You judge the makeup we put on our faces

As if our only goal is to impress

Do we come off as damsels in distress

just because of the powder we put on our cheeks

and color we paint on our lips?

Maybe the invisible goal of makeup isn’t only to highlight our beauty

But to draw attention to those very lips

So you will listen to the words coming out of our mouths

The opinions we have the right to share

And the call for the respect we rightly deserve

It is not validation that we seek

For we give that to ourselves

But the acceptance

That women do not stand on the pedestal below or above men

But beside them

It isn’t a mystery

That for generations

we have been looked down upon

Locked in the cage of misogyny

Demanding to be let out

Well, we have grown tired of those metal bars

So we will knock them down ourselves

If you will not hear us

We will make you listen

We have never been silent

And we are not planning on it

As we will continue breaking down those bars

And continue climbing up to where we belong

All while looking good doing it

     ~Warpaint