What comes to mind when you think of makeup in the 60s? The 80s? The early 2000s? There’s one motif that has shown up time and time again: blue eyeshadow.
Blue eyeshadow has been a cultural and stylistic mainstay for years, dating back to the Ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago. Movies, TV shows, and art use blue eyeshadow symbolically to discuss self-expression and freedom. And, as we will explore below, it is greatly influenced by femininity and society’s pressures on women.
Makeup history is extensive and often references itself. Understanding key moments and cultural icons can broaden your understanding of film choices, works of art, and the meaning behind the color blue. Let’s take a look at some of the most influential examples of blue eyeshadow!
Ancient Egypt: Royalty and opulence
We remember the Ancient Egyptians for many of their mind-blowing and beautiful inventions — including blue eyeshadow!
While it wasn’t the most common shade, Egyptian men and women used makeup made from metals like copper, foods like burnt almonds, and minerals. They ground up chrysocolla, copper ore, malachite, or lapis lazuli to make blue.
These precious materials were rare, so blue eyeshadow was reserved for royalty. You can see this preserved through artwork and even painted on the Pharaoh’s tombs. It indicated power, wealth, and glamor.
Cleopatra, again: 1960s and powerful women
Given the beginnings of blue eyeshadow, it is only fitting that one of the most iconic cultural examples of the color was Elizabeth Taylor’s makeup as Cleopatra. The movie Cleopatra (1963) used a bright blue and long bold eyeshadow to emphasize the power and confidence of the last queen of the Nile. However, Cleopatra ends up taking her life rather than admitting defeat. This adds another layer to her boldness: it is also prideful and reckless.
A Revlon campaign referred to the look as “sphinx eyes”, and they sold a “Sphinx Pink” lipstick and an eyeshadow palette. Taylor’s signature look — blue eyes, long eyeliner — has become a widely accepted reference to the Ancient Egyptian queen that we still abide by today.
Nevertheless, some historians call into question whether Cleopatra actually wore blue eyeshadow. Furthermore, others critique this movie (and other depictions of the queen) for portraying Cleopatra as white.
Regardless, the real Cleopatra’s power is undeniable, and using such a vibrant color to portray her highlights her strength and uniqueness. Just like the last queen of Egypt, people who rock blue eyeshadow do it to stand out. And during a time when women’s liberation movement was burgeoning, proud symbols that spoke to women’s power and self-possession stood out.
Barbie: She does it all!
The ties between blue eyeshadow and women’s empowerment continued to strengthen. Another famous example is Mattel’s original Barbie, first released in 1959.
“The Teen Fashion Model Barbie” featured a curly blonde pony, striped bathing suit, and (our favorite!) a teal blue eye look. Her makeup was simple, but effective. It reflected the essence of Barbie, that would develop overtime: a fashionable go-getter. She does it all!
Over time, Barbie was the subject of feminist debates: was she good or bad? Some saw her as aiding “choice feminism”. Choice feminism is the idea that women should be “liberated […] to make whatever choices they want” . It was a bold claim during the 50s and 60s, though it has it critiques now. Barbie promoted this, debuting a fashion designer Barbie in 1960. She sported a red lip and blue eyeshadow, once again showing a woman that was bold and driven through her choice in makeup.
Barbie, a woman with thousands of clothes and even more careers, was intended to show girls that they, too, could do whatever they want. Her original blue eyeshadow was not just a nod to what was in vogue (she is a fashion icon, after all) but also represented how self-assured she is. Confident and cool, Barbie had it all.
Marilyn Monroe: An unintended statement
Perhaps the most impactful portrait of Marilyn Monroe is Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych, a silk screen painting that was created from Monroe’s stills in 1962. The background is tangy orange, her hair bright yellow, and her eyes shaded teal. It was an oversaturated version of her real self, repeated in every row and column. The same stills are on the other side. This time, they are smudged and colorless.
Warhol didn’t shy away from politics in his paintings, making comments about culture through his art. Though art critics have multiple interpretations of the piece, one of the most agreed upon is his representation of Hollywood culture. It over-promotes and exaggerates its talent, presenting a “flattened” version of a real person to the world. The colorful Monroe is not the real Monroe.
