kabustyleeさんのブログ
the politics of fake tan
Donald Trump, Claire Danes and the politics of fake tan
Oompa Loompa. Ross from Friends. Someone covered in Cheetos dust. Social
media was not kind about Claire Danes’ appearance at the Emmys. Despite her gold
Schiaparelli couture dress she became Fug Girl fodder when Danes’ stylist
liberally sprinkled her with fake tan.
But this was not a “red carpet mistake!!!”; it was a calculated move. Danes’
team would have had detailed discussions about the amount of bronzer she should
use on the red carpet. Which begs the question: does Danes’ pallor suggest our
tanning goals have changed?
“Claire Danes’ bronzer is threat level TRUMP,” went one Tweet. It was an
obvious comparison. Jason Kelly, the makeup artist who worked with Trump at the
Republican National Convention, revealed the extent of his bronzer routine. “I
know exactly what he does to himself – the tanning bed, the spray tan, he wears
the goggles and you can see the hyperpigmentation around the eyes,” he told
Harper’s Bazaar “What I’ll do is use a slightly deeper colour and blend it into
his tan so there’s not an abrupt contrast. I’m ready for it.” Hmm, sounds very
“red-carpet glam squad”.
Trump’s look is a deeply constructed one, an exaggerated take on the
“successful businessman”. Bright white teeth, luxurious wave-parted hair and
deep, deep tan. Widely mocked it might be, but it’s a look that denotes
capitalist success. It’s the “I’ve just been on a skiing holiday and have
alphabetised by collection of red wine” look. Has it, in some subconscious way,
recalibrated the acceptable level of tan?
Post-Kim Kardashian, the idea of looking natural has been supplanted by the
need for both men and women to look Instagram ready. Revelations that Benjamin
Netanyahu spent thousands on cosmetics for a diplomatic trip and Robert Harris
saying that Tony Blair, “often wore makeup, even when he wasn’t on TV”, are less
shocking when you consider the digital age we live in and the pressure to look
good in HD.
In the subtle art of bronzer, Trump’s pallor may have started a trend for
“more is more”, which Danes has perhaps bought into. Dressed in gold and with an
intense tan, she looked like a poster girl for modern success. Although on
Emmy’s night, it did not bring her victory. Instead, the award (for lead actress
in a drama) went to Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany.
