Get your iPhone Face outta my costume drama
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Modern beauty in a historical setting... In today’s cozy bedroom chat, we’re diving into the discussion of the ‘smartphone face’ or ‘iphone face’ in historical period dramas. In this video, we’ll chat about:
Can a face be too modern to star in a costume drama?
What makes a face modern? What makes a face classic?
Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Netflix’s Persuasion adaptation
Pride and Prejudice (1995) and (2005)
Why Keira Knightly is the perfect costume drama actress
Skin texture: why women are held to a higher standard
Veneers and the period drama
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation and the controversial casting of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi
The Victoria Secrets Rebrand backlash and the case of never pleasing anyone
To Walk Invisible (2016): a movie about the Bronte sisters and a perfect example of a smartphone face-free movie.
#modernbeauty
#historicalbeauty
#costumedrama
The one that makes me the most pissed is when they cast Jane Eyre adaptations like this. One of the CENTRAL THEMES of that story is that BOTH Jane and Edward Rochester are NOT GOOD LOOKING -- but because Edward is a man with money, he is still seen as valuable in society, whereas Jane is insulted and mistreated for her looks for most of her life. However, Jane is strong, smart, brave, and honest. Casting a marketably gorgeous celebrity actress as Jane because you don't think audiences will tolerate a "plain" main character is the exact kind of superficial bullshit that the entire story is arguing against.
What a silly decision on their part
I realy liked the BBC 2006 version, the actress was not mainstream beauty comparing the later adaptation. Although the male lead was charming and not plain looking in my opinion.
Mia Wasikowska is about as average as we can get from Hollywood lol or Carrie Mulligan
@@nightmyth1990this is why BBC adaptations are better, they’re not afraid to be “ugly” (or not be done up in the most extreme way)
Literally why are theyso scared to put an unattractive or even average looking person on Screen when it is CENTRAL TO THE STORY. Like dude of course you can have a character that is isn't good lookung and stull treat them like human beings.
I was *so* worried that Lily Rose Depp would fall victim to this in Nosferatu and was shocked at how well she fit in a gothic Victorian horror movie
SAME. she was amazing
Honestly I think most of the time it’s a styling thing. Look at the make up for all these iPhone faces. Straight outta Tik tok
@@daffo595Yep. Styling, makeup, lighting etc.
she rlly understood her assignment and i LOVE that (disclaimer: i also LOVE nosferatu and have been rooting for lily and hoping she’d pop off as an actor so i am biased)
Yeah it's like they don't know how to make up for individuals with different features anymore
Idk why people think Wuthering Heights is a romance. It's a story about generational trauma repeating itself. *So sexy* 😑
finding a man who will abuse you just like your dad did
Babe, people think "50 Shades of Grey" is a romance.
truly i remember reading a swedish translation of it at like 12 years old and it scared the shit out of me, rlly fed my nightmares if turning into my parents
I read it when I was a kid and remembered it being a horror story. Just read another comment about nightmares! Me too! Wuthering Heights gave me nightmares.
Its a Romance in the classical definition of the word. Not all romances are romantic. It's a classic gothic romance
EYEBROWS! omg and not only historical dramas: my pet peeve is when an actress has modern eyebrows and modern make up in a medieval fantasy setting. It's so distracting and makes me question the integrity of the whole production lol
YES EXACTLY!
I'm a white woman from Australia who grew up on BBC adaptions and now enthralled by Chinese costume dramas. I love the costumes but boy do they go to the extreme of face smoothing every single pore off their face. You look back at just the early to mid 2000s and they actually used to have texture and normal skin tones. I still find 1995 BBC Pride & Prejudice was on of the most historically accurate historical costume dramas I've ever seen. Especially Jane Bennett who today may be seen as slightly 'masculine' in appearance for a great beauty but of the time when ancient Greek beauty had a come back, she fits perfectly into that ideal with a soft but strong features and larger nose and a soft curvier body.
If you want a super historically accurate period film, check out Emma (the 2020 version). It has some of the most accurate costuming I've ever seen. Some of the things the characters wear are direct recreations of extant garments. They don't shy away at all from the more ridiculous fashions, like the approximately 30,000 tiny curls women would wear. And they also didn't cast the most attractive perfect looking actors. Several characters are quite plain, or even not good looking. Even the beautiful actors like Anya Taylor Joy, she's beautiful in a very different way than conventional beauty standards, so she doesn't look out of place. Also Emma is supposed to be pretty, so it makes sense for the story
Jane Bennett from the 1995 version genuinely looks like a Grecian statue and it's absolutely amazing!
Same here but gosh when it comes to East Asian dramas I actually get so annoyed with all the airbrushing and make up like...bro it's okay to have texture on your skin. Heck if you're fighting in war you will have scars. I'd also like to mention Young Royals and I love that they showed Willhem's acne reminding us that they're also just teenegers too
I also love Anne with an E because the actors/actresses don’t look modern. By the way, love your content! We need more Asian commentary channels on TH-cam 💖
Thank you! I'm obsessed with Anne with an E. I think I even signed the petition demanding a 4th season!💖💖💖
I really like Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) (Crimson Peak) because she fits right in to the period whatever it is.
yes! I really like her as well
Yeah, she has such a unique and beautiful face.
