The perfect liquid line
Jul. 13th, 2003 11:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwynA long time ago, I decided to give liquid eyeliner another try, figuring technology would have made the application of it on yourself by yourself easier. No such luck. Oh, there are some people who can actually control a liquid liner brush or pen. But most of us can't get the line even and straight on our own eyes, since liquid liner, unlike shadow applied wet with a liner brush or crayon-type pencils, dries almost instantly, so fixing your herking, jerking line becomes a challenging process most people can't undertake in the short time they allot for getting to ready to go to work. The perfect liquid line (and Gilmore Girls fans will probably recognize that mythical concept) doesn't exist when self-applied.
Without being aware of it, though, I seem to have developed rather a fondness for the perfect liquid line on men -- specifically, pretty men in movies and television where their lined eyes are a nice shorthand for moral ambiguity or moral depravity, or both. And, fortunately, they have makeup artists to apply that perfect line to their perfect, pretty eyes. Normally I would never go to a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean -- everything about it seems enigineered to make me insane, and even Orlando Bloom wouldn't be enough to get me into the theatre. Except that it also had Johnny Depp in eyeliner. So right there, the ticket was bought. I'm not even a Depp fan; most of my exposure to him has been because my friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
feochadn is a huge fan of his. I'd always found him a little vacant and empty with fey mannerisms I didn't like, but if he was going to wear eyeliner, by god, I was going to show my support. I had no idea that he would choose to perform one of the strangest, most bizarrely mannered interpretations of a character ever on film, which kind of boosts the impact of the eyeliner and imaginitive hairstyle decisions. He was a bold, fashion-statement risk, and I liked him for that.
And the truth is, eyeliner Spike and eyeliner Angel are the ultimate prettiest phases for either character. Has David Boreanaz ever looked better than when he became unsoulled in Innocent, and in return got leather pants and eyeliner, not to mention a nice buff/nude lip tint and paler foundation? I think not. I'm with the Host on this one: the biggest benefit of Bad Angel is leather pants; though not far behind it is eyeliner. It amps up the wickedness of the character, it says: I'm a man/vampire who's comfortable with my sexuality, I can handle the gender roles and choose to break free of the stereotypes. With Spike, you throw in the black nail polish and the bleached blond hair, and you have gender roles redefined -- and thank god for it. When someone looks that good in, and embraces, the tools of the beautification trade usually reserved for women, we're all freed from the shackles of gender stereotyping. They're not just vampires, by god, they're sex-role freedom fighters.
One wonders, of course, just what the association between wickedness and eyeliner is for men. I'm sure there's a deepseated psychological need being expressed here, as if the darkened, kohl-eyed mystery of the character is shorthanded through the judicious application of Maybelline. But I'm not a smart enough woman to unearth those reasons -- perhaps someone in academia out there could look into this for me. And it is fascianting that Angel, when he loses his soul, gets leather pants and eyeliner in return; however, Spike, the more soully-acting he becomes (even when he doesn't technically have one), the less eyeliner he wears -- and that he actually has to get a soul and go mad before he's ever allowed leather pants. The injustice drives me to tears. Then, when Spike begins acting like his old self again (after Get It Done), he is back in jeans, as if somehow one of the benefits provided in the employment contract of Evil, Inc. is leather pants and perfectly applied eye makeup, and by leaving the company, he has rejected the COBRA coverage that would subsequently keep him in cowhide trousers and Cover Girl. I think, in this case, Spike got shorted, because really, outside of a brief return of Eyeliner!Spike in Fool for Love, we were denied soullessness and kohl-eyed mystery for far too long. I would have lodged a protest, but I was busy complaining about inconsistent writing and haphazard story development in season six.
This year, we were also cheated on Angel -- we got unsoulled Angel again, but were denied the leather-pants-and-eyeliner package, and I feel this deserves special censure. We didn't even get a buff lip tint, dammit, and that is just wrong on a scale of wrongness I can't quantify. It's also causing me difficulty in figuring out the requirements for jobs with Evil -- the killing I understand, but the dress code is baffling. Leather does seem to be involved, but its use is scattershot at best. Eyeliner was initially, apparently, the equivalent of a tie for men and hose for women; however, that seems to have been abandoned. And all for the worse, if you ask me. Hell, even the soldiers at the gates of Mordor got eyeliner, which looks smashing under the Roccocco helmets. Clearly evil is willing, when required, to pony up on the prettification, so what's happened recently at Mutant Enemy? Evil's budget was undone by suture thread for eyeless harbingers?
