You’ve seen the posters. You’ve seen the Technicolor close-ups in Cleopatra. There is this persistent legend that Elizabeth Taylor had purple eyes. Not just a "bluish" tint, but actual, literal violet.
Honestly, it’s one of those Hollywood myths that has survived decades because it sounds just magical enough to be true. But when you really look at an elizabeth taylor eyes close up shot—I mean a raw, un-retouched photo from the 1950s—the reality is a lot more interesting than a simple color label.
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She didn't have a "purple gene." That’s not a thing. What she had was a perfect storm of rare genetics, high-contrast features, and some of the most genius studio lighting in cinematic history.
The Genetic "Glitch" That Made Her Famous
Most people focus on the color, but the real biological anomaly was her lashes. When she was just a kid, filming Lassie Come Home, the directors reportedly told her to go wash off her mascara. They thought she was wearing too much makeup for a child.
She wasn't wearing any.
Taylor was born with a condition called distichiasis. Basically, it’s a rare genetic mutation on the FOXC2 gene. It causes a second row of eyelashes to grow from the meibomian glands—the tiny oil glands along the edge of the eyelid where lashes shouldn't normally be.
Instead of a thin line of hair, she had a thick, dark, velvety fringe that naturally framed her irises. Most people with distichiasis actually suffer from it. The extra lashes often grow inward, scratching the cornea and causing constant pain or even blindness. Liz got lucky. Hers grew outward, creating a built-in "eyeliner" effect that made her eyes pop even when she was totally bare-faced.
So, Were They Actually Violet?
The short answer? No.
The long answer? Sorta.
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Human eyes don't actually produce violet pigment. We have melanin (brown) and... well, that’s about it. Blue eyes happen because of something called the Tyndall effect—it’s the way light scatters through the stroma of the iris. It's the same reason the sky looks blue.
Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes were a very deep, very specific shade of blue. They lacked the usual grey or green undertones found in most blue eyes. Because they were such a "pure" deep blue, they were highly reactive to her surroundings.
If she wore a lavender scarf, her eyes picked up the reflection and looked purple. If the studio lights were filtered through a specific gel, they looked violet.
Why the "Purple" Myth Stuck
- Makeup Techniques: Taylor was a master of using blue and purple eyeshadows to "pull" the violet tones out of her blue irises.
- The Limbal Ring: She had an exceptionally dark limbal ring (the dark circle around the iris). This created a massive contrast that made the blue look more saturated and "electric."
- Film Stock: Older film stocks like Technicolor often pushed certain hues. When you combine her deep blue eyes with the warm, saturated tones of 1950s cinema, they translated to the screen as a shimmering violet.
The Health Cost of Perfection
It wasn't all glamour. That same FOXC2 mutation that gave her those "double lashes" is often linked to lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome.
This condition is tied to more than just extra hair; it’s associated with lymphatic issues and even congenital heart problems. Elizabeth Taylor famously struggled with health issues her entire life, including the congestive heart failure that eventually took her life in 2011. While we can't say for certain her heart issues were 100% tied to the lash mutation, the genetic link is something medical experts like those at the Maimonides Medical Center have noted for years.
How to Spot the Illusion Today
If you look at high-resolution digital scans of her later work, you can see the trickery. In movies where the lighting is more naturalistic or "flat," her eyes clearly look blue.
It was only when the "Big Hollywood" machine got ahold of her—using specific key lights and carefully curated wardrobes—that the violet appeared. It’s a testament to the fact that her beauty wasn't just a "freak of nature." It was a collaboration between her unique biology and the artistry of the people behind the camera.
Actionable Insights for the Curious:
- Check the Wardrobe: If you're watching an old Liz Taylor movie, notice how often she is dressed in shades of "periwinkle" or "lilac." This was a deliberate choice by costume designers to trick your brain into seeing her eyes as purple.
- The Lash Look: If you're trying to replicate her look, it’s not about the shadow; it’s about the density of the lash line. Focus on tight-lining the upper lid to mimic that "double row" effect.
- Melanin Levels: Understand that eye color is a spectrum. While truly violet eyes are technically impossible in humans without albinism (where blood vessels show through the iris), a deep enough blue will always look violet in the right "Golden Hour" light.