, but not to each other. Do I have to get a corsage for my godfather’s wife, too, or just for my godmother? Ellen

Dear Ellen: You need not give your godfather's wife a corsage, but since you are giving your godmother one, I would suggest that you give your godfather a boutonniere.

 Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia