Don't Forget to Write: A Novel

Marilyn’s red lipstick is a symbol of her coming-of-age journey. When she first meets Ada, Ada tells her that her red lipstick makes her “look like a tart” (30). She clarifies that it is not the color that she objects to—it is the fact that it does not suit Marilyn. Marilyn repeatedly asks for her lipstick back, especially when she wants to dress up for men like Freddy. Ada refuses her every time, telling her that she does not “have enough life experience to wear the red” and that she looks like she “broke into [her] mother’s makeup while she was out” (59). The suggestion that Marilyn is too immature to wear such a sophisticated color does not sit well with her, and she eventually steals the lipstick back. At this point in her coming-of-age journey, she has yet to understand the lessons that Ada is trying to teach her. 

After her romance with Freddy implodes and she realizes that he is not who she thought he was, Marilyn’s feelings about Ada’s advice shift. She starts to take herself more seriously and think about what she wants from life. It is only when Ada feels that Marilyn has truly matured that she allows her to wear the red lipstick again.