Friday, October 12, 2018

When and why did Baby use Lisa's lipstick?

This article follows up an earlier article, titled Baby admitted that she used Lisa's lipstick.

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In this article I will use an ambiguous expression: "the lipstick problem".
* In the finished movie, the lipstick problem is that Lisa's lipstick has been taken.

* In the original script, the lipstick problem seems to be that the lipstick has been broken.
No matter whether taken or broken, the essential problem is that the lipstick was used by Baby without Lisa's permission. I am determining when and why Baby used the lipstick.
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In the finished movie, Lisa discovered the lipstick problem after Jake learned that Baby had lied to him about the $250. The relevant sequence of events is:
1) Wearing lipstick, Baby dances at the Sheldrake.

2) After Jake treats Penny's complications, he realizes that Baby lied to him about the money.

3) Jake orders Baby to wipe off her makeup before her mother sees it.

4) Lisa discovers that her lipstick has been taken.
In the finished movie, most of the movie audience does not (in my opinion) realize that the lipstick is missing because Baby took it. The finished movie has not explained that Baby normally never wears lipstick. Furthermore, the movie audience does not realize that Jake told Baby to wipe off her lipstick because her mother would suspect that Baby was doing something unusual if Baby was wearing lipstick.
In my opinion, practically nobody in the movie audience realizes the lipstick's significance.

Those few in the movie audience who did realize the significance would think:
When? Baby used the lipstick right before she danced at the Sheldrake.

Why? Baby used the lipstick to look more feminine during her Sheldrake dance.
In my opinion, nobody in the movie audience would think farther backward. Did Baby begin wearing the lipstick long before the Sheldrake performance?

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In the original story, the lipstick's importance was much more obvious. Baby normally never wears lipstick. When she uses Lisa's lipstick, she even breaks it clumsily. The relevant sequence of events is:

original story, the sequence of events went as follows:
1) Lisa discovers that her lipstick has been broken.

2) Baby admits that she broke the lipstick.

3) Lisa does not believe Baby's admission. Lisa thinks Baby is covering up for the maid.

4) Jake remarks that Baby never lies.

5) Wearing lipstick, Baby dances at the Sheldrake.

6) After Jake treats Penny's complications, he realizes that Baby lied to him about the money.

7) Jake orders Baby to wipe off her makeup before her mother sees it.
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In the original story, therefore, most of the movie audience would have realized:
* The lipstick problem's culprit was Baby.

* Baby normally never wore lipstick.

* If Marge saw Baby wearing lipstick, then Marge would realize that Baby was doing something unusual.

* Baby began using Lisa's lipstick long before the Sheldrake performance.
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The following video clip shows that Baby wore lipstick on that occasion:


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The first time the movie audience sees Baby wearing lipstick is here:

The first time Baby is seen using Lisa's lipstick.
Baby actually began to use lipstick earlier, but the movie audience does not see her doing so. Baby is wearing lipstick at 2:00 in the following video. The movie audience sees only that Baby is wearing fancy gold shoes, but she is wearing lipstick too.


However, at that point in time Baby's lipstick application is messy. That is why she practices applying lipstick during her secret solo practices on the bridge (at 2:34 in the video).

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So, now we know when Baby began to use Lisa's lipstick.

Why did Baby begin to use Lisa's lipstick? She did so in order to look more feminine for Johnny.

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Read more about this subject in The Rainstorm Sequence.

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