[[MulhollandDrive http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/normal_001.jpg]]
The LipstickLesbian is what many straight men, in a case of wishful thinking, like to imagine ''all'' lesbians are like. She dresses in a more typically "girly" fashion than the stereotype ButchLesbian (and wears makeup, hence the name), making her conventionally attractive while still gay. Main-character lesbians on TV tend to fall into this category more often, as it's often seen as "safer", unless the show is going for "edgy". They also often have long fingernails, exactly unlike most lesbians...

A related term is "femme"; however, the implication is that, while a "femme" would be attracted to a "butch", Lipstick Lesbians are attracted to others of the same type. Also note that in LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex, and a partridge in a pear tree) communities, lipstick lesbians tend to be described as lesbians who are 'more feminine' than average straight women or whose expression of femininity is 'over-the-top'. The Japanese term for "femme" is "Neko" (Meaning "cat"). A term coined by Ellen Degeneres, "chapstick lesbian" describes those who fall somewhere in between the two extremes of "lipstick" and "butch".

Note that {{Lipstick Lesbian}}s do exist, making this a case of TruthInTelevision to a degree. They just aren't nearly as large a proportion of the real lesbian population as the fictional one.

The opposite of ButchLesbian. Related to, and perhaps a direct result of, GirlOnGirlIsHot. See SchoolgirlLesbians, another form of catering to {{Yuri Fanboy}}s via character type. For a rough male equivalent, see StraightGay.
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!!Examples:

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Anthy from ''RevolutionaryGirlUtena''.
* Chizuru Honshou from ''{{Bleach}}'' could fall into this trope, since she is (physically) attractive and feminine but quite, quite gay.
** She also likes her girls girly, what with her pursuing the very feminine Orihime, Kunieda and Mahana while telling [[{{Bokukko}} Tatsuki]] that she's too boyish for her
* Michiru Kaioh from ''SailorMoon''; however, with her girlfriend being the more masculine Haruka, some might say it would be more accurate to describe her as 'femme'.
* Yasuna from ''KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'', sort of. Hazumu likely counts too.
* ''Possibly'' Minto of ''TokyoMewMew'', but when she says she loves Zakuro it could mean either romantic love or just the obsessive admiration for the celebrity and OneeSama.
* Lavinia from ''SoukouNoStrain''. Bunny suit, anyone? And let's not get started on episode seven.
* Jun and Nene from ''MakaMaka'' qualify to a large extent (although they are bisexual).
* [[spoiler: Maya Ibuki]] from NeonGenesisEvangelion is pretty clearly one of these, as shown in ''End of Evangelion''. [[spoiler:A hallucination of Ritsuko appears to Maya, tells her "I need you", and gives her a very tender hug...with her knee planted in Maya's groin. That, and Maya's joyful returning of the hug, is definitely jam-packed with subtext.]]
* Akko and Mari from ''GirlFriends''. Particularly prevalent since much of the plot includes shopping for clothes, getting makeovers, and hairstyling.
* Hazuki from ''{{Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito}}'', who has long billowy black hair, a pretty seifuku, stunning blue eyes, and is just slightly gayer than an entire pride parade reenacting the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The object of her affections is even more feminine, though bi- or pan-sexual.
* Yamato from ''{{Loveless}}'' acts as the more "femme" of the female Zeroes, as opposed to her fighter Koya.


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[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* {{DC Comics}}'s current {{Batwoman}} is a Lipstick Lesbian. She was 'outed' in a cunningly-written magazine interview several months before the character premiered.
** Like Ellen, Batwoman's on-again/off-again paramour the Question could be described as a "chapstick lesbian". She's neither overtly butch nor femme and wears unisex clothes.
* Karolina Dean of ''{{Runaways}}'' qualifies as well.

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[[folder: Film ]]

* The female protagonists of ''MulhollandDrive'' fit this trope to a T.
* Judy Squires in ''BetterThanChocolate'', who is also a [[{{Transsexual}} transwoman.]] Frances, the woman she's in love with, is more of a "chapstick lesbian."
**Maggie, the main character, is pretty femme-y as well
* Amy and Lucy, the main couple from ''[[{{DEBS}} D.E.B.S.]]'' fit this character trope. Ninotchka, Lucy's unsuccessful blind date also fits.

