I've Been (un)Framed!

The Mona Lisa. Pretty much everywhere, this painting is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful. Or is it just the most famous? Well, don't quote me either way I guess.

Anyway, the point I would like to make has nothing to do with this particular painting. It's just the first one that comes up on a Google search.

But do take a minute to reacquaint yourself with this masterpiece. What stands out to you? What appeals to you? I like the reddish, winding road in the background. I also love the way her hair and veil frame her face. That defined contrast between her smooth skin and the dark curls is really pleasing to my eyes.

In looking at the painting as a whole though, I'm not sure anything really strikes me. I can appreciate its beauty by letting my eyes wander around and notice each element, then coming back to a less focused gaze again to admire how everything comes together.

Now look again:



Now what do you notice? Personally, I find myself fixed on her eyes this time. Why? I think it's the frame. The frame is so confining that my eyes don't wander as much. I take in the whole painting more easily with the frame in my peripheral vision.

Does the frame add to, or take away from, the intrinsic qualities of the painting? Of course not. And here we may find ourselves on either side of a minor debate: is the frame part of the beauty of the painting, or not? Certainly the choice of frame has an impact on the viewer's experience of a painting or photograph. Even more, the fact that there even is a frame affects the viewer, as opposed to a canvas with no frame.

I don't know which I prefer. I'm sure it depends on the painting. I guess I tend to prefer the finished look of a frame.

Have you guessed where I'm going with this? Yes, that's right--hair, as always. Hair is the perfect natural frame for a person's face. I'm talking about hair on the head, eyebrows and, to a point, eyelashes. These work together to create beautiful frames of individual, unique value to every person's face.

Ideally.

What happens when you lose your frame? Or it gets discolored, or gets cracked? Not to treat you like a bunch of kindergarten kids, but it doesn't change the quality of what's on the canvas, the beautiful features positioned on varying skin tones. Admittedly, some features may be enhanced when the frame of hair is present. But realistically, how many faces have you seen without any kind of frame? Do any of us ever get the chance to decide whether we like the canvas as it is better than with a frame, or vise-versa?

Some of us do!

Having the choice to frame my face (or not) has made me think about why I make the choices I do. Why do I wear long scarves that can drape over my shoulder? Why do I insist on wearing eyeliner and drawing on eyebrows at ALL times (yes, I even took time to get them on before I went to the hospital when I was in labor with my son)? Why do I feel so bad about my face until I get those framing signposts on? My eyes are the same with or without makeup, and yet they look drastically different--different enough that I carry eyeliner in my purse and do my eye makeup FIRST thing in the morning (especially when I'm sleeping at someone else's house or have guests in mine). I assume people will appreciate seeing me "framed" as opposed to completely washed clean.

Why is that? Why have women been painting themselves for so long? I mean, this goes back to ancient times, y'all. Why did we decide that we needed makeup on our faces in order to bring out our "beauty" even more? Obviously this is not true in all cultures. But it's true in a lot of them. Maybe.

I think part of why I draw on eyebrows is to appear healthy. Beautiful or not, the presence of eyebrows means the body (or at least the face) is as it should be. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable around me, so I try to make myself look like the other paintings they've seen so far.

The eyeliner? That's just vanity. I think I have pretty eyes, but for some reason I only think they're pretty with makeup. I think there's truth to the assertion, if anyone has made it, that hair on the head and face is universally attractive, if only for the reason that it signifies good health. But I also think that we are simply used to seeing paintings with frames on them. Anything else seems unfinished or undefined. Faces without hair are so uncommon that they look abnormal. Yes, there is a difference between those two words. The difference is in connotation. "Uncommon" can be interesting and appealing, whereas "abnormal" is usually sick and unwanted.

But can we give the unframed face a try? Those of you with hair can never fully conduct this experiment (so sorry), but do your best. Take a moment or two to look at yourself in the mirror with your hair pulled back and off your face (or your head uncovered, fellow baldies) and make sure your face is completely washed clean. What do you see? What stands out to you? What appeals to you, or what do you appreciate? How and why does the frame make such a difference?

We can redefine beauty by taking focus off the frame and letting our eyes fix on the amazing, delicate, strong, crooked, symmetrical, shapes, lines and colors on the canvas laid bare.

(For a funny look at celebrities with no eyebrows, click here. I'm not doing this to make fun of alopecia--I'm doing it first because I'm trying to normalize the fact that hair is not always a given, and second because I do think a light sense of humor is really important. So laugh without guilt. A face without eyebrows when you are used to seeing them, or when they are someone's trademark, is unusual enough that we need laughter to dispel our discomfort, at least at first. More on that later.)