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randomfoggytiger · 5 days ago

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David Duchovny's "Hail Mary" Nose (and Beard): an Aesthetic Study

Been tumbling down some fashion rabbit holes, and came across the Golden Ratio: simply put, the face is divided lengthwise (horizontally) into thirds (the Thirds Ratio) and crosswise (vertically) into fifths. We're not going to get caught in the weeds with the latter category today, but I was curious to figure out David Duchovny's very singular features.

The Thirds Ratio is key to understanding the universally recognized standard of beauty. What is "pleasing", aesthetically, is proportionate uniformity. Because the eye (and human brain) works to find and replicate patterns, more uniformity means less information for the eye to bounce around and take in. The brain rewards less work with pleasure-- hence, why we are consciously or unconsciously "pleased" with symmetrical features. In short, this is why humanity pretty much agrees on what is most "desirable." Ideally, each third is identically proportioned, regardless of individual striking characteristics (large or narrow eyes; small or large lips; wide or narrow nose; etc.)

In the picture below, I very helpfully divided DD's face into horizontal thirds: the upper third, the middle third, and the lower third.

As we can see, his face-- like most faces on the planet-- is not cut up into idealized thirds: his upper third (hairline to eyebrow) is the largest section, while his middle third (eyebrow to nose tip) and lower third (nose tip to chin-- which includes double chins and beards) are smaller, but equal, thirds.

Now: David is obviously a handsome man... but why? He has a big forehead (large upper third), a big nose, small eyes, and a small chin. How do they work together to harmoniously frame his face?

Simply, simply put: the face draws the eye up or down depending on the length and width of its features. It's all about balancing each feature to draw the eye exactly where a person wants it to rest.

For David, his longest and widest part is his forehead: hence, our eyes are invited to rest there naturally.

To minimize a large (and wide) forehead, bangs are traditionally recommended-- side-swept particularly-- that cut off the corners of the rectangle. (Hence, why DD's most iconic roles-- and hairstyles-- usually feature bangs... unless he razes his hair short.)

Too short, however, will only highlight how much forehead there is:

Now, you might be saying: "But David looks great in pretty much any haircut (unless super flat or super short.) If he has a large forehead, why doesn't he 'need' bangs to hide it all the time?"

Because of his face's saving grace:

THE NOSE

No, I'm not kidding.

DD's thirds we already know; but that's not the end-all-be-all. This is where we divert from the Ratio principle: his forehead pulls the eye towards it, of course; but his other distinctive feature-- his nose-- carries a lot of visual weight, and captures our attention secondarily. So, his forehead may draw our gaze naturally UP, but his nose draws our gaze immediately back DOWN. If David had a more tapered or slender nose, our eyes would have nothing to land on except his forehead.

Our eyes, we've established, bounce quite naturally from The Forehead to The Nose. And where from there?

What is the next distinctive feature? The eyebrows. And what do the eyebrows frame? The eyes. Therefore, our eyes come to land quite naturally on his --exactly where you want them to.

Which is why filled in (and darker) eyebrows are important to David's face, as well: they help hold structure and redirect attention. Without them, the eyes have no place to be directed to other than The Nose:

I personally think "no bangs" suits DD better; with them, our glance is drawn first to The Nose, which can then seem out-of-proportion compared to his small eyes and small chin (which is probably why Hank Moody wore sunglasses all the time-- to make his "eyes" appear bigger, thereby rebalancing his middle third.) David has to turn for us to notice his broader, masculine jaw; but even then, we would be focusing on his profile instead of his face.

We come to the truth of why I started this little journey: The Beard.

THE BEARD

Why, oh why, does David look good in a beard?

Again, again, we refer back to his thirds proportions: top 1/3 largest, middle and lower 1/3s equal.

Now. As we've already explored, David's middle third draws our eyes down from his forehead because of The Nose; which means, the upper and middle thirds now have distinctive, eye-catching features. But what about the lower third? His chin isn't particularly long or sharp or pointed; and his lips aren't especially plump or full or wide. In fact, both attributes are rather short and delicate compared to the whole.

