Babe, wake up—the internet has a new buzzword. For the past few years, TikToks and posts have gone viral depicting people with the so-called iPhone face. This is also known as ‘smartphone face’ or ‘Instagram face.’
According to TikTokers, you are either one or the other. For instance, in a TikTok that has amassed 3.2 million views, user @moggingthemoggest posed at the camera. The on-screen text read: “Not an iPhone face, but the face 1950s men would go to war for.”
In the comments, people agreed with her—she definitely didn’t have an iPhone face. While many others were lost, questioning what an iPhone face actually is. What does it mean to have an iPhone face or a 1950s face? Is one better than the other? Here’s what we know.
@moggingthemoggest The GenZ aesthetic doesnt suit me #1950s #iphoneface #europe ♬ original sound – .
What is ‘iPhone face’?
However you spin it, the definition of iPhone face is the same: it describes a certain, unmistakable modern look. In terms of facial features, one might be considered to have iPhone face if they have high cheekbones, a slim nose, brilliant white teeth, and shaped eyebrows.
While you might get people who have all these features naturally, one usually gets this look from cosmetic procedures like filler, Botox, a nose job, and veneers. And given the fact that people who get work done are often chasing the same beauty standard, it makes sense that they end up looking the same. So, these types of facial features might look a bit out of place if, for example, you were an actor in a period drama.
“The best way I can describe this is by asking you to picture Kim Kardashian being cast in a film set in the 1700s,” Sophia Butsch, a writer for Align, said. “No matter how good her acting is or how convincingly they style her for the film, she would look incredibly out of place. She simply couldn’t convince anyone that she was from the 18th century. Of course, Kim Kardashian has had quite a few different fillers and procedures done that add to this effect, but other people seem to just be born with faces that look too modern to portray characters from the past.”
And it isn’t just about facial features, it’s about makeup, too. Nicola Coughlan in Bridgerton season 3, for example, started sporting a smoky eye. While that looks good, it isn’t the kind of makeup you’d usually find in the Regency era. It just takes away from the realism. So, it’s common for actors to be accused of having iPhone face if the makeup they have in a period drama is a little on the modern side.
What about 1950s face?
In turn, 1950s face is the opposite of the iPhone face. If you have a 1950s face, it means that you look like you’d fit in in that era. You have a certain timeless look about you.
Additionally, those with a 1950s face also have particular facial features, according to Butsch. She analyzed pictures of some of the most famous faces from that era. They included Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Diahann Carroll. What she found was a few of the same features, including upturned eyes, smaller, pointed noses, and overall facial symmetry.
So, it’s not too different from iPhone face. But another part of it, according to YouTuber Laura Atelier, is having unique features, too. “If you look at Farrah Fawcett, she has thin lips and a high nose bridge as well as an angular jaw,” she told Dazed. “She had a unique look and features that wouldn’t be popular by today’s standards.”
So, while iPhone face is all about fitting in, 1950s face is more about standing out — and honestly? Both are valid and one isn’t better than the other.
The TikToker didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.
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