The Secret Weapon of Marvel's New (and First) Heroine? Red Lipstick
The stealthiest spy gadget to hit TV this year isn’t an umbrella dart gun or a video camera pen—it’s a scarlet red lipstick. On Marvel’s new spy drama Agent Carter, the feisty heroine uses it to lure her victims, kiss them, and drowse them into a temporary slumber. It’s quite the weapon. Her kickass lipstick is called 102 Sweet Dream, and it’s one product that you won’t find at Sephora.
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On the 7-week ABC miniseries that kicked off this week, Agent Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell happens to be Captain America’s love interest. But while her co-workers want to define her by that label she has bigger plans. She becomes the center of the story as a pre-Cold War secret agent and femme fatale who, in spite of her cunning intelligence and ninja reflexes, is constantly belittled by the men in her office. She is often mistaken for a secretary, and ordered to make coffee and file papers—even though she’s a secret agent too. Since Agent Carter is not taken seriously or given the covert assignments she wants, she goes undercover on her own utilizing accents, makeup, and some amazing wigs to crack cases.
Related: The Most Iconic Red Lips in Film
Agent Carter uses being a woman to her advantage. In the first episode of the adventure spinoff, she figures if she is going to be objectified and disparaged by both colleagues and foes (and sometimes they’re the same), she’s going to outsmart them. She requests a sick day under the premise of needing to do “ladies’ things.” Her boss looks disgusted at the idea and lets her take as many days as needed. Her lipstick, her coiffed pinup girl curls, and plunging necklines are meant to highlight her blinding femininity. What the men don’t realize is that she’s hiding so much more underneath the coquettish appearance. She’s a threat because no man ever suspects the power of a strong red lip—or the woman wearing it.
