Men in Makeup

Jonathan Rhys-Meyer and Ewan Mcgregor in Velvet Goldmine

Confession: I have had a thing for men in makeup for a long, long time. I didn't grow up listening to David Bowie or Duran Duran, sadly but the first time I remember being exposed (cough) to boys in makeup was in the 1998 movie Velvet Goldmine. Directed by Todd Haynes and starring the sexy trio of Jonathan Rhys-Meyer, Christian Bale and Ewan Mcgregor, Velvet Goldmine was a thinly veiled fiction that heavily referenced the known and speculated relationship between David Bowie (Rhys-Meyer) and Iggy Pop (Ewan Macgregor).


A clip of Jonathan Rhys-Meyer performing The Ballad of Maxwell Demon from Velvet Goldmine:

And here's Ewan McGregor performing Iggy Pop and the Stooges' Gimme Danger...And Ewan Mcgregor performing Iggy Pop and the Stooges' Gimme Danger:

....OK, I need a moment after that....


Where was I? Oh yes, Velvet Goldmine. The makeup and costumes in this film are outstanding, capturing the glam rock era perfectly. More photos:

Christian Bale and Todd Haynes (director) in Velvet Goldmine

Ewan Mcgregor in Velvet Goldmine

Jonathan Rhys-Meyer and Ewan Mcgregor in Velvet Goldmine

Center: Jonathan Rhys-Meyer in Velvet Goldmine

Jonathan Rhys-Meyer in Velvet Goldmine

Ewan Mcgregor in Velvet Goldmine

Men in makeup - what's the appeal? Well, for one, it's something associated with rock & roll and rock musicians have a danger and sex appeal about them. Then there's the androgyny mystique. A man who wears some eyeliner like he couldn't give a shit is sexy. That's the rock star thing again. Think of David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust period. SEXY. There's something alien, mysterious and dangerous about Ziggy Stardust and that's sexy. 



David Bowie

David Bowie

Men have been wearing makeup, secifically eyeliner, for centuries - so why is it not considered manly today? In Ancient Egypt, kohl powder was used by both men and women for both eye protection (from the bright sun, like football players do today) and for aesthetic purposes. Men of the Punjab wear eyeliner on special occasions, such as weddings. 

I'm not talking subtle, cover-up and powder makeup that most men in front of the camera are wearing these days, I'm talking about makeup you can see - colour, shadow, lipstick. I'm not talking about drag queen makeup either, although I am not saying these ladies don't deserve immense recognition and praise, they're more fabulous than most women! I'm talking about men who are men, gay or straight or whatever, who wear makeup for the sake of wearing makeup. They're creating a character, channelling a personality, standing out.

Look at Boy George and Marilyn Manson. The makeup they wear is part of their personalities and have helped make them icons, just like David Bowie. The photo below of Marilyn Manson was during his more glam rock phase when he was playing with gender roles and androgyny, wearing a fake bust, smoky eyes and a glam wig.


Marilyn Manson

Boy George

Adam Ant

Boy George and Adam Ant were popular during the early 80s and their styles were indicative of the New Romantic/New Wave trend. Adam Ant had a foppish, military/tribal look as in the above photo and Boy George's style was hippy-earthy influenced. Both used lots of colour and striped/winged makeup.

Another movie of note is Hedwig and the Angry Inch, based on the off-Broadway play and written, performed and directed by the amazing John Cameron Mitchell.

It features some incredible hair and makeup looks:

John Cameron Mitchell as Hedwig

John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig) and Michael Pitt (Tommy)

John Cameron Mitchell as Hedwig

Michael Pitt as Tommy



Hedwig is a transsexual so she is of course, made-up to look feminine. Onstage she's very glam rock a la New York Dolls and her lover Tommy Gnosis (played by Michael Pitt) is the male version of Hedwig, as above, with eyeliner and silver paint.

Tommy Gnosis - Wicked Little Town from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Marc Bolan

When men have naturally delicate or feminine features, makeup can make them look almost pretty. Marc Bolan, above, one of the big names of the glam rock movement had this effect as did the New York Dolls, below. The New York Dolls' makeup borders on drag. There are few men who can wear make-up and be mistaken for a woman. Men's features tend to be thicker, as is their skin, they have fuller brows and wider jaws and it's not easy hiding stubble.