Though I have always wondered how the vampires got those perfect liquid lines. I mean, if you can't see yourself in the mirror, how could you do it? How did Spike bleach his hair? I have a lot of trouble putting on my eye makeup or coloring my hair even with a mirror; I can't imagine that someone without a girlfriend to do it for him would have much luck. Capt. Jack Sparrow, on the other hand, could get a looking glass, although his effect of smudged sable eye shadow and the dark bronzer would allow him to be sloppy in application and get away with it. And you know, a careless appearance might work for a pirate in a way it wouldn't work for a vampire, especially not one given to interacting with humans.
Personally, I hope this paves the way for more men wearing eyeliner. My best friend Michael has always wished men could wear makeup too, because as he says, "most of us really need some serious help looking good" (and this is one reason I'm looking forward to Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fashion makeover show). Clearly, evil Angel and unsoulled, unchipped Spike understood this and by rejecting the constraints of soulled, mundane society, they showed us that men can look good yet still manly with a strong eye and pale mouth (the current standard among most makeup artists). Obviously, Johnny Depp, in whatever strange universe he stopped in to find the character for Sparrow, understood the appeal of the man in eyeliner. And I say, why not? The perfect liquid line makes them absolutely perfect.
Without being aware of it, though, I seem to have developed rather a fondness for the perfect liquid line on men -- specifically, pretty men in movies and television where their lined eyes are a nice shorthand for moral ambiguity or moral depravity, or both. And, fortunately, they have makeup artists to apply that perfect line to their perfect, pretty eyes. Normally I would never go to a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean -- everything about it seems enigineered to make me insane, and even Orlando Bloom wouldn't be enough to get me into the theatre. Except that it also had Johnny Depp in eyeliner. So right there, the ticket was bought. I'm not even a Depp fan; most of my exposure to him has been because my friend
feochadn is a huge fan of his. I'd always found him a little vacant and empty with fey mannerisms I didn't like, but if he was going to wear eyeliner, by god, I was going to show my support. I had no idea that he would choose to perform one of the strangest, most bizarrely mannered interpretations of a character ever on film, which kind of boosts the impact of the eyeliner and imaginitive hairstyle decisions. He was a bold, fashion-statement risk, and I liked him for that.And the truth is, eyeliner Spike and eyeliner Angel are the ultimate prettiest phases for either character. Has David Boreanaz ever looked better than when he became unsoulled in Innocent, and in return got leather pants and eyeliner, not to mention a nice buff/nude lip tint and paler foundation? I think not. I'm with the Host on this one: the biggest benefit of Bad Angel is leather pants; though not far behind it is eyeliner. It amps up the wickedness of the character, it says: I'm a man/vampire who's comfortable with my sexuality, I can handle the gender roles and choose to break free of the stereotypes. With Spike, you throw in the black nail polish and the bleached blond hair, and you have gender roles redefined -- and thank god for it. When someone looks that good in, and embraces, the tools of the beautification trade usually reserved for women, we're all freed from the shackles of gender stereotyping. They're not just vampires, by god, they're sex-role freedom fighters.
One wonders, of course, just what the association between wickedness and eyeliner is for men. I'm sure there's a deepseated psychological need being expressed here, as if the darkened, kohl-eyed mystery of the character is shorthanded through the judicious application of Maybelline. But I'm not a smart enough woman to unearth those reasons -- perhaps someone in academia out there could look into this for me. And it is fascianting that Angel, when he loses his soul, gets leather pants and eyeliner in return; however, Spike, the more soully-acting he becomes (even when he doesn't technically have one), the less eyeliner he wears -- and that he actually has to get a soul and go mad before he's ever allowed leather pants. The injustice drives me to tears. Then, when Spike begins acting like his old self again (after Get It Done), he is back in jeans, as if somehow one of the benefits provided in the employment contract of Evil, Inc. is leather pants and perfectly applied eye makeup, and by leaving the company, he has rejected the COBRA coverage that would subsequently keep him in cowhide trousers and Cover Girl. I think, in this case, Spike got shorted, because really, outside of a brief return of Eyeliner!Spike in Fool for Love, we were denied soullessness and kohl-eyed mystery for far too long. I would have lodged a protest, but I was busy complaining about inconsistent writing and haphazard story development in season six.