First off, Dakota Johnsons Doesn't fit in most movies because she's just a lacklustre actress. It feels like she's barely mustering enough strength to keep her eyes open whenever I see her on screen.
Secondly, you don't have to have crooked teeth for them to look natural and period piece fitting, because it's usually the unnaturally white colour of Hollywood teeth that feel uncanny.
Don't cast people with visible veneers, and keep the cast from whitening their teeth before filming (or use practical effects) and it would help massively.
I've never worn braces, and my teeth have always looked great! My brother has worn braces, and his teeth still look natural. The difference is that our teeth have natural colour and size which is something you won't notice, whereas someone with huge veneers that are paper white will stand out in a way you can't always point out.
Lastly: WHY CAN'T THEY GET THE STYLING RIGHT!?
I'm not a purist of historical dramas, but it's distracting when you don't style the characters to fit their time period. You can't give a regency character beach waves with highlights and then give her Instagram makeup, it feels off no matter how you twist it.
For most of the actors, simply styling them correctly would help immensely, and I think Margot and most other actors who haven't gotten fillers and surgery to the point of looking strange, will do fine in a period piece if they actually style them right... *_As long as they can act in the first place._*
Literally can we normalise having different lips? Like standards just boggle me how do you make fun of it in one decade and the next you're paying to havve them? Now we can't have nose bridges anymore???
I'm a dental technician, so I basically make fake teeth for a living. And I couldn't agree with you more on the teeth. I find venieers to be impersonal and the only other description I can up with is "soul less". Even naturally straight teeth have something that makes them unique. I was taught that if you are doing a full denture for example, you can rotate one of the lateral incisors just slightly to make it look more natural. It's not so much that it will make your teeth crooked, but enough to give them a little bit of believability.
And don't get me started on bleaching! Sure if you are a 65 year old coffee, tea and wine drinker - go ahead and get your teeth bleached a shade or two, to boost your self esteem.
But when a 22 year old comes into my lab and say they have been thinking about getting their teeth bleached because they are so "yellow", it honestly breaks my heart!
Young people has such beautiful light shades already! 😢
Anyway, that's my rant done 😅
This "Iphone face" phenomena happened with Ann Taylor Joy I feel. When she was a beginning actress she was in a lot of costume dramas, because she had a regular "natural" face. Then she became famous and she had so much plastic surgery done that she just doesn't fit in period movies anymore :S You can just tell she had work done. Botox is the biggest no no for me for period dramas. European lips are on average just thin, and botox plump lips is jarring to see in a period drama.
I agree that she looks pretty striking in an unnatural way now, but honestly, I feel like she‘s a good example of someone whose cosmetic work has worked in their favour! I loved her in Emma and The Queen‘s Gambit-I thought she stuck out a lot in the period settings but it helped to distinguish her idiosyncratic characters! it’s more like Alien-face than iPhone face in her case lol. It adds whimsy rather than realism to whatever she‘s in, which can be perfect if it aligns with the director‘s vision!
Yes, the massive lips on people whose lips aren't naturally massive drives me nuts!
I just wish all features could be seen as attractive cause just because it fits on one persons face doesn't mean it wil work for yours.
No European lips aren't "just thin", you just show that you are ethnic and jealous
You confuse Botox with filler. Botox is a toxine that paralizes your face muscles so you don’t wrinkle when you emote. If we are gonna criticize surgery let’s get the terms right and correct.
Oh God, YES.
One thing, very niche, that this reminded me of is that they refused a SLAVIC actress to play a SLAVIC person, in a book based on SLAVIC fantasy, because she looked "too modern". She just looks slavic.
Then they go ahead and cast the whitest British women to ever have walked the Earth with the usual Insta face.
(obviously, not one slavic person was cast if you don't count a side character that dies.)
Would you tell me the name of the movie of which you are talking about? And the name of the book, if it's different.
Is this a show or a movie?
The Witcher?
@@meschakakur nope, The Witcher was written by an actual Slavic dude who actually knows his culture
@@FrekiMZ nah, not wanting to spread that Shitshow any more than it already has.
For good slavic fantasy I suggest checking out "Thistlefoot" by Nethercott
I have acne scars too! There's literally nothing wrong with them. Women are held to such impossible standards.
For the 1995 Pride and Prejudice (which is the best...sorry, that's my definitive opinion), they cast someone for Jane who would have been considered a perfect beauty in the Regency Era...sloping shoulders, face shape, etc. Although no one seems to talk about it anymore, at the time, several critics pointed out that they did not think the actress playing Jane was "pretty enough" to play the role. Make of that what you will...
Well that's just sad.
Oh my god she has such a perfect kind of beauty for the role. And her performance is ideal, she is the most believable Jane... crazy critics
I did not watch the video yet, but anytime I watch Sense and Sensibility (1995) I'm always in awe of how Kate Winslet looks at all times like she came out of a period painting. Stunning visuals - I have difficulty imagining anyone else as Marianne now.
As a frequent visitor to art museums, I think I've seen many paintings with subjects that resemble Kate Winslet. Spot on casting.
@teresachaotic.corner Totally! And the lighting in the movie too. It has these immaculate vibes that I completely adore
It's a combination of the actor's attitude, the makeup, the hair, and the costuming. So sometimes the actor's fault, but a lot of time not.
