‘The Lipstick Laws’ by Amy Holder reminded me a lot of ‘Mean Girls’. The plot is based around April Bowers, a sweet girl who doesn’t hold much popularity, and whose best friend has just moved away. She has a boy who likes her, but she’d rather be seen with anyone other than him from a romantic standpoint. There is another boy she has a big crush on, but she’s a bit too shy to approach him right away. When April’s path crosses with that of Britney Taylor since they are stuck together as gym partners, her luck seems to be changing. Britney is pretty, seemingly friendly, and most definitely popular. However, April knows that all isn’t necessarily quite what it seems, since her best friend who moved out-of-state – Haley – has always been very vocal with April about how awful Britney is, with warnings to stay away from her at all costs.
April’s interest in popularity wins out, though, as it is wont to do in contemporary young adult novels like this one, and she finds herself captivated by the attention she is receiving from merely sitting at Britney’s table for one lunch period. Not eager to tell Haley about her relationship with Britney, but not wanting to keep her in the dark, April shares some of the goings-on, but Haley only warns her about something regarding lipstick. When Britney finally deems April “worthy” of being a full-fledged member of her clique, April is happy, despite feeling like she’s been handed back-handed compliment after back-handed compliment to get there. The final test to gain “entrance” is to basically sign your life away to Britney and the other two girls who later come to be termed the “Lipstick Lawlords.” You agree to a number of rules, and then put on red lipstick and kiss the paper as a sort of contract signing.
Despite immediately regretting her decision, April finds herself thrown headfirst into the melee of high school hierarchy, not sure how she can cope with how life as she knew it is now something she isn’t even allowed to even think about, based on Britney’s ridiculous and aggravating “laws.” With the help of several other girls whom April finds to be in the same boat as her – discontent with Britney Taylor and her dictatorial nature – Britney’s queen bee status may soon become a thing of the past. That is, if the “Lipstick Lawbreakers” have anything to say about it.
Even though I wasn’t necessarily a fan of how April sought her revenge on Britney as the story went on, I don’t necessarily see how it could have been done otherwise. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, and April proved herself strong enough an adversary when Britney decided to be the “b” that Haley had always warned April she truly was.
A story chock full of the messiness that high school can bring out – from the claws of those ranked higher on the popularity scale to the parental talks that aren’t listened to, to sibling relationships and finding friends and relationships that you never even knew could be – ‘The Lipstick Laws’ captures a side of high school that I never knew, but I can definitely believe existed in some capacity. Popularity is not all it’s cracked up to be, and it can certainly come at a high cost. Amy Holder has shown how high school can truly bring out at least a smidgen of class warfare, and how certain people classify and stereotype others based on the silliest and most juvenile terms.
You can find ‘The Lipstick Laws’ by Amy Holder here.