When Taylor Swift stepped out in an all-blue look to promote her Eras Tour film this month, fans went wild for her matchy-matchy fashion look.
The singer stunned crowds in an electric blue Cinderella-style gown and matching eyeshadow, signalling a return to a make-up trend that is reaped in history and has its roots in sexuality and allure.
Fashion North looks back on some of the best blue eyeshadow looks to show how it is not just a colour but a representation of feminism.
1950s Barbie doll at the exhibition ‘World of Barbies’ in Munich, Germany
When Barbie was released in 1959 she was donning gold hoops, red lips and blue eyeshadow. The creation of the doll was about far more than being a child’s plaything but a representation of womanhood as the first mass-consumed adult doll.
Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra (1963)
Elizabeth Taylor wore the same shade in her portrayal as Cleopatra, a historical figure who is viewed as a powerful female leader, confident in her rule and sexuality.
PJ Harvey in concert at The Forum in London, UK. 12th May 1995 – Credit: Alamy
PJ Harvey, singer, and musician, is a woman who should be valued not only for her music but the variety and complexity of femininity that she promotes. In a Dazed article about Harvey’s style, Claire Marie Healy wrote: “Harvey took all the markers of restricted femininity and subverted them – taking them to draggish extremes that challenged the male gaze.” Healy also stated that Harvey taught her that “clothes and make-up don’t hide a woman – they help her conquer.”
In the 2016 film, The Love Witch, Anna Biller plays a witch who seduces men, all of whom become obsessed with her.
Anna Biller, The Love Witch (2016) – Credit: Alamy
The essay ‘The Love Witch and the Subversive Female gaze,’ states the film “manages to simultaneously celebrate and critique women who harness male desire to achieve their goals” and, one way Elaine attempts to do this is her makeup which acts as a “layer of armour”.
Taylor Swift has a deep love affair with blue eyeshadow; wearing it in her earlier years of her debut album and recently matching it to her Oscar de la Renta gown on the ‘Eras Tour’ premiere carpet. Swift stands in her own right as a woman of confidence and empowerment. She embraces sexuality in a way that is fresh and totally, utterly women-focused.
Taylor Swift at the premiere of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”. Credit: Alamy
For shades to feel empowered and confident in, try our suggestions of the best blue eyeshadows to buy:
Mineralist stonewashed eyeshadow palette:
Revolution shadow cream in Obsessed Teal
What do you think of blue eyeshadow? Will you be wearing it?
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