It INFURIATES me when they give a character a modern take on an historical hairstyle by making it "loose and beachy." And they do it so often these days. Not every main character needs to be loose and beachy. And you know they do it on purpose because the secondary characters will have more period--accurate looks. So much effort into making the background characters look right, but the main characters have to look like they need to stop by Erewhon on the way home from the gym.
They do it with costumes too. They'll set a movie in a period where clothes are very form-fitting and architectural, but then they'll have the main character wear her outfit in some weird relaxed way. Often without the period-accurate foundation garments, which make all the difference. And again, look at the background characters: they'll be accurate so you know the costumer knows what they're doing, but there's been some interference to make the main character "relatable."
And then sometimes a bit of an iPhone face is just unavoidable. We all thought Kate Winslet looked soooooo perfectly 1912 when Titanic came out. Nobody saw any flaws in it. Just dripping with praise about how accurate the look and feel of it all was. But she totally hadj 1997 face. The brows, the eyes, the lips: 1997, 1997, 1997. We just needed some time away from 1997 to see it.
Also there are certain periods where you really don't want 100% accurate looks. 18th-century Versailles is one of them. Makeup in the 18th century was powdery and very pale. They put on circles of rouge without blending them. Lips were made to be weird little heart shapes. Eyebrows were super black and highly arched. The overall look would seem very clownish to a modern audience, so they pretty much have to tone it down.
there’s room for artistic liberty but also there’s a limit to artistic liberty. makeup doesn’t need to be 100% accurate but it should be heavily inspired. clothes don’t need to be 100% accurate but they should be well researched and not distracting from the setting, rather lending to it. for example, toning down makeup in a rococo era period piece would lend to the setting even tho it’s not accurate because it would be distracting to be accurate. but in season three of bridgerton, when the women start wearing obvious false lashes and heavy eyeshadow and darker lipstick it begins to detract from the setting they’re trying to portray.
@alwaysrootingfortheantihero123Marie Antoinette did great on that regard. I don't agree with Rose in Titanic tho. If you look at the beauties of the time she fits the Edwardian beauty standards to a tee with maybe the lip pencil and colour as an exception. All the rest, even her face shape and body type was on point. Di Caprio way less so tho
My wife watches Korean historical dramas on TV, and this is exactly what throws me off when I watch: modern plastic surgery and skin treatments against a 200 year old backdrop. The suspension of disbelief being asked by the producers is just too much in some cases!
💖 omg that callout of Brianna’s perfect teeth on Outlander 🤣 I so enjoy these rambles haha
Brianna is very beautiful. But her teeth are super bright.💖💖💖 Fellow Outlander fan here.
But she was raised by well-off parents in 1960s Boston...so she would've had good dentistry so good teeth?
In my English class whatever we’re watching an adaptation of a book we’re reading my teacher will always point out the teeth of a person piece It’s a teller of accuracy
I was obsessed over The Empress Ki (korean dorama). It was 2013-14, as a teenager lead actress was absolutly beautiful. Most gorgeus woman i ever seen. Recently i try rewatch this, and my first thought was "such an ugly actress". Just 10y apart. I surely get caught in newest standart, kpop or smth like this. it's driving me crazy. If I think so badly about a beautiful woman, then what do people think about me? I start feel ugly inside and out. Ps. Sorry, english is not my first language.
The 1840s was truly a hideous time for women's fashion. The hair was severe, the dresses were dowdy. No one looks good. Even googling "1840s beauty" all the women have a bunch of flowers in their hair, I see. Because you need that shit to soften that hairstyle!! The men were a little better though, they hadn't yet gone hard on the craziest Victorian facial hair.
I love it when a historical goes anachronistic on purpose from a place of having a huge affection of and knowledge of what they're riffing on. In some ways I feel like A Knight's Tale and Marie Antoinette made me FEEL what people in those times might have felt, more than a very proper historical drama. But it can also feel just...sloppy. There have been some weird changes to some movies that threw me. Like why did they make Professor Bhaer this kinda pretty boy French guy in that recent Little Women adaptation? I really enjoyed that movie and then we got to that part and he definitely gave me "modern standards of attractiveness" vibes.
I agree with you 100%. A Knight’s Tale was jarring until I heard the director explain that the choices they made in music, dialogue, and costumes was on purpose so the audience would understand that people back then would have had slang and cool songs and clothes. That being said I’m still super picky about anachronisms in historical movies, but there it can be an effective tool.
I have a soft spot in my heart for artistic anachronisms. I was about 22 when Marie Antoinette came out and it spoke to me about being young and trapped by duty (1st gen Asian premed student by duty here) specifically because of the modern music and visual energy.
Omg, I can't remember a thing about Professor Bhaer in the latest Little Women adaptation. I loved the film though, and it made me want to put on plays in my bedroom.
@@teresachaotic.corner I loved it too. But I definitely preferred Gabriel Byrne's Professor Bhaer in the 90s one. I also liked Marmee better in the 90s one. Laurie and Amy were way better in the recent one though. I guess with that many memorable characters, some are bound to shine in every adaptation.
