A question on Twitter from Aug. 15 has set the internet ablaze with debate about new standards for female beauty, particularly in Hollywood.
“Why do all the new crop of starlets being launched have eyes too wide apart?” journalist Inez Stepman asked.
Why do all the new crop of starlets being launched have eyes too wide apart? I don’t even necessarily hate it, on some girls it looks good but it just seems weirdly ubiquitous https://t.co/omgVng7p8h
— Inez Stepman ⚪️🔴⚪️ (@InezFeltscher) August 15, 2023
Stepman posted this commentary in response to a tweet about actress Rachel Zegler, who was cast in Disney’s upcoming adaptation of “Snow White,” which will be released in March 2024.
Zegler is not the only actress whose facial features have caused debate online.
After the release of the trailer of Disney’s live-action adaption of “The Little Mermaid,” actress Halle Bailey’s wide-set eyes were a topic of much discussion. Some on the internet have dubbed this face structure as having prey or “herbivore eyes.”
its herbivore eyes. It makes them look easily predated upon. We used to like more big eyed predator women (eyes closer together). Now we ostensibly like big eyed herbivores.
We used to like female lioness, now we like deer https://t.co/IKPEegDGO1
— 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕝𝕒 𝕃𝕦𝕟𝕖 (@vers_laLune) August 16, 2023
Actress Anya Taylor-Joy, who starred as Emma in the 2020 Jane Austen adaptation, also has wide-set eyes.
Despite the backlash on the internet for the increasing number of actresses sharing these similar facial features, many are left wondering if wide-set eyes are the new standard for female beauty.
Evie Magazine claims, “wide-set eyes are seen as innocent and pretty – which could explain why actresses with these traits are hired as princesses.” (RELATED: Snow White Remake’s Star Touts Movie’s Woke Agenda: ‘She’s Not Going To Be Dreaming About Love’)
These questions and commentary of female facial structure have led to many on the internet turning to phrenology, “the study of the conformation of the skull as indicative of mental faculties and traits of character,” according to Britannica, which dubs it a “pseudoscientific practice.” These ideas have circulated in “far-right” circles, according to an article by Rolling Stone on the topic.
“A cohort of beauty TikTokers have lapsed into similar junk theories as they seek to describe and categorize physical attributes, coming up with bizarre distinctions like ‘angel’ or ‘witch’ skulls and subdividing women into ‘feminine’ and ‘ultra-feminine’ groups,” Rolling Stone wrote.