# Why do actresses get puffed up lips? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383 "2007-06-01T19:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/1 "2007-06-01T19:08:09Z")
And who told them it looks good? Example: [Jessica Simpson](http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3868/2199/1600/Jessica%20Simpson%20full%20lips.jpg) may not be a good actor but she was always rather pretty. So why did she get her lips puffed up? It’s GROSS! Fortunately, as she told _Glamour_, “I had that Restylane stuff… It looked fake to me. I didn’t like that. But…it went away in, like, four months. My lips are back to what they were. Thank God!” Thank God, indeed. So why do they do it? Jessica Simpson doesn’t have to try to look young because she IS young! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/2 "2007-06-01T19:20:16Z")
It’s where the overflow goes when they top off the boobs. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/3 "2007-06-01T19:54:19Z")
Considering that the original purpose behind lipstick was to give a woman’s lips the appearance of labia, perhaps the plumping thing is just another way to further the illusion. Frankly, I think the plumped-lip look makes them look like they’re swollen with a food allergy- and hence, not terribly attractive- but to each his/her own. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/4 "2007-06-01T19:56:14Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] Frankly, I think the plumped-lip look makes them look like they’re swollen with a food allergy- and hence, not terribly attractive- but to each his/her own. [/QUOTE] Yep. Me neither, never understood this. Clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/5 "2007-06-01T19:57:42Z")
Probably the same thing that drives some woman to get the most gawd awful boob jobs? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/6 "2007-06-01T19:58:58Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] Frankly, I think the plumped-lip look makes them look like they’re swollen with a food allergy- and hence, not terribly attractive- but to each his/her own. [/QUOTE] Don’t they call them “bee-stung” lips? Yeah, _that’s_ an attractive thought. Lips swollen by venom. Sexy. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/7 "2007-06-01T20:02:28Z")
_This_ is bee-stung: [![](http://www.nndb.com/people/543/000066345/mae-murray-5.jpg) ](http://www.nndb.com/people/543/000066345/mae-murray-5.jpg) _This_ “gone 10 rounds with Primo Carnera”: [http://www.netmode.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/original/images544455\_Melanie-Griffith.jpg](http://www.netmode.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/original/images544455_Melanie-Griffith.jpg) VCNJ~ [QUOTE=Antigen] Don’t they call them “bee-stung” lips? Yeah, _that’s_ an attractive thought. Lips swollen by venom. Sexy. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/8 "2007-06-01T20:13:52Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] Don’t they call them “bee-stung” lips? Yeah, _that’s_ an attractive thought. Lips swollen by venom. Sexy. [/QUOTE] You can get lip-gloss with bee venom in it, so that your lips swell up! ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/9 "2007-06-01T20:25:46Z")
[It’s even worse when old queens do it.](http://hellohappypitbulls.typepad.com/hello_happy_pitbulls/images/pete_burns_total_freak_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/10 "2007-06-01T20:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] _This_ “gone 10 rounds with Primo Carnera”: [http://www.netmode.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/original/images544455\_Melanie-Griffith.jpg](http://www.netmode.vietnamnet.vn/dataimages/original/images544455_Melanie-Griffith.jpg) [/QUOTE] She really isn’t aging gracefully, is she? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/11 "2007-06-01T21:31:08Z")
