Stage, dance and screen
Theatre and dance makeup and the looks of film stars. 52 face guides on EveryFaceShape so far.
Stage, dance and screen have their own faces: the painted veshams of Kathakali, the kumadori of Kabuki, the lianpu of Peking opera, the masks that change in a flash in Sichuan opera, the faces of Theyyam and Yakshagana, and the looks of film stars that became everyday fashions. Many of these traditions are taught for years and recognised by UNESCO.
Faces that tell the story
In Asian classical theatre, a face tells the audience who a character is. Kathakali's green pacha marks heroes and its red-marked kathi proud villains. Kabuki's red lines mark heroes and its blue lines villains. Peking opera uses red for loyalty, black for integrity and white for cunning. The painting takes hours and is often done by the performer.
Screen looks
Film turned stage methods into fashions. The pencil moustaches of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, the cat-eye frames and winged liner of the 1950s, the bindis and kajal of Indian film heroines and the aviators of 1980s cinema all spread from the screen. Contouring, once a stage trick for flattening light, became an everyday look in the 2010s.
Famous stage, dance and screen face guides
Still to be written: Kathakali, Theyyam, Yakshagana.
Further reading
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreSunglasses
Protective eyewear designed to shield eyes from bright sunlight and high-energy visible light.Frame · 1929
🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreRimless eyeglasses
Eyewear where lenses attach directly to the bridge and temples without a surrounding frame.Frame · Most faces
🇫🇷 FranceLorgnette
Spectacles mounted on a handle for holding in place.Frame · 1770
🇺🇸 United StatesMirrored sunglasses
Sunglasses with a reflective outer coating that reduces glare and light transmission.Frame · Most faces
WorldGoggles
Protective eyewear that encloses the eye area to block debris, water, or chemicals.Frame · Most faces
WorldShooting glasses
specialized corrective eyewear for sport shooting competitionsFrame · Most faces
🇫🇷 France and 1 morePince-nez
Eyeglasses that clip onto the nose bridge without earpieces, popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centurieFrame · Most faces · 1840
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreWayfarer
A trapezoidal eyewear frame designed in 1952 and revived multiple times through film placements.Frame · Oval faces · 1952
WorldGlasses
Vision eyewear with lenses in a frame for correction, protection, or fashion.Frame · Most faces
WorldHorn-rimmed glasses
Thick-framed eyewear imitating horn or tortoiseshell.Frame · Most faces · 1917
🇬🇧 United KingdomSnooker glasses
Corrective eyewear designed for cue sports to maintain optical alignment while bending.Frame · Most faces · 1938
WorldShutter Shades
Sunglasses with horizontal slats instead of lensesFrame · Most faces · 1950
WorldGroucho glasses
Novelty frames with fake nose and moustache mimicking Groucho MarxFrame
WorldWraparound sunglasses
Curved frames that wrap around the face for full coverage.Frame · Most faces
WorldHalf-rim glasses
Eyewear with a top frame and exposed bottom lenses held by wire.Frame · Oval faces
WorldOversized sunglasses
Large-lens eyewear for sun protection and bold style.Frame · Oval faces · 1970
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sunglasses: Rich Niewiroski Jr., CC BY 2.5, source
- Rimless eyeglasses: Document1, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lorgnette: Museum Rotterdam, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Theatrical makeup: Mrgarden 2342, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kumadori: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Peking opera makeup: Art Poskanzer, CC BY 2.0, source
- Bian lian: Yongxinge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mirrored sunglasses: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Goggles: Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky, CC BY 3.0, source
- Shooting glasses: Francis Flinch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pince-nez: Łeba, CC BY 3.0, source
- Wayfarer: Starman1984, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Glasses: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Horn-rimmed glasses: User:Robin Clement, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Groucho glasses: Mykl Roventine, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pencil moustache: Roland Godefroy, CC BY 2.5, source
- Snooker glasses: SMcCandlish, CC BY 3.0, source