The fashion industry’s obsession with Dramatic beauty biases us all

We’re likely all at least a little brainwashed.

Humans gravitate to the familiar. Like maybe we prefer Classic Rock to Jazz largely because we’ve listened to a lot more Classic Rock than Jazz.

This bias to prefer what’s familiar is called the Mere Exposure Effect, and the effect helps explain society’s current bias toward the Dramatic style essence.

Especially in the fashion and beauty industry, the Dramatic face type is heavily overrepresented in American popular culture. Via social media, we may be exposed relentlessly to highly Dramatic features, like dense, low-set brows and razor-sharp cheekbones and jawlines.

Per the Mere Exposure Effect, this overrepresentation of Dramatic beauty can bias us to view Dramatic features as more beautiful than other types of features.

How Dramatic is the modeling industry?

To figure out which style essences the most famous models have, I used a shrewd research strategy that consisted of googling “most famous models.” The first link that came up presented the “Top 25 Most Popular Supermodels of All Time.”

I’m not sure what rigorous methods were used to compile the list, but many of the models on it—like Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Karlie Kloss, Tyra Banks, Cara Delevingne, and Heidi Klum—would undoubtedly appear on other compilations of popular models. So the list seemed sufficient to provide an estimate of how common the Dramatic style essence is among models.

Of the 25 models listed in that article, a staggering 2 of them—Natural Elle Macpherson and Ethereal Classic Gamine Kate Upton—have no significant Dramatic.

So based on this list, over 90% of the most popular models may have Dramatic.

Below I’ll list the specific 25 models included in the article, as well as their style types. First, here’s seven possible reasons why it’s so overwhelmingly common for models to have the Dramatic style essence:

1. Dramatics are (sometimes) tall

Models are usually tall, and Dramatics are often tall. Maybe the reason Dramatics predominate on runways is as simple as that.

But probably not, because lots of tall people don’t have the Dramatic style essence. Just a few examples of female celebrities who are allegedly 5’9’’ or taller and have no Dramatic: Ethereal Natural Gamine Maggie Gyllenhaal, Natural Classic Ingenue Kate Middleton, Natural Gamine Queen Latifah, Ethereal Natural Paris Hilton, Ethereal Natural Ingenue Leelee Sobieski, Ethereal Natural Classic Mira Sorvino, and Romantic Natural Gamine Jordin Sparks.

We could go on, but the point is—people with Ethereal or Natural or both also commonly are tall.

It’s also possible to be tall even if you lack any of the three elongated essences (Ethereal, Dramatic, Natural). Mariah Carey, for instance, is a Romantic Gamine Ingenue, and she’s 5’8’’.

So given that many people who are model height don’t have any Dramatic, height isn’t a sufficient explanation for Dramatic overrepresentation in modeling.

2. The Dramatic style essence is avant-garde

Fashion models have to sell unconventional, avant-garde pieces and pull off correspondingly edgy hair and makeup.

Of all the essences, Dramatics’ striking, intimidating features are most harmonious in striking, intimidating fashion, hair, and makeup. So designers may employ Dramatic models because these models’ faces match avant-garde styling.

3. Dramatics can pull off styles outside their own essence

You may rightly point out that runway fashion and styling isn’t always Dramatic—all the style essences are well-represented in at least some designers’ collections.

This is true, but because Dramatics are so intimidating, they of all the types are most capable of pulling off styles that aren’t actually harmonious with their faces.

It’s like how a person who’s really intimidating tends to be capable of more rule-breaking than a person who’s really nice—the intimidating person may bully their way into getting to engage in illicit behavior.

So formidable Dramatic faces may intimidate us into subconsciously accepting that they can pull off any style, even styles that break their fashion guidelines.

4. Dramatics are seriously harmonious

Fashion shows are typically more about the clothing than the model, so the model acts as an unsmiling, somewhat stiff, mobile mannequin.

Dramatics are able to execute this mannequin-like impression, because they look authentic and harmonious when they have serious, aloof facial expressions.

5. Dramatics photograph true to life

Of all the essences, Dramatic bone structure may photograph most true to real life. So Dramatics may have an easier time than other types looking authentic and confident on camera.

Why? Straight lines translate more accurately on camera than rounded lines, because it’s easier to conceptualize and replicate straight lines in 2D space (think about how hard it is to draw a box on paper vs. a sphere—it’s easier to show that the box has dimension; it’s harder to accurately render rounded shapes).

This may explain why sharp jawlines are increasingly popular in our highly digital world.

6. The fashion industry, and American culture, values power

Highly Dramatic faces project power and extreme confidence, and designers may seek models who embody these qualities. Dramatic beauty may also be particularly valued in achievement-obsessed, power-obsessed American culture.

7. Dramatics subvert beauty norms

The fashion industry has a history both of maintaining and challenging traditional beauty standards. So choosing models with unique Dramatic features like elongated noses and jaws could partly reflect a challenge to conventional ideas of beauty.

But given that common model features like sharp elongated bone structure now have widespread appeal, the subversiveness of the current model look is highly debatable.

Dramatics are beautiful

Dramatics are incredibly beautiful, and I love their faces, and I love Dramatic fashion. I also don’t think they’re at fault for their overrepresentation.

As noted, there’s also an irony in Dramatic overrepresentation, because Dramatics often have features that don’t fit traditional beauty standards (like elongated noses). So the irony is that certain features that were once outside of conventional beauty standards have become the new conventional beauty standards.

The question of Dramatic overrepresentation is complex, especially given the fashion industry’s history both of challenging and reinforcing beauty norms.

Sales tax without representation

Critically, even if our specific type of beauty isn’t highly represented among models or people in pop culture more broadly, that doesn’t make us less beautiful.

The fashion industry is biased to value avant-garde styles and powerful, intimidating vibes. So, they’re extremely biased to value Dramatics. But their bias is just that—bias. There is so much beauty in Dramatics’ striking, avant-garde aura, but there’s also so much beauty in all the other essences, like Ingenues’ rounded, pretty, agreeable aura.

To be fair, Dramatic beauty isn’t the only type that’s overrepresented, and future posts will explore societal biases related to other style essences.

The model list

Finally, here’s the “Top 25 Most Popular Supermodels of All Time”, with the style essences I’ve typed each model as having.

(Their style essences here aren’t necessarily listed in order of prominence in their faces. I just used a standardized naming system. This means that someone listed as an Ethereal Dramatic Gamine might be a dominant Ethereal, but they might also be a dominant Dramatic or a dominant Gamine).

Cara Delevingne—Ethereal Dramatic Gamine

Twiggy—Romantic Dramatic Ingenue

Tyra Banks—Ethereal Dramatic Gamine

Kate Upton—Ethereal Classic Gamine

Karlie Kloss—Dramatic Classic Gamine

Miranda Kerr—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic Classic

Coco Rocha—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Joan Smalls—Romantic Dramatic

Lauren Hutton—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Arizona Muse—Dramatic Natural

Lindsey Wixson—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Veruschka von Lehndorff—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Christie Brinkley—Dramatic Natural Classic

Adriana Lima—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Claudia Schiffer—Dramatic Natural

Jerry Hall—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Heidi Klum—Dramatic Natural Classic

Cindy Crawford—Romantic Dramatic Classic

Elle Macpherson—Natural

Jean Shrimpton—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic Classic

Naomi Campbell—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Linda Evangelista—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Christy Turlington—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic

Gisele Bundchen—Ethereal Dramatic Natural

Kate Moss—Romantic Ethereal Dramatic