Lipstick On School Bathroom Mirror: Is The Viral Report True? Social Media Responds

An online report about young girls using lipstick in their school bathroom is circulating online, generating buzz on numerous websites as well as social media.

The popular Facebook page Mobile Toones posted a photo of the printed lipstick story online Sunday, claiming that it was “a must read.”

According to the post, a news report claimed that a private school in Washington found a creative way to solve a lipstick problem that they were experiencing in the girl’s bathroom.

“A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.”

The report further explains that the school’s principal found a unique yet effective way to handle the ongoing lipstick problem in the bathroom. One day, she called each of the girls responsible for the lipstick prints to meet in the bathroom. The principal also reported invited the maintenance man to attend the meeting as well.

During this bathroom meeting, the principal apparently explained the situation to the young girls. She stated exactly how the lipstick prints on the mirror were a major problem for the maintenance man – especially since he was responsible for cleaning the mirror on a daily basis.

Instead of just sending the girls back to class after talking to them, the principal decided to take things one step further with a simple demonstration that reportedly nipped the lipstick problem in the bud immediately.

“To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet and cleaned the mirror with it.”

That disgusting demonstration must have spoken volumes for the young girls, because the report claims that “there have been no lip prints on the mirror” since that day.

As highlighted at the bottom of the report, the main theme of sharing the lipstick story is to raise awareness of the difference between teachers and educators – a solid point for people of all ages to consider, especially students. However, when it comes to the authenticity of this story, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Did this particular lipstick-related incident actually happen?

Even though Mobile Toones published this now-viral Facebook post earlier this month, different versions of the same lipstick story have actually been circulating online for years.

According to Snopes, the earliest version of this report about lipstick prints on a school bathroom mirror “appeared numerous times on the USENET newsgroup rec.humor in April 1997.” Quite a few of the validating details that have been used in online versions of the circulating report – such as the location and type of school – were apparently not included in the original report.

Snopes further claimed that the online report “appeared in a handful of newspapers,” which added to its spread. However, the original source of this story was apparently not even revealed in those published reports.

“Each of the columnists who ran it presented it as something fetched back from cyberspace and did not claim it as a true story. We are conditioned to view what we find in newspapers as accounts of facts, things that have been checked out by eagle-eyed reporters. Consequently, such appearances in the print media foster belief in all manner of legends.”

Is the story true? Many people that have commented on the story via social media agree that it just that: a story. Even though it’s viewed as anecdotal story, they argue that there is no truth to it and it should be viewed as a great story or fable to share rather than an actual news report.

Quite a few of the Facebook comments made on the viral lipstick post, though, have generated a considerable amount of buzz on their own.

Facebook user Cami Nelson Niswonger, who claimed to be the principal’s daughter, commented that the story was true even though some of the details were inaccurate.

“This story did happen in Washington state but over time the details have changed. It happened in the 60s. It was a public high school. The custodian was a woman and the principal a man. How do I know this? I am that Principal’s daughter. I grew up hearing my dad tell the story.”

It is not clear whether or not the lipstick story about the school bathroom mirror is fact or fiction. However, it is apparently clear that the story has generated a lot of buzz and reactions when it comes to learning lessons one way or another.

[Image Credit: Dollar Photo Club]