Totally agree with you in the Marie Antoinette part. I even made the same point as yours too while talking about that movie, and it’s one of the few reasons why I loved that film. It was definitely purposefully made for us to be able to immerse ourselves in how those people of those times were going through, but making the characters act in a more familiar and modern way. So that we are able to actually understand their feelings, gripes and the decisions they make. Like none of the historical female characters would obviously be historically accurate, especially in the party scenes and Marie’s birthday. But for us modern day girls at the time? Hanging out with your besties while going shopping has been the longest fun pastimes for any girl and her friends in this day and age.
And the way the characters gossip in the movie? Obviously it’s not how people of the time would obviously talk. But it really does remind us how rife and crazy gossip can get in the time. Filled with judgment, scandals, amusement. Just like gossiping within high school, or even gossip spreading amongst the workplace.
I'm pretty sure you mean the 1830s from that description. Which yeah, they were a wild time, but period dramas like the new Nosferatu show how absolutely gorgeous it can be too (granted, they didn't go super elaborate with the hairstyles, but they're still accurate enough and feel right). I just have a weakness for the gigantic sleeves and doll-like skirts of the 1830s tbh.
Relatable. I too am an old lady... When I'm not watching birds, I'm watching British shows on PBS.
With the intro, I was waiting with baited breath that you too watched such classics like "Keeping up with Appearances" and the reruns of "Are You Being Served?" and the 90s Poirot. However, I watched many of those masterpiece theatres and did see the 90s Emma in the theater with my mom and a bunch of grandmas. They certainly weren't as trendy at the time.
Hair historical inaccuracy gets on my nerves.
Not so much with 18th or 19th century productions, but with 1920s or wartime productions.
I get it - people these days have shampoo, conditioner, hairdryers, curling tongs, etc … but all of this affects how hair *looks* and how it’s styled.
That’s what got me about Grace’s hair in the first series of Peaky Blinders - people in 1919 didn’t have bouncy glossy summery blonde beachy waves!! As nice as her hair was, it was completely off with the accuracy.
Where are the brushed out pin curls?!
I think it makes a huge difference on what the story is too. I didn't mind Emily Bader's face in My Lady Jane because it was a humorous take on real life events and also contrasted Edward Bluemel's face nicely, same goes for Sam Heughan because he perfectly embodied Jamie & also contrasted Caitriona Balfe very nicely. I couldn't figure out what irked me about Hannah Dodd in Bridgerton but now i realise that it was sadly her face.
I've seen Hannah Dodd in other period pieces with less she was in and find she fits perfectly. To me the worst offender of Bton season 3 is the makeup: the Instagram lashes and uniform lack of skin textures is extremely off-putting. Hannah, being the singular new addition to the cast, sticks out like a sore thumb.
The makeup adds to the problem.
I agree with this with regards to My Lady Jane. It’s such a clear divergence from real history with its humor and the fantasy elements, which makes it less important for the characters’ faces to feel “rooted in the historical period.” I think Bridgerton can fall on either side of that line for people, which is why Hannah Dodd in Bridgerton didn’t necessarily bother me too much but I can understand how that would impact other people’s experience watching the show.
Small point, Chinese people were definitely familiar to Dickens. Sailors from China would often be found around the docklands of London and by the 1880s were running restaurants and other businesses around Limehouse, Victorians were aware of the sterotypes found in... establishments based around the consumption of a certain narcotic and as such they appear in Sherlock Holmes stories, and there was also the aristocracy including the Marquis and Marchioness Tseng, ie the ambassador and his wife who were based in Portland Place (who would often host events including other fancy folk from East/Southest Asia). At the height of the British Empire you'd see people from across the globe in the large cities of Britain and particularly London, so you could absolutely appear in a period drama without it looking like a modern reimagining.
Arcane is animated, but I think one of the things that makes those characters so compelling are their physical flaws - even the women were allowed to have them! Scars, dark eye circles, imperfect teeth, "masculine" muscles, boxy body shapes, amputated limbs, quite a nice spectrum! Season 1, especially is a masterpeice if anyone here hasn't seen it, yet
see, for me, florence pugh is an iphone face. she stuck out so much in little women
Wow! That intro took an Uber over to Moorpark, ate lunch and came straight back. Love it. 👍
Moorpark. Love how specific that is.
💖I'm an acne survivor, writing a historically set story right now with characters with bad teeth and skin, having some of the same thoughts as you.
💖💖💖💖👊 Fellow acne survivor
Actresses like Diana Agron and Leighton Meester both have the perfect face for a period piece.
No they don’t…😂😂😂 The most instagram white beauty standard magazine like faces I’ve ever seen.
Another Asian but geriatric-British-woman-on-the-inside here:
“Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day” has one of the best love story with real looking people in the wonderful forms of Frances McDormand and Ciarán Hinds. (Both being way over 30 is just the cherry on top.)
Also, if you are a fan period dramas, check out “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” (1996).
If we are calling them “iphone faces” then Tara Fitzgerald has a lovely “rotary phone” face and Toby Stephens is wonderfully intense and somewhat textured! Lol
💖 I have Tenants of Wildfell Hall on my list!
