Rationale

and because I can't get photoshop to work I'll add the words below....

LIPSTICK & REBELLION

The term rebellion can be described in many ways. Rebellion according to Muller & Weede (1994) occurs when “people attempt to change the institution, personnel, or policies of the government by resorting to illegal or aggressive methods”. Another definition is as simple as refusing to buy certain products in the marketplace due to individual beliefs (Plouffe & Peters, 2005).  Rebellion, it seems, can range in extremities, but two themes appear constant. The first relates to the individual power people display, and control that is felt when taking a stand about what they believe in. Secondly it often involves going against the mainstream, and disobeying social norms or rules.  (Muller & Weed, 1994; Plouffe & Peters, 2005).

The final experiment I conducted in order to turn using lipstick into a rebellious act combined both of the reoccurring themes of power and disobedience.  The experiment required the subject to use lipstick as a device for graffiti. She illicitly wrote on property to make a political statement, which targeted both the act of breaking the rules, and power in standing up for her beliefs.  As a teacher, the subject chose to make a written statement about the current Education Minister. This is a political topic that affects her personally, and given that a majority of the research outlines rebellion in response to government actions, this statement was ideal. “What the Hekia!?” was tagged, using the lipstick, and the minister Hekia Parata’s  first name as a play on words  (New Zealand Government, 2013). The statement is displaying dissatisfaction of the minister and how she is carrying out her role in parliament. While writing, the determination in the subject’s eyes and facial expression was clear. She believed in what she was writing, and used up all the lipstick making sure her political statement was bold and legible.

In this case, putting lipstick in a rebellious context changed the entire experience.  The lipstick was used in the form of an individual political statement, which brought a sense of power to the act. The experiment also required an element of rule breaking. The subject described the experience saying, “although I felt naughty, and self-conscious of others catching me, I also felt proud of what I was writing, and wanting others to see me standing up for what I believed in, and agree with my view” (L. Borkin, Personal Communication, September 7, 2013).

As previously noted, much of the research on rebellion relates to politics (Muller & Weede, 1994) and I believe this final experiment has embodied rebellion and all of the reoccurring themes beautifully.

References

Caroline, G. A., Plouffe, C. R., & Peters, C. (2005). Anti-commercial consumer rebellion: Conceptualisation and measurement. Journal of Targeting, Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, 14(1), 62-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236968161?accountid=14782

Edward N. Muller & Erich Weede. (1994). Theories of Rebellion: Relative Deprivation and Power Contention Rationality and Society 6(1) 40. Retrieved from: http://rss.sagepub.com/content/6/1/40

New Zealand Government. (2013). Beehive.govt.nz. retrieved from: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/minister/biography/hekia-parata