Gender Transformation

My Makeup

I didn't apply any foundation for this look, but I did use a contour colour to create shadows around and under the eyes to create a more sunken look.

I also used them down the nose, to deepen the chin and on the temples to square-off the forehead area.

I used a powder contour colour to straighten up the hairline and to thicken up and brows, making sure to add sparse hairs.

I did use some skin matched foundation to thin down her lips a little.

I then tried 2 different methods for stubble. The first one I just stippled on greaspeaint with a stipple sponge and powdered.

For the other side, I finely cut up some human hair to the shortest lengths I could. I then applied Pros-Aide in th hairline shape I wanted to create, and applied the hair with a sponge.

I think if done well, with really fine hairs, this method might be applicable for film. It would certainly work for theatre, althouth i'm sure stippling on greasepaints is appropriate for that and more accurate in terms of theatre makeup.

I found these youtube tutorials really helpful, and reminded me to add important details like the adams apple, the alteration of the hairline and changeing the nose shape. I do think however, that both women looked a bit too 'polished'. Like how Kristianathe added undereye concealer at the beggining of her video. Whilst men can certainly have good complexions, they don't have flawless skin, so I would avoid this step when creating a masculine look.

Makeup techniques

- Addition of facial hair

- Changeing the hairline

- highlighting and contouring

- heavy brows and sockets

Kristianathe (2014) WOMAN TO A MAN MAKEUP TRANSFORMATION TUTORIAL / Girl to boy make-up [online] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lR6MgzPLJM [Acccessed: February 6th 2015]

dope2111 (2012) Drake Make-up Transformation !!! Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pR20n_U234 [Accessed: February 6th 2015]

Both of these men have hooded lids, where the skin above their eyelid is covering the lid. A very feminine trait is to have large eyelids (generally meaning she has large doe-eyes).

Having a straight, squared-off hairline is more typical of men. Women, who generally have rounder, softer faces, will have a more wavy hairline, or it will come to more of a point in the centre making a more heart-shaped face.

Dr. Stephen Marquadt's 'golden ration' for the male face.

DRAG:

- All about the eyes

- Space

- Shape

- Definition

- Blending

Pritt stick gives good finish for brows but prosaide also works.

Kryolan TV stick, slightly warmer than natural skintone. Go over the lips to create a blank canvas for when they're being drawn back on. Paint pot MAC to fill over brows. Red toned products to cover hairy areas. Gel eyeliner to map out new eye shapes slightly above the natural socket area. Blend out and over with matte black eyeshadow - set any gel with powder eyeshadow so it doesn't transfer. Layer and pat product rather than going back and forth.

Go in with dark contour colour and aplpy with flat foundation brush. Blend out with kabuki and use a warm mid-tone shade inbetween the foundation and contour colour to help merge with three. Keep going back in with a clean brush to blend nose and other areas. Mid-tone colour is important to maintain dimension.

-Highlight after contouring. Triangle shape underneath the eyes.

- Translucent powder in the areas that need powdering

Raja and Manilla (2013) [online image} Available from:https://www.facebook.com/RajaOfficial/photos/pb.176522619030774.-2207520000.1423132897./589444194405279/?type=3&theater [Accessed: February 5th 2015]

Courtey Act (2007) [online image] Available from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/courtney_act/3091691757/ [Accessed: February 5th 2-15]

Nina Flowers (uknown) [online image] Available from:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/351703052120081840/ [Accessed: February 2015]

In Class Practical

- Coloured powder in the contoured areas

- Put some mascara on while lash glue is drying and then apply false lashes (this prevents lashes from catching when applying liner to the lid which can be uncomfortable for men. For bottom lashes: take opposite fake eyelash and turn it upside down then use it for that same eye.

-White liner in waterline

- Draw brows a good 1cm higher than top of eyeshadow

- Can slightly ombre brow for a more natural finish

- Highlight under brow with concelor and define shape. Powder and blend

- Highlight inner corner of the eye

Research and History in Context

Drag Kings

Observations

Jack Black (2014) [online image] Available from: http://maxlevelgeek.com/2014/02/15/jack-black-to-star-in-goosebumps-movie/ [Accessed: February 6th 2015]

Brad Pitt (2014) [online image] http://aimworkout.com/brad-pitt-workout-routine-diet-plan-2/523/ [Accessed: February 6th 2015]

Dr. Stephen Marquadt. The Golden Ratio. (2002) [online image] Available from: http://www.jco-online.com/archive/article-view.aspx?year=2002&month=6&articlenum=339 [Accessed: February 6th 2015]

There are multiple different types of drag.

The contestants of Rupaul's Drag Race have shown a variety of styles which could inspire different looks for drag.

Manilla Luzon and Raja (left), in this photo are very galmorous and could almost 'pass' for female to the untrained eye. The excessive makeup (the nose contouring in particular) gives them away, although it is expertly done and as far as drag makeup goes, the look is quite subtle.

The use of neutral tones also provides a more natural illusion, including the eyeshadows and lip colour, although this is emphasised by the lip liner. The lashes are also shatteringly unrealistic, but again, typical of drag.