OMG! Love Toby Stephens. That Jane Eyre (2006) adaptation... 💖
Such a good movie. I like Miss Pettigrew
Such a good movie. I like Miss Pettigrew
the tenant is one of my favourite books ever ! it's really a classic that is a page turner as well once the story gets going. never saw te movie
I care about historical accuracy to a point. I love the show Gentlemen Jack, which was about Ann, a lesbian in the late 1800 building her wealth and finding love. The show has some of the most historically accurate and crazy details I've ever seen in a costume drama. I don't know if its all accurate but the fact that I don't have to deal with a woman pulling off a corset from bare skin to show bruses to symbolize opression (aka coresting onto bare skin is something has been widely debunked for years) is a breath of fresh air. I think if the wider public knows something is inaccurate unless the movie is specifically trying to be anachronistic/stylish its better to stick to the historical or a historical adjacent style.
💖 I like “mostly accurate” historical costumes.
💖 From one elderly British lady to another.
💖💖💖💖
💖FYI Netflix is rumored to be remaking Pride and Prejudice. I am dreading it after seeing what they did with Persuasion. I like the diversity but hate the updated POV not true to the book. The Flee Bag style breaking the 4th wall is off putting.
Honestly, I don't know if I like accurate or not accurate historical dramas more. Because I love me an "Emma." Everything about the accuracy is a feast for the eyes. But Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite films of all time. A feast for the eyes in a different way. I also love a historical film that has made it incredibly obvious what era it was filmed in. It's sort of a delight to see the filmmaker's blind spots in their portrayal of "history." It seems like makeup is the Achilles heal usually (I'm looking at you, Titanic). Love me a 60s film set in the victorian era and everyone has the most Twiggy makeup I've ever seen.
I guess it's just vibes.
💖
That's why I love the Princess Sissi and Angelique des Anges series, beautiful movies but the make up makes it so obvious (50's and 70's)
💖💖💖💖 I have a soft spot for a period drama that is obviously from a certain decade. I'm also an Emma fan and have watched every single Emma movie ever made, and each one is so distinctly of it's time.
Same with Rose's makeup, which inspired many a '90s prom look.
I want to get back into dramas again, especially K-dramas and period dramas but it's incredibly jarring to be watching the faces of stars and starlets and be able to tell that they got fillers done, or jaw shaving done, chin implants, aegyo-sal, eye lifts, Botox, etc. all done. OMG. I can't not mention the nosejobs. I was watching a Thai drama recently and the actress was portraying a teenager living in the jungle in extreme poverty and she clearly had a nosejob done because her nose was too small and super upturned. I couldn't take the drama seriously after noticing that detail.
honestly I love your channel so much. perhaps we're in the same age range. but your thoughts are exactly like mine. your channel discussed on frivolous things that we don't have time or anyone to talk with. growing up, I always have conversation with myself before bed. even now at adult life 😂 so this channel is like having an imaginary friend who actually talking with me
Love it! Thank you! 💖 I've always wanted to be someone's imaginary friend🤣
Another term I've heard is that your face looks like it can text. There are some period dramas that do well mixing modern lens and historical (Marie Antoinette & Anna Karenina) and others try to too hard to be relatable. It's all about balance.
I hope you check out the Miss Marple series starring Joan Hickson. I think her series is the best adaptations of the books.
I’m an Anglophile too but it’s more with music. But the iPhone face is a real thing though I don’t think Dakota Johnson is the best example. Someone like Sydney Sweeney in Madam Webb (took place in 2005 so technically a period piece) playing a NY high school student sticks out way more. But yeah we’re way beyond someone like Robert Davi being cast in a major Hollywood movie
As a fellow 90s kid who’s watched every single thing you just mentioned and now entering our Miss Maple era… have you seen the Vicar of Dibley?? Highly highly recommend! I also developed an obsession with egg cups and soft boiled eggs because of period pieces. 😂💖
I've heard of it! Adding it to the watch list! 💖
P.S. I've always wanted to eat a soft boiled egg in an egg cup. So Downton Abbey
Is is possible the people who want more diverse models and actresses, and the people who don't, are different people? And not the same people asking for variety and then hating it?
It's not necessarily about being "diverse", it's more about natural features.
A lot of people don't know what that means nowadays.
I think there's some middle ground to be had. If I'm shopping plus size clothes, for instance, I want to see how they look on plus size women, but I'd still prefer they looked good. Not "beauty standards" good, just enough that they can show off the clothes without being distracting. If I'm trying to figure out the hue on a makeup item, and the models are photoshpped and filtered to an insane degree, that is not helpful, and if you're selling something that's meant to fit a wide variety of sizes or skin tones, then I think you should have models that are a variety of sizes and skin tones. On the other extreme, though, I remember one site had the only model with my presumed skin tone have vitiligo, which was very impractical. I get what they were trying to do, and certainly people with the condition may be helped by seeing makeup on someone else who has the same condition, but if you don't, and there's just one model for all products for your skin tone, then it can be a problem, so just hire one more model and cater to both populations.
Some people like looking at aspirational images. Some people prefer more realistic or varied portraits. We all obviously have different preferences and needs, but generally speaking, humans tend to enjoy looking at things they find visually pleasing. It is possible to have a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors while maintaining at least some level of normal-but-better, instead of going to extremes, if that makes sense.
i don't believe the people hating in comment sections are the same people as those asking for diversity, but I definitely think that people asking for diversity of body shapes also end up not finding the end result very beautiful, so they don't watch the show
The female lead in the decameron remake, has a classical face in my opinion.
