Pictured above is a line of lip glosses called “Huge Lips, Skinny Hips”. These glosses are touted by many to be “revolutionary” and are what Karen Robinovitz’s cosmetics line Purple Lab is best known for. So why are they so revolutionary?

These glosses are designed to give your “huge lips” without the sting, and to curb your appetite, hence the “skinny hips”. Ingredients include vitamin E to keep lips soft & nourished; vitamin B3, which stimulates blood flow to the lips, causing them to swell slightly to give the effect of a plumper pout, and Hoodia. Yes, that’s right, Hoodia – the appetite suppressant.

Purple Lab strives to market themselves as a company who encourages women to feel as amazing as they look, and one of the gloss shades is even lovingly named “Love Your Thighs”.

I’m all for that, but isn’t this sending a conflicting message to women? Even those of us that are strong and self assured can feel a little bit confused about buying a lip gloss that not only plumps our lips, but suppresses our appetite.

It seems like it’s telling us to love ourselves (and our thighs) after our pout is plumper and our stomach tauter, hips skinnier. Put gloss on your lips ladies, and do not pass food through them! (At least this way, with less of an appetite, you run less of a risk of messing up your makeup during food consumption…?)

Skinny hips, huh? What about scientific evidence that shows men are attracted to women with wider hips (the classic hourglass figure) because it suggests that a woman is fertile and healthy? Not that we should base how we feel about our bodies based on our ability to attract men, because that’s not it at all. But personally, I like my hips and I wouldn’t want to feel like I could wear Spongebob’s square pants, ever.

Makeup is supposed to be fun, and it’s supposed to enhance your natural beauty and draw attention to your best features; not to hide things (with the exception of concealer, of course).

However, I think it would be helpful if companies think about different demographics that may be interested in their products, not just their target demographic.

What do you guys think about this product, its name and the message it sends?

Would you try it?

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