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[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Linda in ''{{Seacht}}''.
* Remy Hadley ("Thirteen") in ''{{House}}'' is something of a Lipstick Bisexual.
* Jaye's sister Sharon in ''{{Wonderfalls}}''
* Many characters in ''{{The L Word}}'', which makes the occasional guest spots by real-life celebrity lesbians all the more jarring: they ''never'' look as Hollywood-feminine as the main characters.
* Laura Dern as "Susan" in the "outing" episodes of ''{{Ellen}}''.
** Averted by the title character of ''{{Ellen}},'' who has (hilariously) referred to herself as a "chapstick lesbian".
* Spencer and Ashley's relationship in ''SouthOfNowhere'' takes up a considerable amount of [[CharacterFocus attention]] within the show.
* Willow and Tara from ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer.'' Though it's worth noting that seemingly everyone in Sunnydale is [[HollywoodHomely abnormally attractive]].
* DC Jo Masters from ''TheBill'' has been described like this, although she doesn't really advertise it. Rather large in the chest department, she had Eddie (the male crime scene examiner) ask her on a date. She told him they'd go for a drink and she'd explain.
* Serena Southerlyn of ''LawAndOrder'' - though we only find this out via one of the biggest [[WallBanger Wall Bangers]] of all time.
*''{{Out of Practice}}'', a failed show on CBS, had a central character who screamed this trope to the heavens. She dressed provocatively, threw herself at women, and couldn't open her mouth without bringing up the topic of her sexuality.
* Both Emily Fitch and Naomi Campbell from ''{{Skins}}'' - though they both, somewhat ironically, tend to wear a lot of plaid, button-down shirts.
* After her coming-out storyline, Beth Jordache from ''{{Brookside}}'' (played by Anna Friel) was labelled as a "lipstick lesbian" by the British media, receiving equal attention from young women and young men.
* Both Camille and her girlfriend in ''StargateUniverse'' are this.

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[[folder: Western Animation ]]


* Kirsten from ''RickAndSteve'', The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, is intentionally the stereotypical LipstickLesbian.
** And people ''still'' [[DroppedABridgetOnHim mistake her for a man!]]

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[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Nanase from ''ElGoonishShive'' pays attention to her hair, wears a good bit of make up and prefers wearing a skirt to pants. Compare this to Ellen, and she's pretty damn girly.
** Of course, she also occasionally shows a horrible temper, some tomboy mannerisms, and eagerly volunteers for a GenderBender for a party, making her an odd example of both extremes.
*** She volunteered for the GenderBender because she thought it would make it easier to show her true feelings (she wasn't yet out at the time), not because she had any real desire to be a guy. She does do the whole martial arts thing, but her appearance is generally feminine.
** Kinda subverted recently, as she cut her hair really short and started wearing giant boots, which is at least slightly butch-y.
* [[spoiler: Jessica [=McIntyre=]]] of ''{{Loserz}}''. See [[http://bukucomics.com/loserz/go/494 this strip]].
**The sad thing was, ThisTroper saw that one coming something like a year or two before the strip ever even got around to it actually happening...
*** That's because they telegraphed it like Western Frikkin' Union.
**** What makes it even sadder? This was during his schedule slips that made the strip barely worth checking for weeks on end, so stretch it out to more like two or three years. So much potential that comic had - and so wasted on the author's rather obvious fetish.
* Both Lia and Fiona from ''YuMeDream'' are definitely feminine enough to be considered {{Lipstick Lesbian}}s.

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[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''{{Decades of Darkness}}'' has Julia Gordon. And [[spoiler:First Lady Anna Mitchell, which causes a scandal in Columbia and prevents her husband from reelected for a third term]].

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[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Tristan Taormino
* Portia de Rossi. Meanwhile, her wife, Ellen [=DeGeneres=], has jokingly referred to herself as a "chapstick lesbian."
* Truth in Television: Leisha Hailey and Alexandra Hedison, who play lipstick lesbians Alice and Dylan on the L Word, are both femme lesbians whose famous dates are more often chapstick lesbians than butch.
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