This year, we were also cheated on Angel -- we got unsoulled Angel again, but were denied the leather-pants-and-eyeliner package, and I feel this deserves special censure. We didn't even get a buff lip tint, dammit, and that is just wrong on a scale of wrongness I can't quantify. It's also causing me difficulty in figuring out the requirements for jobs with Evil -- the killing I understand, but the dress code is baffling. Leather does seem to be involved, but its use is scattershot at best. Eyeliner was initially, apparently, the equivalent of a tie for men and hose for women; however, that seems to have been abandoned. And all for the worse, if you ask me. Hell, even the soldiers at the gates of Mordor got eyeliner, which looks smashing under the Roccocco helmets. Clearly evil is willing, when required, to pony up on the prettification, so what's happened recently at Mutant Enemy? Evil's budget was undone by suture thread for eyeless harbingers?
Though I have always wondered how the vampires got those perfect liquid lines. I mean, if you can't see yourself in the mirror, how could you do it? How did Spike bleach his hair? I have a lot of trouble putting on my eye makeup or coloring my hair even with a mirror; I can't imagine that someone without a girlfriend to do it for him would have much luck. Capt. Jack Sparrow, on the other hand, could get a looking glass, although his effect of smudged sable eye shadow and the dark bronzer would allow him to be sloppy in application and get away with it. And you know, a careless appearance might work for a pirate in a way it wouldn't work for a vampire, especially not one given to interacting with humans.
Personally, I hope this paves the way for more men wearing eyeliner. My best friend Michael has always wished men could wear makeup too, because as he says, "most of us really need some serious help looking good" (and this is one reason I'm looking forward to Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fashion makeover show). Clearly, evil Angel and unsoulled, unchipped Spike understood this and by rejecting the constraints of soulled, mundane society, they showed us that men can look good yet still manly with a strong eye and pale mouth (the current standard among most makeup artists). Obviously, Johnny Depp, in whatever strange universe he stopped in to find the character for Sparrow, understood the appeal of the man in eyeliner. And I say, why not? The perfect liquid line makes them absolutely perfect.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 12:28 pm (UTC)& ;-)
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 12:34 pm (UTC)I'm wondering how Jack Sparrow did it behind bars. Saw a mirror in that tiny cage anywhere? Didn't think so. Perhaps he carries a personal mirror just for occasions like this. Must've come really handy on that desert island.
Eyeliner =evil mwwwhaaa
Date: 2003-07-13 12:39 pm (UTC)http://www.nytimes.com/gst/pop_top.html
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 12:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 12:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 01:00 pm (UTC)On a odd-yet-connected note: I've always appreciated Ewan McGregor for wearing eyeliner.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:35 pm (UTC)Personally, I hope this paves the way for more men wearing eyeliner.
We can only hope.
Naked Ewan
Date: 2003-07-13 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 05:28 pm (UTC)Let's be thankful that he has the ability to look good naked too...
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 01:00 pm (UTC)I love it.
Great thoughts. Thank you :-)
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 01:23 pm (UTC)In other words, this is a giggle-worthy as well as thought-provoking post. Thanks for sharing your insights.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 02:03 pm (UTC)But I was pondering the girls doing the boys hair and makeup in the fanged four days.
Dru: Oh Spike, let's try BLUE....
Heh.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 05:06 pm (UTC)You know, the Angelus in a cage thing interested me, because I wanted to see if evil vampires in captivity would suddenly morph into more androgynous leather wearing creatures, or if Angel just kept that shit on hand in case he ever lost his soul again...*G*
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 02:18 pm (UTC)Obviously, Johnny Depp, in whatever strange universe he stopped in to find the character for Sparrow, understood the appeal of the man in eyeliner. And I say, why not? The perfect liquid line makes them absolutely perfect.
Sparrow = major yum. After the movie, I was all "Orlando who?", and wishing Jack eloped with the girl, the boy, and maybe even Commodor.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:20 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-07-13 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 02:22 pm (UTC)This is absolutely worth the price of admission:
Has David Boreanaz ever looked better than when he became unsoulled in Innocent, and in return got leather pants and eyeliner, not to mention a nice buff/nude lip tint and paler foundation? I think not. I'm with the Host on this one: the biggest benefit of Bad Angel is leather pants; though not far behind it is eyeliner. It amps up the wickedness of the character, it says: I'm a man/vampire who's comfortable with my sexuality, I can handle the gender roles and choose to break free of the stereotypes.
