Bright pink lipstick and vaginas

[FruitCider]

I've got some internal conflict and not sure why, thought I would discuss it here and see what you all make of it?

I work in a challenging male environment, with men that have not had much female contact for a long time. My team is mostly made up of women, all of whom (apart from me) wear dresses instead of trousers and have heavily applied make up.

One in particular wears bright pink lip stick, because "it reminds men of vaginas". She reapplies it frequently in front of the men and carries it around in her pocket.

Part of me agrees that women should be able to dress how they want, when they want. But part of me is also confused about the women choosing to wear dresses and wearing heavy make up, particularly that lipstick with that intent.

It's really starting to bother me as I wear my hair short and put bare minimum make up on. I certainly don't want to make myself look even slightly sexual with this group of people that I work with.

I guess I just wanted to verbalise my feelings and get a feminist perspective on scenario/my feelings? Im feeling very conflicted!

Apologies Nomud

Mouths looking like fanjos. In a nutshell anyfucker

Mystifying

Anyone else singing Black Holes and Revelations?

I wasn't Morris, but now...

being a stupid patriarchy-pleaser isn't illegal

That comment is just as bad as the judgemental comments from the OP.

Perhaps you and the OP could provide guidance on what you and she approve as not being patriarchy pleasing or slutty.

Does she curl back her painted lips to reveal her teeth? She might give the client group a vagina dentata complex too, you should deffo complain to HR.

Or maybe suggest she switch to Frog Prince lipstick. The freeness of the stick will lessen the similarity to a swollen, pulsating engorged vagina

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now and have decided to do nothing yet. Because I'm not convinced that I'm not being a judgy pants. However I'll think about SIR if I see any clearly inappropriate behaviour. I guess some of my feelings come from being a lot less feminine than my colleagues and feeling pressure to conform, which I don't like. But some of them also come from concern for my/my colleagues safety. Of course if we were attacked, it would be the perpetrators fault, I don't dispute this. But this is not a normal working environment by any means. Therefore I think the boundaries are very different.

Thanks everyone (even to the negative commenters) for helping me see both sides to the argument!

Fruit when you work in a place that has different norms and rules it is hard not to 'go local'. When you talk to real people it can be hard to explain. You make a comment that makes sense in your world but is wildly offensive out of it.
It is however useful to hear what 'normal' people think.
Hope it works out for you.