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#2501 DISCUSSION: Makeup in LEGO

In today’s post we’re looking at the history of makeup in LEGO, from the first pirate with bright red lipstick to figures today with eyelashes and blush. We’ll also be expressing our mixed feelings on the topic, as LEGO’s depictions of makeup carry some significant pros and cons. What do you think about makeup in LEGO? Comment below!


#2501 DISCUSSION: Makeup in LEGO A large image of a yellow LEGO minifigure head with freckles, pink lipstick, and prominent eyelashes. Extending out from behind it like the spokes of a wheel are smaller images of, from the left round to the right, a minifigure from LEGO Paradisa with a black ponytail and simple bright red lips. A minifigure of Black Widow from Marvel. A mini doll of Moana from Disney. The LEGO Rococo aristocrat CMF, a woman in a fancy dress with extravagant makeup and a large wig. Makeup is an awesome way for people (and minifigures) to express themselves. But how much makeup is too much makeup? How do LEGO prints relate to beauty standards and the real world? In today’s post, we’re taking a look at LEGO’s history with makeup, and exploring some different points of view on the topic.

A History. The first figures with makeup came in 1989. Image of a pirate minifigure with basic bright red lips and a corset. Makeup didn’t immediately become a “new normal” for fem characters, though- many still used the standard classic face. Two images of minifigures with long hair and the classic LEGO smile face print. The girl-targeted Paradisa theme brought eyelash prints in 1992. Image of Paradisa logo, it has two palm trees on it and a vibrant colour scheme. Image of a minifigure head from paradisa, with bright red lips and extreme eyelashes to the sides of the eyes. This head print was used up until 2010! The head print in question is of bright red lips and eyelashes around the tops of the eyes. More heads were introduced in the 90s with similar eye makeup and prominent lipstick. Image of a minifigure head with brown hair around the sides, small eyelashes, and bright red lipstick. Image of a minifigure head with brown hair coming down from the top and a small microphone on one side, with subtle eyelashes and large red lips. Image of a minifigure head with a headband on its forehead, with large eyeliner and eyelashes and red lips. For a broader timeline of feminine LEGO, see post #2438! Image of cover slide of Post 2438, Portrayal of Women in LEGO #1.

Moving into the 2000s, with licensed themes, makeup prints became more subtle. Image of Padme Amidala from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Image of the yellow LEGO minifigure head equivalent of her. She has just small eyeliner rather than noticeable eyelashes like before, and her lips are a more pink, more natural shade than previous lipstick prints. As more makeup prints became available, fem figures generally stopped having plain heads. Image of police motorcyclist minifigure with visor open showing very prominent eyelashes and lipstick. Image of Hermione Granger minifigure from the early 2000s with eyeliner and subtle lipstick. 2004 introduced a less exaggerated, but still feminine, face. Image of yellow LEGO minifigure head with very minimal eyelashes and pale pink lips. In 2012, mini-dolls were introduced, along with a “cute” art style that even put makeup on animals! Image of mini doll with blonde hair and large, bright blue eyes, and very noticeable eyeliner and eyelashes. Image of LEGO moulded Giraffe with eyeliner and eyelashes. Image of LEGO moulded duck with big purple eye makeup. With the mini-doll art style, eyes and eye makeup are more exaggerated, but also more realistic, than on minifigures. Image of LEGO minifigure wearing makeup with it pointed out that it has Lining and lashes separate from eye and the eyes are a round shape. Image of LEGO mini doll wearing makeup with it pointed out that it has Lining and lashes matching eye shape And corners to its eyes.

In 2013 came the first black female head. Image of LEGO minifigure head in reddish brown with gold details around the edge and blue alien eyes. She has eyelashes and pink lips. Stass Allie from Star Wars, an alien. It wasn’t until 2014 that there was a human black woman figure… Image of LEGO minifigure head in reddish brown with bright red lipstick and noticeable eyelashes. …and 2016 that there was one with more subtle makeup. Image of LEGO minifigure head in reddish brown with paler lips and smaller lashes. Extra details like coloured eye shadow and blush have been on some figures over the years. Image of mini doll head with blue eye shadow. Image of minifigure head with pink eye shadow and gold face paint. Image of minifigure head with lavender blush. In the 2020s there are more skin tones and styles available than ever before. Subtle eyelashes seem to be the minimum/standard for “female” faces. Image of two LEGO minifigure heads from female characters, one medium tan, the other yellow, both with their only makeup being small eyelashes, but looking slightly different to one another. Almost every female figure has at least printed eyelashes. There have been very few male figures to ever have printed makeup. Image of The Joker minifigure with his white face paint and lipstick pointed out. Image of Jonathan Van Ness minifigure from Queer Eye with his eyelashes pointed out.

