When does makeup stop being makeup and become facepaint?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

This is something that's been bubbling under the surface of the fandom for ages, so let's talk about what the deal is here. I'm sure the makeup team are nice people and they do their job very well, and wrestling should allow for a bit of creative and artistic licence in terms of how to enhance the presentation of these already attractive women. But then you get these experimental jobs occasionally and it's so jarring. I don't think when Ronda Rousey thought to give this wrestling thing a crack, that she'd ever picture herself winning a title looking like the Nightman (ah-AH-ahhhhhhhh).

[Old Jack Burton]

It's not only the make-up team, it's what the women wrestlers actually want. If you look at indie wrestling there are a myriad of women who wear very dramatic make-up and facepaint. And it has a long history in Joshi promotions.

[Deleted]

I'm not sure when it happened but there was a shift so now I see some of the women wearing it as if it were paint. Like, they'd never go outside looking like that but apparently in a match it makes sense? Even their IG pics differ. I just don't get who's idea it is and the purpose because there's a shift towards how they look wrestling and how they look outside of wrestling.

[schma]

A part of me wonders if this was partly to tide over the old guard as we move further and further from 'divas'. Just kinda throwing them a bone. That or perhaps the makeup people or the performers figure this is the kind of thing Vince likes. I was wondering what the hell was up with Rousey's eye stuff. I mean she usually has weird eyeliner going on but this was next level. If it continues to spread she'll look like Jeff Hardy when she gets to evolution. Then there's the poor women on Smackdown who were shot with Homer's makeup gun. It makes sense for Carmella's gimmick but why the others?

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Aug 20, 2018 3:58:25 GMT -5 Old Jack Burton said:

It's not only the make-up team, it's what the women wrestlers actually want. If you look at indie wrestling there are a myriad of women who wear very dramatic make-up and facepaint. And it has a long history in Joshi promotions.

Fair enough. I was under the impression that in WWE that the makeup was, for lack of a better term, forced upon them because, like the post above says, it can get really garish at times.

[Sparvid]

[FinalGwen]

I feel like I've pointed it out a lot, but since people keep posting the Simpsons makeup gun, it'll be no more repititious to say that WWE's style of makeup takes a lot from stage/theatre makeup, which has to be big and flashy for people in the cheap seats to see. It just contrasts badly when you've got HD cameras in everyone's face as well.

[CMPunkyBrewster]

Aug 20, 2018 3:58:51 GMT -5 @kn said:

I'm not sure when it happened but there was a shift so now I see some of the women wearing it as if it were paint. Like, they'd never go outside looking like that but apparently in a match it makes sense? Even their IG pics differ. I just don't get who's idea it is and the purpose because there's a shift towards how they look wrestling and how they look outside of wrestling.

....this makes less sense than almost anything else I will read today.

Of COURSE there's a shift from what they look like in wrestling and what they look like in real life.

I don't know how to tell you this, but the Undertaker doesn't go everywhere in a trenchcoat and a giant hat. Seth Rollins doesn't wear tights all the time. Sting doesn't paint himself up like the Crow's stunt double to go to the grocery store.

[Deleted]

Aug 20, 2018 5:10:07 GMT -5 FinalGwen said:

I feel like I've pointed it out a lot, but since people keep posting the Simpsons makeup gun, it'll be no more repititious to say that WWE's style of makeup takes a lot from stage/theatre makeup, which has to be big and flashy for people in the cheap seats to see. It just contrasts badly when you've got HD cameras in everyone's face as well.

Well, even in that case I'd say it's stupid because WWE ignores the crowd in every other capacity imaginable, why not that one?

[KobashiChop]

They were going for something beyond makeup with Ronda. Made her look kinda terrifying. So I don't mind that.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Aug 20, 2018 5:10:07 GMT -5 FinalGwen said:

I feel like I've pointed it out a lot, but since people keep posting the Simpsons makeup gun, it'll be no more repititious to say that WWE's style of makeup takes a lot from stage/theatre makeup, which has to be big and flashy for people in the cheap seats to see. It just contrasts badly when you've got HD cameras in everyone's face as well.

Yeah this is the big issue; the idea behind this goes back to traditions that honestly kind of predate WWE and veer right back on into the classical era. Its purpose isn't just to be seen from the cheap seats, but put in places meant to make it so that facial expressions look bigger and more noticeable from that distance. But where the snag gets me is that it's a recent development rather than one they've simply not outgrown. The make-up being so overbearing has only been something they've done recently, which makes it stand out as pure goddamn nonsense someone in the company has just decided to go with. And it's bad.