Historical accuracy is important or not depends on the tone of the film and the purpose of the film. But accurate or not, good acting, story telling and beautiful cinematography is what the audience want. Things don't need to be 1 v 1 recreate for most historical films, but they should not have jarring inaccuracies either. It's a balance.
Overall, I agree. I prefer the accurate depictions in film. However, I too can get over the modernized beauty standards creeping in if they still capture the essence of the story through acting. 💖
I just found your channel and I love it! Before you even mentioned yourself in reference to this, I thought about how you'd look amazing in a movie, with the classic red lip of like memoirs of a geisha (I read that book when I was like 11, not sure I understand all of the nuances). I'd also choose a chemical peel btw, but never ever because of what society says about my appearance but because my acne scars from a skin treatment purge disfigured me :/ far more than the scars I had by that point had done. Lmao "I'm so incredibly hungry right now", me after doing anything 🫣 Anyway, happy to be here, amazing outro 10/10 💖
💖💖💖 Thank you!
What kind of skin treatment purge did you get?
If you want "normal" skin, check out Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird. That was her real skin!
Flaws make a historical face. Edit - 56 year old Murder She Wrote loving, enjoying a cup of tea and knitting socks British granny here.
I felt this very pointedly with the mother's character in 1883 (Margaret Dutton). Her face is oozing with filler, her neck is lifted, it's the whole shebang. She did not look like a 19th century woman at all. Worst casting choice I've ever seen.
I don’t care if the historical accuracy isn’t accurate if the film isn’t taking itself too seriously, like Marie Antoinette wasn’t taking itself too seriously at all so I LOVE IT
That's some high quality rambling, thank you
There's no hairstyle better than the Empress Elisabeth Winterhaltee Hair. Or the Streckbrieffrisur, that's my 2nd favourite.
0:52 me too!!! My family used to laugh at me(it was good natured)because I was watching it as a young black girl. 😂Historical programs were and are my happy place. I learned so many facts of history from those programs.
💖This isn’t a period drama at all, but In The Name Of The King is a bad D&D movie that I have loved since I was a kid. The actress who plays Farmer’s wife was styled SO BAD. Botox face, modern makeup, iPhone face, literally everything just looked so wrong with her
I’m 24 (Scottish) but was raised on the David suchet adaptations of poirot and I can’t recommend them enough to people that enjoy the 70s adaption of the stories :)
Liking just from the title alone
when i watched house of the dragon, every time alicent hightower appears on screen i always think it's a cameo
I FEEL U ABOUT UR TEEN INTERESTS😭
I'm sorry, but you're wrong about the superior Pride & Prejudice adaptation, Colin Firth will always be my Mr. Darcy 💖
I mean, I love Colin Firth too. But the Matthew M's hand flex is equally as iconic as the wet puffy shirt.🤣
@@teresachaotic.corner I agree.
i'm usually nitpicky about historical accuracy in costuming but my lady jane came out this year and while its costuming isn't historically accurate, i didn't mind since its a fantacy alternate reality of queen jane grey. i think the historical accuracy of the plot and the actors actually trying also helps with overlooking iphone face in films
2006 BBC Persuasion is a fave of mine. 💖
the eyebrows are the most distracting for me! Perfectly plucked and painted eyebrows are so modern and totally break the illusion in historical movies.
So i have dentures and a partial on the bottom (genetic disorder/ eating disorder). On the bottom there's a slight gap between my eye tooth and my partial and i love it because they look natural
Also a big fan of period films and shows. 💖They are like comfort food. Love a normal looking non iPhone face actor… iPhone face is too distracting. And yes I have seen that Brontë sisters miniseries and omg that brother was terrible. But yes the sisters looked normal/average lady.
They announced months ago a Netflix pride and prejudice remake. I have no hope in Netflix.
My one complaint about To Walk Invisible is that there's too much of a focus on Bramwell. I loved when Charlotte's publishers had a fan boy moment when they met her or the tiny montage when Emily was describing the spite house resident who inspired Heathcliff. I just wanted to indulge in Charlotte and Emily writing their masterpieces.
I'm iffy about a Netflix remake of P&P, particularly because Netflix movies/shows have a prepackaged 'Netflix look.' I'll approach it with an open mind, though.💖
I don't expect a perfect recreation of a particular era when watching a movie, however there's a level of inaccuracy that really messes with your sense of disbelief... specially if the movie is boring and your start noticing more and more details. There's a few movies that approach accuracy in a playful way, like Marie Antoinette, but others integrate modern elements and sensitivities in a not so great way, it's really up to the skill level of the filmmakers involved.
Marie Antoinette is the perfect example of making it modern in a way that works, because it's unapologetic. You also have to know something about the era in order to make some parts subversive.
My issue is mostly with how they make changes for what they think are modern sensibilities, but play them off like it was completely normal.
It's one thing for characters to act differently than the norms for the time, but if nobody has a reaction to it, then it feels off.
If having your hair up or having a chaperone when leaving the house was the norm, someone SHOULD react when the MC doesn't do that.