So, what adds distinction-- even length-- to his lower 1/3 ratio?

A beard.

By wearing a beard, DD (unintentionally) tricks the eye into recreating a false, perfected balance between his thirds: a long upper third, a false long middle third (because of The eye-catching Nose), and a false lower third (because of the chin-lengthening beard.) Meaning, his thirds are in equal, idealized harmony.

BALANCE IS KEY

But what happens if he mashes strategies together? Does that work out for him?

Well, he can pull it off... but not as effectively.

On the left, we see David sporting a hairstyle that maximizes his concerns: side-parted and up-and-back, which draws more visual attention to his large upper third. He's corrected that on the right with bangs; but now that his upper third isn't the focal point, we're left with The Nose and The full Beard as two (rivaling) features. This, in effect, drags our eyes DOWN and bounces them back and forth between two focus points; which, in effect, makes his face appear wider and heavier around the jowls. Not as flattering as Bearded and Bangless, but not as terrible as Severe Side-Part and Up-Swept.

CONCLUSION

So: what's the takeaway?

David can wear any hairstyle except ones flat to his head or severely swept up and away from his crown. Those maximize the appearance of his forehead.

He can also pull off bangs-- side bangs in particular-- that shave away the edges of his forehead.

But DD doesn't need them, really, because his nose draws our gaze down and rests them in his middle third (where his eyebrows and eyes are.)

If he wanted to draw a more natural, "even" proportion between his top and middle third, darkening or filling in the top line of his brows (and creating an arch for his hooded eyes) would help to hold one's gaze there (e.g. why photos of his face without darker eyebrows look "off.")

And, lastly, The Monotone can maximize his thirds by growing out a beard.

We can see these five principles at play in the picture below: bangs on the right to hide his forehead; beard on the left to equalize his upper, middle, and lower thirds.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

#DD #randomfashiontiger #David Duchovny's “Hail Mary” Nose: an Aesthetic Study #mine #txf #Californication #fashion #the golden ratio #thirds ratio #aesthetics #facial types #analysis

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flownwrong · 2 months ago

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chaotic ckr c6d squee propaganda (?) post

This, started half a year ago for @ds30below, was initially a general c6d short reviews post but kinda skewed majorly towards CKR's repertoire and wasn't too review-y. So I gave up on making sense and on including the non-CKR works. I don't know who the audience for this is, because I never give basic details for people who don't know about this stuff but say too much for those who do. I giffed what I could and tried to avoid what I know a lot about but haven't actually seen. Here goes.

Frank's Cock (1993)

Not much to say. It's only 8 minutes, it's beautiful and you should see it if you haven't. I won't spoil the subject, but you can likely guess. Watch it, cry a little. Then go watch some more of Mike Hoolboom's stuff, the vimeo link above is from his channel.

Two X-Files episodes (1994 – 1995)

Well, I haven't actually seen X-files since I was about fifteen and watched the like two seasons, and I remember none of it. I rewatched the two early episodes CKR appears in and they were fun. I did not watch the, the movie or whatever where he's doing the evil gay thing. But really, this one is on the list so I can show you this self-indulgent gif of him being Very Long:

Double Happiness (1994)

You shouldn't watch this one for CKR. I mean, you absolutely should see him here, looking like he's barely out of his teens and playing up the insecure act and having devastating chemistry with devastatingly beautiful Sandra Oh, but this is not why it's great. And it's really, really great. It's touching and funny and sincere. If you wanna have some feels about complicated family relationships and identity and growing up (at any point in life), you'll find them here.

Curtis's Charm (1995)

Don't regret watching it, can't recommend. Not gonna lie, I was emotionally affected. But I usually am by things as in-your-face bleak as this. Mostly, it's trying very hard to be smarter than it is, I think.

However: CKR's One Wild Curl is everything to me (see above, on the right. It was, like, actually curly. I was rendered speechless). And like two seconds of Hugh Dillon made me do a double-take, lol. Incredibly weird knowing this was shot like half a year before HCL began shooting. Feels like it must've been a decade earlier.

Hard Core Logo (1996)

I could make three separate posts about this one, so of course I have no idea what to say.