[thetower52]

It stops being make up when it makes you look like mantaur

[DrBackflipsHoffman]

Ronda consistently has the makeup and hair of somebody who has really pissed off a makeup and hair team

[Push R Truth]

My friend's wife was in TV for years (backup weather girl, reporter and occasional news anchor) and just retired. She shows up now and then to PPV parties. She's said a couple times that most of the bad "hooker makeup jobs" we've seen in the WWE the last couple years are more often a result of high def TV revealing something that's been done for decades than they are just "bad makeup artist". Although she also said TV makeup was hard enough reporting from a street corner somewhere let alone somebody trying to wrestle and sweat a gallon.

She's normally amazed it doesn't look worse.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

I'd say Becky Lynch was an example of how to do it right, and Ronda was an example of how to do it wrong.

I loved what Ronda was going for, but it just made her look odd.

[Deleted]

Aug 20, 2018 6:17:55 GMT -5 CMPunkyBrewster said:

Aug 20, 2018 3:58:51 GMT -5 @kn said:

I'm not sure when it happened but there was a shift so now I see some of the women wearing it as if it were paint. Like, they'd never go outside looking like that but apparently in a match it makes sense? Even their IG pics differ. I just don't get who's idea it is and the purpose because there's a shift towards how they look wrestling and how they look outside of wrestling.

....this makes less sense than almost anything else I will read today.

Of COURSE there's a shift from what they look like in wrestling and what they look like in real life.

I don't know how to tell you this, but the Undertaker doesn't go everywhere in a trenchcoat and a giant hat. Seth Rollins doesn't wear tights all the time. Sting doesn't paint himself up like the Crow's stunt double to go to the grocery store.

Dawg...

You clearly misunderstood my post. My post basically said "the makeup they wear in their IG pics differs from what they wear in the ring and it doesn't make sense." You just said "clearly" right now while giving me these examples. Undertaker had a giant hat and trenchcoat because his name is THE UNDERTAKER. Sting painted because that was part of the Crow gimmick. Rollins has been seen wearing tights/training pants when he does Crossfit numerous times, it works with his character and it's best for him to do what he does. Most things wrestlers do have a point and from that you can trace that back to how they are in real life whether it's New Day and their numerous things (which they've stated come from something they say or something they like) to other things with their characters.

The women who go overboard with the makeup don't do that in real life because we've seen them on social media so there's a disconnect. Are they doing it to be more intimidating? Are they doing it for the office? We don't know, we just know that it's something they only do when they show up for a match which goes back to what I said in the first paragraph about it not working with their characters.

If you don't understand that then shit, God bless. I was saying the same thing the thread title said.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

When you go to the ring looking like the Nightman trying to get into that boy's-oul.

[Dub H]

Aug 20, 2018 9:19:08 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

I'd say Becky Lynch was an example of how to do it right, and Ronda was an example of how to do it wrong.

I loved what Ronda was going for, but it just made her look odd.

To be fair,you would have to try real hard to ruin Becky Lynch's natural beauty.

[Pushed to the Moon]

Aug 20, 2018 9:19:08 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

I'd say Becky Lynch was an example of how to do it right, and Ronda was an example of how to do it wrong.

I loved what Ronda was going for, but it just made her look odd.

I disagree I thought Becky looked weird. I know women just use makeup for fun or just cos they like it or whatever and not for jerks like me to find it attractive but it's kinda distracting and odd sometimes when it's like last night.

[schma]

Aug 20, 2018 5:10:07 GMT -5 FinalGwen said:

I feel like I've pointed it out a lot, but since people keep posting the Simpsons makeup gun, it'll be no more repititious to say that WWE's style of makeup takes a lot from stage/theatre makeup, which has to be big and flashy for people in the cheap seats to see. It just contrasts badly when you've got HD cameras in everyone's face as well.

I can see what you're getting at and if I'm viewing a play in a theatre or something I'm all for it.  However, any arena or stadium worth its salt has huge viewscreens that anyone from about halfway up the stands can see.  There is also the fact that none of the men have crazy smears of makeup.  If they were truly concerned about getting emotions across through makeup, they'd be doing up the lads as well.