News from the Natural World: The Red-Lipped Batfish is to be the new face of a global lipstick campaign.
The Red-Lipped Batfish is one of the most unique and iconic animals in the ocean. The Red-Lipped Batfish or Galapagos batfish, as it is also known, is a fish of decidedly unusual morphology. It is found around the Galapagos Islands as well as off Peru at depths of 3 to 76m. Red-Lipped Batfish are closely related to the Rosy-Lipped Batfish, which are found near Cocos Island off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is famous for it’s bright red lips and pouting demeanour. They are widely renowned as one of the most flamboyant and fashionable denizens of the ocean.
Obviously they are particularly famous for their bright red lips. But even amongst their pouting community, there was one fish who stood out from the rest. She was particularly full lipped and her lips were the colour of plump ripe strawberries. Her name was Maria. One morning a scuba diving human discovered Maria, this human just so happened to be a fashion scout as well. Upon seeing Maria and her full red lips she knew that she was the perfect candidate for their new lipstick campaign! At first, Maria had reservations, the beauty industry had a dark secret after all.
Red-Lipped Batfish finally hits the fashion world
For many years the human beauty world’s environmental impact has been devastating. Driven by human consumer outrage over the fashion industry’s role in the climate crisis and widespread plastic pollution of the oceans, big fashion brands have been forced into action. Both product residue that’s washed down drains and lipstick packaging tossed into the trash is making its way out to the sea. Dead whales have washed up with bellies full of rubbish, coral reefs are on the brink and human trash was found at the deepest section of the Marianna Trench. Maria was rightly hesitant to be part of the human beauty world. But she knew in her heart that she had always longed to be a superstar, so she decided to step into the limelight.