The 'fishier' a drag queen is, the more feminine she looks, aka; the better she can pass. Typically these are the queens that beneath the makeup are actually quite pretty men. They need very little makeup to be able to pass as women, but need to remove their obvious masculine qualities, such as any shadows, eyebrows and hair.

Courtney Act is one such queen. Some drag queens debate that she is a 'proper' drag, as so little effort is required for his transformation.

There is also the more androgynous style of drag which is often more popular amoung slightly older queens, as its inspired by the vintage drag balls of the 70's and 80's.

This style is not centered around looking feminine, and the goal is certainly not to be able to pass. The look is generally a lot more outlandish, freeform and colourful. the outfits can be somewhat bizarre and the makeup is often very colourful, bold and glittery.

Nina Flowers is a popular androdgynous queen. She has a muscular build with tattoos, and doesn't even bother to padd out her outfits to create a more feminine illusion. Her makeup is typically outlandish, very extensive and she rarely wears wigs, and when she does they are styled into bizarre creations.

Drag in Film: Baker, R. (1994) p238 Drag. UK: Mackays and Chatham

For my makeup, I did what I would consider a basic drag look. That is, its not too extreme, uses basic colours, and I just based the look around my mode'ls features.

After flattening the eyebrows with Pros-Aide, I used my MAC foundations to do a primary contour layer.

I mixed the foundatins to match the skintone and then added white foundation to lighten it to a highlight colour and applied it to the centre of the foreheard, the cheekbokes, jawline and chin area.

I then mixed some darker foundation shades into the base colour and applied it under the cheekbones, the temples and around the forhhead and down the nose.

I buffed these two shades together to blend them all, but kept the temple contour dark so I could blend it in with the winged eyeshadow, as i've seen many drag queens do this.

I powdered the foundation and then went in with a contour colour to help soften and blend the transition of the foundation. I also added a little blush.

I then created a generic black and white cut-crease eye look with heavy black eyeliner, winged out to join the temple contour. I brough the black cut-crease round and down at the top of the nose to help with contouring; another makeup method I've seen drag queens use.

The Pros-Aide didn't cover up the brows very well (the glue stick method works better) but I blended up the eyeshadow and drew in thinner, angled eyebrows.

I also added some bold marroon lips, which I would've added white highlight in the centre and blended out if i'd had time. I would have also applied false eyelashes

Overall i'm really pleased with this makeup, especially my contouring which I think I blended really well considering I did the makeup in about 50 minutes.

Drag also explains that the portrayel of drag kings in the media hasn't been anywhere near as prolific as drag queens, and that its use in past media has mainly been for the purpose of creating sexual tension in film.

Lea DeLaria (2014) [online image] Available from: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/GE4onJ4fciI/Arrivals+Logo+TV+Trailblazers+Event/nHeJJHwzcA5/Lea+DeLaria [Accessed: February 6th 2015]

Drag by Rofer Baker goes in-depth about the history of drag, its portrayel and utilisation by the greeks, shakespeare and post-war veterans.

It seems to have been utilised in the past mainly for satirical purposes. I think it's only over the last 50 years that it is started to be appreciated as a form of performance art. Maybe because advances in makeup have allowed the female illusion to be created more convincingly, rather than a badly dragged up, comical pantomime dame.

This image of Danny La Rue (1970) illustartes the difference between the drag queens of then and now.

Some Like it Hot (1959) [online] Available from:http://www.larchmere.com/somelikeithot.jpg [Accessed: February 17th 2015]

Thinner lips is also a common feature amoungst men. Women will typically have bigger lips, or maybe try and enhance their thin lips with makeup. Bigger lips are generally viewed as a more feminine trait.

The eye sockets also tend to be more sunken into the face on men.

These kind of strong lines around the jaw area also create a more angular, masculine face.

The temples are also angled to create a more square face, removing any feminine rounded shapes.

It could be suggested that some 'dykey' lesbians are reminiscent of drag kings. They tend to don more masculine clothes, wear little makeup and tend to have short hair.

They definately don't project a feminine image.

The Gluestick Method

- As an extension of the drag makeup, I did a look with the glue-stick method which has always been a very popular method of covering brows for drag queens.

- I took inspiration from Miss Fame (soon to be a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race) as he does extremely well blended and flawless makeup, as well as excecuting a convincing looking woman.

Miss Fame (2015) Platinum Aura Makeup Tutorial. [online] Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o4JWyJ7mIk&spfreload=10

- I'm really proud of my makeup. I've never been able to achieve such a successful nose contour and I think the rest of my contour work is pretty seamless. I put this down to using a damp beauty blender which really helped fuse the contour and highlight colours.

- I also added white eyelined on my lower waterline to create the illusion of slightly bigger eyes; a trick commonly used by drag performers.

- The gluestick method did make my brows lie flat, however, it didn't really conceal any colour. I think for anyone with thicker browns, powdering and applying more layers of gluestick (maybe with concealor in-between) would have a better effect.