The answer would be no, DB has never looked better.
Okay if I friend you?
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:31 pm (UTC)*maniacal laughter*
That's okay. I write lots of B/A and I'm developing an Angel/Wesley obsession.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:40 pm (UTC)Well, shyeah... I mean, they're boffing. Of course they are. They must be. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:05 pm (UTC)It's been too long since university, but when I took Film Studies I remember a classmate doing a study on make-up and character in silent films. From what I can remember, the villain was almost always more heavily made up than the hero, even though both wore a lot of makeup. This was probably a carry over from vaudeville and theatre, so the tradition must go back a ways.
Intriguing post, by the way. Now, if you just had pictures, it would be perfect. :)
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:42 pm (UTC)And you know, i actually thought about pictures, like exhibit A kind of thing, but I have such a crappy, slow dialup connection that I figured it would take me hours to DL all that I needed. Stupid dialup.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 08:44 pm (UTC)Found your LJ link after link, can I befriend you as well? I'm pretty new to LJ and though I have already found new/old friends and good communities, I'm looking for Spike lovers :) no need to befriend back, of course.
Spike's hair
Date: 2003-07-13 03:32 pm (UTC)I've always thought there was some back alley barbershop or hair salon (run by one of Willy's relatives) servicing the more vain demons in Sunnydale, and that Spike would be a regular customer.
I just love your funny and probing analysis, btw :-)
Re: Spike's hair
Date: 2003-07-13 03:45 pm (UTC)Okay, I think I need to write this. And oh, pretty, pretty icon.
Re: Spike's hair
Date: 2003-07-13 04:00 pm (UTC)LOL -- what a funny visual ;-)
Okay, I think I need to write this.
Yes, yes, please!
And oh, pretty, pretty icon.
Thanks! It's one of the icons I made (all sharable) from the new pics of JM in SFX magazine.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 03:50 pm (UTC)I think you've hit on the explanation in your analogy. Casual Friday has spread through the entire week in many industries, apparently Evil just isn't immune to the trend.
Which is really a shame, since eyeliner isn't deathly uncomfortable, like ties and pantyhose.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 05:22 pm (UTC)They're not just vampires, by god, they're sex-role freedom fighters.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 06:27 pm (UTC)mind if i friend you for more of your wonderful insights???
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 07:46 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-07-13 10:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 07:34 pm (UTC)They say clothes make the man. Well, maybe someday, cosmetics" will "make up" the man as well.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-14 09:15 am (UTC)So much effort is put forth in the animal kingdom to appear prettier, stronger, bigger, cleverer, build a more elaborate nest, what have you, so a male can win females for mating priveleges. And it's got nothing to do with evilness! It always seemed so strange to me that as Spike got nicer, for instance, he stopped wearing eyeliner and nail polish. As if the goodness didn't require an obvious physical sign. I do hope that someday, all kidding aside, anyone can do that without getting shunned. That's one reason I'm really looking forward to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy -- the TV Guide reviewer commented that he'd never had a facial, which the gay makeover guys *had* to correct, and he said later his skin glowed for days. I like that they're bringing these things out of the male closet, so to speak, and maybe giving guys something else to think about that following traditional guylike roles.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 10:10 pm (UTC)He did a brilliant job in the role. And I totally agree with men in eyeliner. It's a pretty thing.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-13 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-14 08:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-07-14 11:03 am (UTC)I think human males do this too -- who makes the most money, has the biggest car, best muscles, etc. Unfortunately, eyeliner and leather pants haven't been on the list. It's what's so appealing about the men you've mentioned -- Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Spike & Angel (okay not real people, but we'll count em as real) -- that they aren't bound by those more traditional male ways of impressing females.
A man who's comfortable altering his appearance to downplay his masculinity actually communicates how comfortable he is in being masculine, which to me, makes him that much sexier. I wonder if that reaction is perhaps true for just a sub-segment of women? Are there women who'd say "eyeliner, ew?" Probably. Or is it that it only works on some men? Hmmm. Much more thinking (and renting of movies with beautiful men... for research purposes!) is required.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-17 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-29 09:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-10 12:29 pm (UTC)Spike in eyeliner. Gahhh. Fool For Love. Gaah