Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood history. People adored her talent, her beauty, and her many romances. But one thing about her sparked endless fascination: her eyes. For decades, fans and magazines claimed that Elizabeth Taylor had rare and beautiful violet eyes. The question is, was this really true?
Her eyes looked purple in many photographs. In movies, they seemed to change color depending on the light and her outfits. This only added to the mystery and magic surrounding her. It made her seem even more special and unique.
However, eye doctors and color experts have studied this mystery. They have looked at countless photos and read interviews with people who knew her. The truth is a bit more complicated than the legend. It involves genetics, clever Hollywood lighting, and a little bit of movie star magic.
Elizabeth Taylor did have unusual eyes. They were striking and unforgettable. But were they actually purple? Let’s find out the true story behind Elizabeth Taylor’s famous eye color.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Purple or Violet Eye Color
She was a terrific screen star due to her acting talents, and audiences constantly found themselves mesmerized by her eyes’ violet or purple color. Did she really possess purple eyes, though?
In addition to her purple eye color, Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes had another special trait. She was born with distichiasis, a genetic condition that results in an extra row of eyelashes.
The controversial purple or violet eye color has become the signature trademark of Elizabeth Taylor. No other celebrity has had such a distinctive eye color as that.
What’s the Truth?
Humans do not possess a purple or violet eye color naturally. The only exceptions to this rule are in the rare cases of people who have albinism and whose eyes naturally resemble violet.
Elizabeth’s eyes were probably a dark bluish that could appear violet in the right lighting. She also augmented the unique eye color by adding an assortment of blue and violet eye shadow shades throughout her acting career.
A lot of people are actively photoshopping her eyes in pictures to make them look more violet, which makes it difficult to determine which photos really show her natural color.
Though some people believe that there exist some people who could take on the characteristics of the mysterious purple eye due to a genetic defect, most scientists say that such a genetic mutation is extremely rare.
It does not matter whether her eyes were dark blue or purple. Everybody agrees she had amazingly beautiful eyes.
Did Elizabeth Taylor’s Purple Eyes were due to Colored Contact Lenses or Other Cosmetics?
At present, contact lenses are available in a range of eye-catching shades, giving people the option to gain additional eye color. As colored contact lenses were commercially available only after 1983, we can’t expect that her purple or violet-colored eyes were the results of colored contacts. Liz Taylor’s eye color was real.
The color of the iris depends on the pigment melanin in your eyes (the pigment melanin is the reason your irises look the way they do).
The dark brown color of your irises is the result of high melanin levels in your eyes. The lower the amount of melanin, the lighter will be the eye color, such as green or blue. Perhaps Taylor’s eyes were unique because they had an unusually rare quantity of melanin.
Norman Saffra, chairman of the ophthalmology department at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., explained to Live Science that there are many shades of blue and gray, with lots of variations in between them.
Violet or purple was Taylor’s general pigmentation, he stated. It is possible for someone to have this particular eye color; it all depends on the amount of melanin, according to him.
The light that is reflected off the iris can change the eye’s natural color. For example, eye color can change as a result of wearing certain clothing.
Makeup can make the violet or purple color even more apparent based solely on the different shades of eyeshadow that a particular person may wear.
Elisabeth Taylor was often photographed wearing blue or purple eyeshadow to accentuate and “spook up” her violet eyes, or dark brown eyeshadow and black and red eyeliner to accentuate and draw attention to their unique hue.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Did Elizabeth Taylor really have purple eyes?
No, most experts agree she did not have truly purple eyes. True purple eyes do not naturally occur in humans. Elizabeth Taylor had very deep, vivid blue eyes. In certain lighting, with specific makeup and clothing, these blue eyes appeared violet. The legend of her violet eyes grew because of her beauty and the Hollywood magic that surrounded her.
2. What made her eyes look purple?
Several factors made her eyes appear violet. First, she had a rare genetic condition called distichiasis, which gave her a double row of dark eyelashes. This made her eyes look darker and more dramatic. Second, she often wore deep purple and blue clothing and makeup. These colors reflected in her eyes. Third, movie set lighting could make her blue eyes take on a violet hue.
3. What was Elizabeth Taylor’s actual eye color?
Her actual eye color was a very deep, rich, and striking blue. It was not a common pale blue. It was a darker shade with depth and intensity. This unique shade of blue, combined with her dark lashes and Hollywood lighting, created the famous violet eye illusion that captivated the world.