What people forget that most casting were made to fit modern beauty standards, and VERY Americanized, so every piece is media is affected those super high standards.
European productions won't hire anyone to work in a movie if they don't fit that standard, or look too "ethnic" in any other way - or negative characters, like Americans did to achieve the "foreign looking" villain in TV. No freckles, no sunburn, no sweating, no scars, and that wig-like professionally styled hair.
My funniest thing about a show I actually really like - Poldark from 2015. The main couple is casted to fit 2010's beauty standards, Demelza being extremely thin but with a very long, beautiful RED hair what would be considered extremely ugly in 1770. Who's fit the beauty standard of the 18th century is Ruby Bentall playing Verity, and Jack Farthing as George.
Forgot the 💖💖
Thanks for keeping me company while(st) I cook 😂 💖
💖
Aw, that’s my usual conversational heart 💖🤗
💖 Love watching your ramblings. You make them fun. 💖💖💖
💖 thank you! 💖💖💖
💖 I think they give European-but-not-British people in historical movies British accents to make them sound "generally European" to the American ear (especially when it's a somewhat Aristocratic setting). And I mean, what's the alternative? If the whole cast of Les miserables spoke English with French accents? That would probably sound really silly and come off as patronising.
An positive example of "playing with accents in an obviously translated context" is imo Marie Antoinette. There Kristen Dunst retains her American accent and it clashes effectively with the Versailles British accent around her, emphasising how out-of-place she feels at times. Also it could work as a reference to the fact that Marie Antoinette grew up speaking German, so her french likely did sound different from the regular court french.
Oh my god, sorry for this tangent. Interesting video!! Hooray forever and always for P&P 2005!!
love your video and i heartily agree with all your points :)
💖💖💖💖
Hi Teresa! Thanks for another excellent video presentation! I'm in complete agreement about the I phone face. They just don't work in costume dramas. I believe one needs a balance in these films for them to work. Of course you need to draw an audience in, but maintaining accuracy in a period setting is essential. I'd also add that, utilizing the skills you employ on your channel, you would make a fine actress! But, since my mind is also constantly wandering, I'd also posit that some actors, despite their Iphone face, can adapt to any time, past, present or future, with their very specific skills. As you noted, the best of these films will spur your interest and move you to learn more about the subject matter.... And I hope you got something good to eat!!🤗 💖
💖💖💖💖 Love everything you said:)
First off: 💖
Second off: Here's my essay. Personally, I absolutely adore historical fashion trends. Even the most ridiculous ones like the 1830s extreme puffed sleeves or the Elizabethan drum shaped skirts. Yes they're "ugly" or "silly" to the modern eye, but seeing these silly fashions show that people have always been silly. A lot of modern fashion looks incredibly ugly and silly to me, but even if it's not my personal taste I like it bc the person wearing it likes it. Now with all that said, I'm not a humongous stickler for historical accuracy. Colorblind casting doesn't ever bother me, we have enough stories about minorities suffering in the past, and everyone should get a chance to see people who look like them wearing pretty gowns and going to fancy balls. Inaccurate costumes, while I might be sad we didn't get to see that fun side of history, don't bother me. BUT if a costume drama is going to be inaccurate, it has to be for a reason. Like these anachronisms have to make sense for the story they're telling. And they have to be consistent! Look at a movie like The Favourite. The costumes have the most modern fabrics (in pattern, color, and material) but the fabrics making historically accurate silhouettes. Every character looks like this, so you're never taken aback bc one character looks like she's in the 1810s and another in 1610s. They all look like they belong in the same movie. I think the first season of Bridgerton did this well too. While I hate how the costumes look (that's just personal taste), I admit everyone looks like they're in the same time period (even if that period isn't anything near our actual history). Also, it's very obvious this isn't a 100% historical reenactment of the regency era, it's historical fantasy. Black characters are dukes and duchesses, a black woman is queen, there are interracial couples all around. So they shouldn't be and weren't constrained by real history. The later seasons of Bridgerton I think failed in my first point. The anachronisms in character's costumes, hair, and makeup really made them look all over the place. Penelope looked beautiful in season 4, but those 1940s Hollywood waves just took me right out of the story. Or Cressida looking like she'd skinned an ostrich for her sleeves, it was just too out of place. In conclusion, while I *love* historical fashions, I understand they're not for everyone. But I just wish costume designers would be better at having these inaccurate costumes, hair, and makeup be for an actual reason, and make sure the characters all look like they fit together.
This is actually the first time I actually hear and know the pronunciation of eunuch 😂. I was saying it wrong all this time 😅
American Primeval did a good job of this. I could see the lines around the main actresses face and nose. She even had some bags under her eyes.
I think Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will be great because they're great actors and don't have obvious procedures done. The problem with Dakota Johnson was her facial expressions, make-up, and hairstyle. And her acting in general.
If you're interested in Agatha christie adaptations, then you should check the British tv series Agatha Christie's Poirot with David Suchet, they adapt all of her poirot novels and short stories but one, he's the definitive Poirot.
There's also Agatha Christie's Marple, but that one is not quite faithful to the books at times but still watchable, and it has one of the best Christie adaptations with The Moving Finger.