Minus Symbol. Heads of realistic skin tones almost exclusively come from sets based on film/TV. People in film/TV are often more glamourous than in real life. This can limit the selection of more subtle looks in realistic skin tones. This dual-sided head has been used for 19 different minifigures! Source: Bricklink. Image of minifigure head Dual Sided Female Dark Brown Eyebrows, Black Eyelashes, Nougat Lips, Neutral with Dimple / Open Mouth Scowl with Teeth Pattern. Heads with prints like these end up re-used multiple times. Image of Medium Nougat Minifigure, Head Dual Sided Female, Black Eyebrows, Reddish Brown Lips, Lopsided Grin / Right Eyebrow Raised Pattern and Light Nougat Minifigure, Head Dual Sided Female, Black Eyebrows, Dark Red Lips, Smile, Scowl with Teeth Pattern. This is part of a wider issue in LEGO of limited options for various skin tones that they have only addressed recently. Minus Symbol. Exaggerated eyelashes being the norm for women isn’t realistic*. It’s a style detail more than something that needs to be there.

Minus Symbol. Exaggerated eyelashes being the norm for women isn’t realistic*. It’s a style detail more than something that needs to be there. Big eyelashes are a long-standing element of cartoon visual communication… but is it time for things to change? Image of LEGO Minnie mouse minifigure. Image of LEGO Ariel (Little Mermaid) Mini doll. Both have prominent cartoonish eyelashes. Plus symbol. LEGO is customisable so you can use any head on any body that you want and decide the character’s gender for yourself. Makeup is just another option. Image of headless LEGO minifigure with 3 different heads floating above it. Two have different styles of makeup, one has a goatee. There is a lot of power in imagination, but it doesn’t change the “official” genders of characters that prints come from and the messages sent by them. So is this as much of a plus as we’d like it to be?

Minus Symbol. Makeup prints are used for almost every female character. This reinforces the environment of beauty standards young girls are already surrounded by in our society.Do little girls really need to be told by their toys that every woman needs to look pretty? Image of LEGO Cinderella mini doll and Cho Chang (from Harry Potter) minifigure. Both have indications of makeup. This also creates a limitation in the visual language of LEGO prints regarding makeup on male figures. Why shouldn’t this head be a male character? Image of a LEGO minifigure head with blush and small eyelashes. You can make it so with your imagination, but it is then inconsistent with what’s implied by official figures and the art style overall. Plus Symbol. LEGO is making progress on some of these issues. The number of subtle prints is slowly growing. Image of two LEGO minifigure heads, one in medium tan, one in yellow, with subtle eyelashes. LEGO is continuing to diversify the selection of prints and skin colours. Images of LEGO minifigure heads with makeup in different shades of brown.

Culture-Specific Makeup. In some cases LEGO has depicted makeup more specific to certain cultures. This CMF has a traditional Japanese look with a white-painted face and red lipstick. Image of Kimono girl CMF. Ancient Egyptian minifigures have the iconic kohl around their eyes. Image of Ancient Egyptian Warrior minifigure with lining around eyes pointed out. Figures of Ursula from The Little Mermaid serve her drag queen design origins. Source: time.com/6282514/little-mermaid-ursula-drag-queen-divine/ Image of Ursula minifigure. She has enormous red lips and large blue eye shadow. Sets from The Lone Ranger had members of the Comanche tribe with somewhat accurate face paint. Image of Chief Big Bear minifigure. He has red line markings level with his eyes. What do you think of how LEGO has used makeup on figures over the years? Where do you think LEGO has done well or needs to improve? Comment below!


1 Comment

servantshiver
Oct 07

This article is really well-researched and informative. geometry dash meltdown

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