This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcuts WP:LIPSTICK WP:LOAP WP:PIG

Within this essay, the expression lipstick on a pig refers to a Wikipedia article whose subject does not meet notability guidelines, but has nonetheless been written with considerable care and effort, and may be embellished with sources, citations, images, infoboxes, charts and graphs, or various external links, all in an attempt to appear encyclopedic.

The lipstick on a pig may be a soapbox platform or an act of vandalism, but most often such articles seek to present as notable a subject of limited, local, or promotional interest. Regardless of content or motivation, beneath its rouge and mascara, the loap is an unencyclopedic offering, and should be either deleted or userfied.

Referencing this essay within a deletion discussion should be avoided, as it may be interpreted as name-calling withing Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement, which would be a breach of WP:CIVILITY and could be viewed as unduly provocative.