New York Dolls

The same goes for the pretty, slinky Brits of Duran Duran. Nick Rhodes particularly (2nd from the left) enhanced his pretty features with makeup. Nick Rhodes has features pretty enough to pass for a woman.

Duran Duran

With someone like the young Mick Jagger, who blurred gender lines with his long hair, tight clothes and full lips and wore makeup in the movie Performance, the effect is masculine yet feminine in a compelling way.

Mick Jagger in Performance

Mick Jagger in Performance

Dave Navarro with his perfectly groomed eyebrows and facial hair and makeup (looks like foundation, lipstick and eyeliner/shadow).

Dave Navarro

And the pretty, pretty Jared Leto trying to grunge his face up with scruff, long greasy hair but the eyeliner just makes those baby blues pop.

Jared Leto

Jared Leto could pass as a woman and for proof, check out this video from Youtube of a girl making herself look like him using makeup:

As is befitting of his role as American music's most prominent "punk", Billie Joe Armstrong still wears eyeliner even though he's in his 40s. 



Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day

Even though Bob Dylan fit more in the hippy movement with his folk music, he wasn't a stranger to the gender-bending black smudgy eyeliner that so many of his peers embraced.

Bob Dylan

As a rockstar pirate in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) wears thick black eyeliner but Johnny wears a touch of makeup outside of character too. See below, on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean



Johnny Depp on the cover of Vanity Fair, January 2011



The look suits him, I think.

For some, the definition of rock star is Keith Richards who was Johnny's muse for the character of Jack Sparrow. He rocked the eyeliner then and still does now.

Keith Richards, then.



Keith Richards, nowish

Today's rocker boys may not live up to the legends, but they at least work the look. Here Pete Wentz combines the skater boy attire with black liner and a pout.



Pete Wentz

The same goes for Killers frontman and solo artist Brandon Flowers. He's got the eyeliner, but with slim cut suits and ties, a bit more Bowie than Richards.



Brandon Flowers

Adam Lambert, winner of American Idol, startled mainstream audiences with his flamboyance on the talent show. He veers between glam rock and macho-drag makeup. Here he's working the smoky eye/nude lip.



Adam Lambert

And on the subject of flamboyance and gender-bending, Adam Lambert wouldn't be anywhere without David Bowie and the one and only Prince, who not only wore makeup (blush, eyeliner, shadow and lipgloss) but feminine clothing (including high heels) while straddling the gender fence and making everyone blush.

Prince

Oh, Russell Brand, there's just something about you. Pair the crazy rat's nest hair, the heavy brows and the scruff with some rockstar eyeliner and some posturing in barely buttoned shirts, leather pants or a bikini and you've got it.

Russell Brand

See, he's barely recognizable with shorter hair, no scruff, no eyeliner, no leather, and no chest hair as he films a remake of Arthur. No, Russell, no. Go back to your unclean-looking, rockstar madness!



Russell Brand filming Arthur in NYC



And since we're ending with my favourites, here's someone Russell Brand must have been inspired by, Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap (played by Christopher Guest) in full glitter eye makeup.




Rufus Wainwright

And Rufus Wainwright, darling, poetic, drama queen troubadour, Rufus, here wearing a bit of eyeliner to enhance his big sad eyes.
I posted this and then was reminded that I forgot Jack White (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. Ooops! Jack's worn eyeliner, heavy black eyeshadow and gone for a theatrical, gothic, completely white face with red eyes lately. Unsurprisingly he's not following the guyliner trend, but making his own, just like his music. Thanks Lucky!


Jack White

I'd also forgotten the one and only Eddie Izzard, actor and comedian with a penchant for cross-dressing and makeup. It's not only rockstars who wear makeup. Thanks Sam!


Eddie Izzard



We'll end where we began, with my favourite, Ewan Mcgregor. Ewan has played rockstars and it's common to put eyeliner on a man for photoshoots but he wears a bit of eyeliner for special events, like red carpets and movie premieres just because he likes to. And it looks good.

Ewan Mcgregor

Ewan Mcgregor, is a guy's guy who is comfortable in a kilt, has ridden motorbikes around the world, is a family man, can play gay, bi and straight characters, and has a touch of of the metrosexual about him. He's not a girly boy but he's not a macho man either. No wonder he's my #1!

So what do you think? Do you share my fascination for men in makeup? Should men wear makeup? Do you have any favourites that I've missed?

C.