A makeup artist had to get permission from Taylor Swift's mom in 2009 to put red lipstick on the pop star for the first time
Advertisement
Rebecca Cohen
Mar 8, 2023, 05:24 IST
Taylor Swift at the 2022 MTV VMAs.Getty/Jamie McCarthy
Taylor Swift didn't wear red lipstick until an Allure photo shoot in March 2009.
Her makeup artist told Elle Australia she had to ask Swift's mom permission to use red lipstick.
Advertisement
Taylor Swift hasn't always had that "red lip, classic thing" that fans like.
In fact, it took until March 2009 for the pop superstar to claim her iconic look.
Swift had just released her hit album, "Fearless," and the 19-year-old was gearing up for The Fearless Tour, her first-ever headlining run.
Swift had signed on to do a cover with Allure that same month. Her makeup artist for the shoot, Gucci Westman — founder of the clean beauty brand Westman Atelier — claims she helped Swift venture into the world of the red lip.
"Yeah, I've worked [with Taylor Swift], many times," Westman recently told Elle Australia. "I haven't worked with her in quite a while but I used to work with her, and I remember I was the first one to give her a red lip."
Advertisement
Westman recalled the Allure shoot and said she had to ask Swift's mom, Andrea Swift, for special permission to use the bold color.
"She'd never worn a red lip," Westman told Elle. "When the red lip happened, I had to get permission by her mom."
At the time, Westman said Swift's management told her that "Taylor doesn't do red."
"Well, Taylor needs to try red," Westman said she countered.
An Allure article about the shoot explains that Westman was trying to give Swift "an updated Vargas-girl look, with a strong mouth and beautiful skin." Westman finished the look with "mauve blush, brown eye shadow, black mascara, and vivid red lipstick."
Advertisement
Swift apparently loved the red lipstick so much that Westman gave her a tube of her own to take home, launching a recognizable look that has carried on throughout Swift's career.
Red lipstick has since become synonymous with Swift's aesthetic since that fateful Allure shoot.
She kicked off the Fearless Tour shortly after in April 2009, where she immediately took to showcasing her new red-lip look.
Despite the many costume changes throughout the show each night, one thing remained constant: The red lipstick.
Swift has since worn red lipstick to major events like the Grammys, in music videos like "Shake It Off," and on several album covers, including "Red," "1989," and "Midnights."
Advertisement
She has also referenced the look many times in her lyrics, starting with the "Red" deluxe track "The Moment I Knew" ("In red lipstick with no one to impress").
This imagery appears most often throughout "1989," in "Blank Space" ("Cherry lips, crystal skies"), "Wildest Dreams" ("Red lips and rosy cheeks"), and "Style" ("I've got that red lip, classic thing that you like"), among others.
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.
Drew Barrymore says acting doesn't feel 'emotionally available' to her right now: 'I struggle to be someone else'
Pedro Pascal says his 'The Last of Us' costar Bella Ramsey is his 'blessing,' and their nicknames for each other are 'Bellie' and 'Pedge'
Chance the Rapper joked he almost kept the seat next to Martin Short on the plane and made his daughter sit alone so he could talk to the comedy legend