In this case, the blue eyeshadow points to how Monroe had to maintain and promote a certain standard of femininity. Monroe was the 1960s blueprint for confidence and sensuality. Society simultaneously praised and criticized for this. However, her version of femininity was not the same as Cleopatra, or Barbie. Instead, Monroe wore a sultry expression, forever preserving her as a figure to be looked at. Her eyeshadow is a performance of femininity, one of the major takeaway’s from Warhol’s work.
As we explored above, blue eyeshadow was popular and deeply connected to the “imagined” woman. Knowing what blue eyeshadow represents first helps us connect the dots to understand an artist’s point of view.
Big 80s, big blues
The 80s was famously a time of boldness, so of course they embraced the blue look! From Cyndi Lauper’s wild outfits to big shoulder pads at the office, there were plenty of bold artists and models who were feeling the rebellious spirit of the time.
A lot of these brave people were also LGBTQIA+. Drag queens, queer icons, and queer celebrities themselves propelled a fashion ethos that pushed past gender and sexuality norms. For some people, blue eyeshadow was just their quick daily look. For others, a bold color connected to ideas of femininity and power provided the perfect medium to push the bounds.
Grace Jones, model and singer, was one of the most influential androgynous models. Her fashion sense played with shapes and colors, highlighting the length of her eyes in blue and the depth of her cheeks in pink. She is the perfect example of how transgressing the symbolic meaning of something gives it a new power: unabashed self-expression.
Frosty eyes and innocence in Y2K
Makeup in the 90s and 2000s was full of new trends. From concealer lips to ultra-skinny brows, people clamored to keep up with the latest. One trend (definitely on the cuter side) was the sparkly, baby-blue eyeshadow. Patted over the lid, this was usually the only shade worn.
By the 90s, media analyses saw blue eyeshadow as an established symbol of freedom and power. The previous decade, it had reflected the vibrancy (and sometimes tackiness) of the 80s. This iteration was a pale response. It was almost angelic, presenting a softer version which undermines some of the powerful qualities of a blue eyeshadow.
Celebrities like Britney Spears and Beyoncé rocked a frosted lid, inspiring their fans and peers to do the same. It was a sparkly, more modern iteration of the trend.
“Sexy and Coy”
However, as the light blue alluded to a softer, more innocent identity — and so did some of the artists. Britney Spears and Baby Spice, for example, leaned into this persona, speaking in higher voices and acting sweet and innocent. Another version of femininity influenced women during the 90s and 200s: “girly-girls” and “girl-next-door” stereotypes. These ideas promote a version of women which hyper focuses on looks, youth, and innocence.
This quote about teenage Spears’ singing voice sums it up well: “It’s sexy and coy without trying too hard.” There’s a contradictory innocence and promiscuity — exactly what the boldness of blue eyeshadow paired with the desaturated color reflects.
In the music video for “Oops!…I Did It Again”, Spears wears a tight red jumpsuit and a wash of light blue eyeshadow. She embodies the contradictions: a presentation of innocence to the world while she also presents a representation of something unchaste.
Blue eyeshadow didn’t lose its cultural meaning. But, the trends shifted to reflect how women were viewed at the time. Blue eyeshadow was still associated with freedom and power — but there were caveats.
So, is it really that deep?
Yes, I think it really is that deep!
It may seem overzealous to give so much meaning to blue eyeshadow. It’s just makeup, after all. However, I think that makeup is the perfect medium to explore gender. Who wears it and how they wear it plays into gender (like Monroe) or subverts it (like Grace Jones). There’s always something deeper to explore when it comes to makeup!
I also want to point out that the bulk of symbolism around blue eyeshadow revolves around white women and characters. There’s a double standard around who is allowed to do what in media. Some women are allowed to be free and powerful while others aren’t. For example, blockbuster movies don’t feature as many women of color in stories of power. Like any aspect of culture that has traveled through the decades, it’s crucial to think about what forces helped shape it.
Blue eyeshadow may be an unlikely place to explore attitudes around women and power, or to understand the (groundbreaking) influence of pop art, but makeup has always been ripe with culture. Of course we can learn something from it!
Do you know of any other important references to blue eyeshadow? Feel free to pop them in the comments or let me know if you have any insight on the importance of blue eyeshadow!