💖I watched it all and now I kindly request more!!💖
💖💖💖 Thank you! 🤣
Among all items that are associated to old British people, the one thing you've missed so far is Werther's Originals!
not exactly iphone face yet as that wasn't a term during that time but ben affleck in shakespeare in love screams to me that that guy knows what a vhs and a beta max is and not a sole written manuscript lol
♥
I have been a huge fan of ye olde period/costume dramas since I was a kid in the '90s (oh crap, did I just let on that I am old??). I love older shows because you're right, people look more... normal (not sure if that is the right word). Not perfect. But it's not just iphone face, the stories were better, too. No not always, but in general. I am watching a 1997 BBC show called "The Grand" currently and really enjoying it. I just can't get into modern ones a lot of the time. It's like they are trying too hard to be hip and cool... which makes them really not.
I like game of thrones a lot cause actors there are gorgeous but also very different and have unique face features
We have a big problem with that in Russia. Sometimes I watch late evening dramas with my grandparents on TV. And most of modern young actresses look THE SAME. Seriously, iPhone face, super skinny. I had to distinguish them by the colour and the length of their hair
Gah!! Hard relate!! hahaha! I have also always been an old British woman! 😂
Something I never see people discuss is that braces don't just straighten your teeth, they change the shape of your jaw slightly. I think people are probably picking up on that without realising
To Walk Invisible! 👏
Great video but I have to say that Hollywood is not the entire global film industry, just because in Los Angeles there are way too many superficial people together, that doesn't mean that actual performing artists who genuinely care more about their craft than their looks can't thrive, they can, altough I admit its kinda difficult because even when majority of global population prefers natural faces and bodies, elites like industrial-looking people, like mass-produced faces and bodies. All this is reflection of these postmodern times, people are functional but inmature, their looks or beauty ideals are the same. Paradoxically, costume dramas are sending a realization to the collective unconscious... I mean, you have to look as natural as possible to make sense in a movie set in the past, that is telling us something. We're not here to love and be loved anymore, but to fit in false "quality" standards, like products. Postmodern beauty standards are just one more consequence of this mega industrialized world. Oh, but they're naive if they think we're not going to fight back, we are. I'm fighting back since I have memory and I don't feel tired yet, just saying...
💖 i remember The Way We Live Now, it was the first thing i ever saw Cillian Murphy in, another somewhat obscure one from about the same time was Daniel Deronda with Hugh Dancy. and Bleak House, that was kind of a weird one. but the more current "iphone face" quality in some costume drama movies/series tends to take me out of the story. when the actors look undeniably modern, it feels like either a lack of effort at authenticity, or playing into the idea that the audience wants to see faces that look like what they see on social media. but why make a historical drama in the first place if the characters don't visually match up with the time period? (unless it's meant as a stylized juxtaposition like in Marie Antoinette, as you mentioned.) but that's just my opinion, obviously. great video 💯
💖Daniel Deronda, Bleak House, The Way We Live Now (from the 2002-2005 period of Masterpiece Theater)💖
it was such a good era for British costume dramas ❤️
💖 Just watched Nosferatu, Lily-rose depp definitely has the Emily Dickinson hair going on, I can’t say I’m a fan of that either! And a good amount of iphone face but I did enjoy her performance
💖 I haven't seen Nosferatu yet, but I heard great things from everyone about her performance. Can't wait to see the costumes.
I do historical costuming (not pedantic about it though) and yeah 1840s is not great (in my opinion) I also can’t seem to personally look good in a lot of the regency era!
istg you look SO much like lucy liu
Honestly it’s how beauty standards have changed. modern actors fit modern beauty standards. high cheekbones, big lips, hair down, sharp eyes, all modern beauty which is the opposite of the beauty standards of 1800s. Soft features, doe eyes, rounded jaw, and small pouty lips
I have devoured every costume drama seies or film there is. I am a hopeless romantic.
Ed skrein is a good example of natural crooked teeth. Mans looks like The Attack Titan. Still hot af tho
I care a lot if it's accurate. They also put "modern sensibilities" in, which turns most "historical dramas" into fairytales, so I just can't be bothered to watch them. I WANT them to have that culture which is centuries apart from mine, it's alien. But they can't even bring half a century old culture on screen, and that culture I can rewatch from old movies. I do want the movie to look as if a crystal ball was used to look into that time and age, and only a little tweaking was required to make the picture picturesque, and the plot cohesive within its timeframe. [Incohesive angry rambling about movie creators not being historians, not consulting historians of culture, including material culture, enough]
I dunno… would they put floppy natural fringe over 18th century French courtly attire? Wouldn’t that look ridiculous? I don’t know enough to expect them to nail every detail, but these people are professionals, I expect them to try.
Lily James did a superb performance in BBC adaptation of War & Peace.
I remember watching Masterpiece Theater with Mom as a young child. (5-10 y/o) Lots of Matlock, Rockford Files, and Murder She Wrote.Which means my mother would have been 40-45...my current age demographic.
As someone with arthritis i wouldn't be able to bend my finger that way without suffering from pain for a couple days afterwards. I always try my best to prevent any movement in it. The fact that you would willingly bend it multiple times to show your audience..... I shuddered. 😖
Squirmed, cringed
You are awesome and I subscribed
💖💖💖 thank you!!!