This article originally appeared on Hello Giggles.
After the election of Donald Trump last year, it seemed like everyone wanted to get their hands on swag to show off where they stood with wearables like Nasty Woman t-shirts or “Nevertheless She Persisted” charm necklaces. Although buying things with political slogans on them won’t change the world right away, it’s a very good way to raise money for organizations that are protecting marginalized communities.
And when it works, it works. After the violence at a white supremacist rally last week, an anti-Trump lipstick raised $40,000 for the Charlottesville victims.
The lipstick is made by Lipslut, and they only have one shade: a matte, light pink that works on a lot of different complexions. The name? “F*ck Trump.” It sells for $20 plus shipping and at checkout, but 50 percent of the proceeds go to an organization — selected by popular “vote” — at checkout.
After a man ran a car into a crowd of peaceful counter-protestors in Charlottesville, injuring 20 people and killing one woman, Heather Heyer, Lipslut decided that for the entire month of August, 100 percent of all proceeds would go to covering the victims’ medical bills and local chapters of the the NAACP and Black Lives Matter. So far, over $40,000 has been raised.
They raised all of that in just four days. Before Charlottesville, the company had raised only $20,000 in total (which is still really good for a beauty brand started by three college students in San Luis Obispo).
Katie Sones, one of the co-founders, told Hollywood Reporter, “Lipslut is already a political and philanthropic brand, so we already have a big platform for this, and I just thought, ‘How could we not donate in the face of this tragedy?’”
She added, “I was really disturbed and horrified to see [white supremacists rally]. I just wanted to help however I could, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.” Sones said that they get the lipsticks manufactured abroad and then slap the labels on them, put them in the pop-art inspired box and ship them personally from the post office.
If you’re not into the matte nude pink color, there are other beauty brands to shop if you want to make a donation and shop at the same time. Beautiful Rights, for example, makes a few different shades, like “Pantsuit Pink” or “Politically Pout” that you can buy knowing some of the sales go to organizations such as the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.
It’s not a bad way to #resist.