I can’t find a good photo, but Lisa Rinna (Harry Hamlin’s wife, was on the first season of Dancing with the Stars and Veronica Mars) has the worst set of lips I’ve seen yet. Are they all trying to look like Angelina Jolie? Are hers natural, by the way? ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/12 "2007-06-01T21:39:05Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] She really isn’t aging gracefully, is she? [/QUOTE] There’s only one explanation for that–she’s planning on auditioning to play Cruella Deville in the new Broadway musical! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/13 "2007-06-01T22:00:11Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] Are they all trying to look like Angelina Jolie? Are hers natural, by the way? [/QUOTE] I think Angelina Jolie’s puffy lips are real. In photos taken twenty years ago, Angelina’s lips look about the same as they do now. [Here](http://www.instyle.com/instyle/celebrities/transformation/0,23460,1048265_1,00.html) you can see some photos dating back to 1986 (including a high school yearbook photo). ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/14 "2007-06-01T22:06:39Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I can’t find a good photo, but Lisa Rinna (Harry Hamlin’s wife, was on the first season of Dancing with the Stars and Veronica Mars) has the worst set of lips I’ve seen yet. [/QUOTE] Lisa Rinna used to have nice, normal lips. [Here](http://www.awfulplasticsurgery.com/archives/005610.html) are some before-and-after shots. The “after” shot isn’t quite as extreme as [this](http://upload.moldova.org/movie/actors/l/lisa_rinna/thumbnails/tn2_lisa_rinna_3.jpg). Eek. This woman’s face is gradually being taken over by her lips. The upper lip appears to be more inflated than the lower one. I think she needs a pressure gauge. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/15 "2007-06-01T22:15:01Z")
> [@Auntie\_Pam](#): > > I can’t find a good photo, but Lisa Rinna (Harry Hamlin’s wife, was on the first season of Dancing with the Stars and Veronica Mars) has the worst set of lips I’ve seen yet [This one](http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dlisa%2Brinna%26fr%3Dyfp-t-501%26toggle%3D1%26cop%3Dmss%26ei%3DUTF-8&w=300&h=450&imgurl=images.zap2it.com%2F20050426%2Fracetoerasems%2F023_lisarinna_racetoerasems.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftvnet.com%2Fphotos%2Findex%2F0%2C1237%2Czp_fromThumb%7C94935%7C104293%2C00.html&size=29.0kB&name=023_lisarinna_racetoerasems.jpg&p=lisa+rinna&type=jpeg&no=11&tt=3,941&oid=513a35fe5259597a&ei=UTF-8) shows her to full advantage, I think. As to why, I don’t know. Poofy lips, and plastic surgery in general, seems to be a pastime of people who are fixated on their self-image, and have too much money. The old marketing chestnut that cosmetic companies sell hope seems to apply. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/16 "2007-06-01T23:15:26Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] Considering that the original purpose behind lipstick was to **give a woman’s lips the appearance of labia** , perhaps the plumping thing is just another way to further the illusion. [/QUOTE] [Bolding mine.] I know this is Cafe Society and all, but, er, cite? :eek: I’ve heard this particular bit of wisdom bandied about before, but I’d like to know how, exactly, we know that there was ever any sort of desire to make a woman’s lips look like labia. As far as I can tell, this originally came from Desmond Morris, the same genius who said that women have breasts to mimic the buttocks. Is there a saner source for this theory? ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/17 "2007-06-01T23:29:13Z")
I have to say that I found sexy lips sexy long before I ever saw a Labia. And I loved breasts long before I had a good look at buttocks too. Oh, and on topic. I agree with the sentiment that lips should not dominate a person’s face, but to be honest, if they have nice boobs on show I’m not looking at their face. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/18 "2007-06-01T23:35:52Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] **Why do actresses get puffed up lips?** [/QUOTE] From kissing a whole lot of Hollywood ass. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/19 "2007-06-01T23:41:47Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] Don’t they call them “bee-stung” lips? Yeah, _that’s_ an attractive thought. Lips swollen by venom. Sexy. [/QUOTE] Well, in college we had a term for when we saw a pretty young woman with nice (naturally) puffy lips: nice DSLs-- that would be “d\*ck-sucking lips.” So obviously these actresses are just addressing the male interest in big puffy lips, but of course, like anything, they’re just taking it to the way extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383/20 "2007-06-02T00:01:04Z")
[QUOTE=BMax] [It’s even worse when old queens do it.](http://hellohappypitbulls.typepad.com/hello_happy_pitbulls/images/pete_burns_total_freak_1.jpg) [/QUOTE] Goatsec lips!!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-actresses-get-puffed-up-lips/406383.md?page=2)