Redheads.

Red hair is the rarest type of natural hair colour in humans. Since the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, red hair has been seen more of a symbol of wealth and power. It was seen as a great sign of beauty back then, along with the pale skin we associate red heads with.

Many painters have exhibited a facisnation with red hair. The colour 'titian' takes its name from the painter Titian, who often painted women with red hair. Renaissance artist Botticelli's famous painting, 'The birth of Venus' depicts the mythological goddess Venus as a redhead. Who is supposed to depict the very essence of beauty. Other painters notable for their redheads include the pre-Raphaelites, Edmund Leighton, Modigliani and Gustav Klimt.

Rees in 2004 suggested that the vividness and rarity of red hair may lead to it becoming desirable in a partner and therefore it might become more common through sexual selection.
Sometimes red hair darkens as people get older, becoming a browner color and losing its vividness - this leads to some associating red hair with youthfulness, a quality that is generally considered desirable. In Countries like India, Iran and Pakistan, henna is used by women to give a bright red appearence.

Brunettes.

I have decided to look at the three hair colours and how they rae represented in historical culture and the media today. I will use these stereotypes in my final images. By showing, a before and after image and how I can emphsise their qualities using post production. Or possibly the qualities we think someone should pocess because of their hair colour.

Brunettes (like me) are often seen as the dowdy 'girl next door' in films and the media. Or if not that then they are vampy, gothic men stealers with red lipstick and big cuvacious hips! We are never the starring role!
Anita Loos who wrote the novel and screenplay 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' also went on the write a sequal called, 'But gentlemen marry brunettes'. This title suggests a wholesomeness and reliable character people expect in brunettes. Is this in the past or still around in todays society?

Brown hair is culturally identified as the colour of dependability. Brwon hair is, perhaps, most famous for being the colour of mystery and seduction.

In the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' Jane Russel (brunette) plays Marilyn Monroes sidekick, her trusty friend, who albeit, seems more intelligent with buckets more common sense. At the same time she lacks the charm Marilyn has in the film and she gets much less attention from the men in the film.

More representations of beauty...

...Relating to hair. In Western society there seems to be a popular image of beautiful women as having a fair complexion, light eye colour, and blonde hair. In contrast an ideal man would have darker features. We have traditions like the 'fair haired maiden' and 'tall, dark and handsome' to remind us of this (if us brunettes ever dare forget!)
Cultural definitions of feminine beauty vary with regard to body size, skin complexion, hair length and colour.

Historically, the length or removal of hair has been a sign of status, age, appropriateness, and gender distinctiveness. Hair colour has been a symbol in mythology and literature. In 'Paradise lost', Milton's Eve, the original symbol of feminine sexuality, possessed, 'Golden Tresses'.
The innocent princesses often have long, golden hair, whilst the evil witches are shown with dark hair. Blondes are also overly represented in the 'good characters' of angels, saints, goddesses and fairy godmothers. Greek actors who portrayed villians, wore black wigs, heroes wore blonde wigs and clowns wore red wigs.
Do these stereotypes still exist today?

Representations of beauty...

...In History.
In Elizabethans times the style of Queen Elizabeth was very influencial on women. The queen had red hair, so this colour became a real vogue. Women emulated this colour using a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine and oil, seeing this as an ideal of beauty. Another tendancy was to to shave or pluck the hair from the forehead, the idea of a high forehead was considered very attractive.
Pale skin, sought after by many, was a sign of nobility, wealth and delicacy. This pale skin was achieved by a number of means, many of them poisonous. The most popular was 'ceruse', a mixture of white lead and vinegar applied to the face, neck and bosom. This poison shows the extend women, even then would go to to achieve the 'ideal' beauty.

One of Shakespear's most popular sonnets pokes fun at the common metaphors used to describe the ideal beauty of those days:
' My Mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Coral is far more fair than her lips fair
If snow be white, why then her breast is dun,
If her hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses demasked red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks...'

This re-emphasises the time and effort put into a beauty regime even back then. It seems interesting the changes in fashion, even in make up and beauty products. In Elizabethan times women strived to be as white and as pale as possible. Yet now, many of us try to be as dark as we can! Using products like bronzer, oodles of fake tan and inventions like the sunbed we can take this new trend to the very extreme.

Final Images and Representations of beauty in the media..

I have decided to use the studio for my final images. I feel that really high production well lit photographs will work well with my ideas.
I also will research into much more classical traditions of beauty. For example the idea that the princess is always a fair haired maiden and the brunette is often the witch or equally as sinister a character. I will also explore trends and representations of beauty in different eras.

I have looked at some images from magazines and newspapers, everyday life for many people. We are given an image of celebrities representing such perfection and beauty. However if you look a little closer this is a big misrepresentation, although, sure, they are very very beautiful people. They are not perfect! I have found some before and after photographs of some perfect celebrities.

Some experiments

Here I have used some photos I took of people and changed something on their face. I used the clone tool and the smudge tool amongst others. This was really to see how easily something could be changed in photoshop and still look real. I need all my 'after' images to look really natural. Which isn't very easy!

Research for final images

I found this article in the Metro Newspaper, it explains that by changing something simple on a persons face. For example the size of their lips, it will change them much more than we think. It can make girls much sexier or by making eyes smaller can give someone a sinister look to them. I intend to explore this much more in my work. By changing something very subtley yoou can make a total difference to their whole look.