This one, you should watch for CKR, actually, he's something, but so is every single other aspect of this film. I wouldn't change a thing about it. It hits you like a 16 wheeler. Perfectly cast, unimaginably beautiful, hysterical and melancholy and disgusting and compelling.

Related recs:

A wonderfully fun article/retrospective/interview for its 20th anniversary a while back.

You should also absolutely read Hard Core Roadshow if you enjoyed the film. It's a book documenting the whole thing from conception to release. It touched me for its own sake, not just a backstage glance, full of love for the craft and the people and carrying this tangible bittersweetness about the heightened and fleeting nature of this kind of work.

(here, I feel compelled to include a quote from another c6d-related interview on Slings & Arrows, which I read after the book and went like man, it's really a universal experience isn't it.

Coyne: <...> But I also think, and this is my experience, what we were all experiencing, because we were all talking about our lives, our life in the arts — there’s something very melancholy about doing something you love, because it will never be good enough, it will always break your heart.

McKinney: Or it will be fleeting.

Coyne: It’ll be fleeting. You come together with people you feel passionately connected to and two weeks later they’re tearing down the sets.)

Quotes from the article and the book respectively include:

McDonald: So there was a kind of mutual dependency society with Hugh telling Callum, “Don’t worry, man, I got your back, I’ll tell you how high or low to wear your guitar, I’ll tell you how you should dress, I’ll tell you what you should drink…” and Callum was like, “I’ll tell you what hitting your mark is, I’ll tell you why they pull out fucking tape measures, I’ll tell you why you have to do it again, I’ll tell you about not overlapping dialogue..” and you know they clung to each other, like the other one was gonna fucking save them.

And:

A final gathering at the back of the tour bus with Bruce, Callum, Hugh, Bernie. We listen to the tape of HCL songs, all the way through, one last time. And we belt the words out. Bernie sings loudest, performing for Salerno's camera. Hugh and Callum sit back, looks of sadness. I get the sense that if they could do it, they'd chuck their lives and be Joe Dick and Billy Tallent forever. Callum leans to Bruce and says exactly what everyone else is thinking: "I don't want it to end."

There's much more to both texts than *gestures* the whatever those two had, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

And Xeriscape is the best HCL fic I've read. Granted, I read very few because it's not a source that creates in me a craving for fic. But this one perfectly matches the film's fucked up beauty with its language while also adding a quieter, more fraught layer of humanity that we only get glimpses of in canon and that perfectly fits John. 10/10, would recommend.

Anyway. Watch it. Read it. If you haven't. Otherwise, come scream with meeee! And go reblog my gifs or something. Idk.

Letters From Home (1996)

Mike Hoolboom strikes again, with another short. This goes into the "don't watch it for CKR, watch it because it's great" box. Yes, you will cry.

For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down (1996)

Another bleak one! It sucked to watch, I mean, on purpose. There were a couple of very effective scenes. I really enjoyed the opening. They say the book is decent too, I haven't checked that out.

Actually, let's just switch back from coherent thought to undignified staring at his mouth with this one. What the fuck is that cigarette thing. I couldn't help myself.

Last Night (1998)

These gifs are not representative of the whole movie. There is more happening than CKR kissing or hugging people. He's also doing more than just kissing and hugging. It's all very... impressive.

Guess who's also here again? Sandra Oh! And say hi to Don McKellar, who is an absolute champion for writing/directing/starring. You'll be seeing more of him.

Another one for the "watch it for its own sake" box. Seriously, that late 90s indie stuff is banger after banger. It's so beautiful! Look at those colours! Look at those shots! It's very uneasy and charming and melanchioly and itself in the best way.

Twitch City (1998 – 2000)

Don McKellar is back to murder you with discomfort! Bruce McDonald lends a hand. Molly Parker is also here. And Daniel McIvor, who'd go on to direct, for example, Wilby Wonderful. It's a party. If you watched some stuff from above (or below) on this list, most faces and names will be familiar to you, tbh (another Hugh Dillon double-take happens).

If you liked Spaced, you'll love this. You might also love it because it commits to its weirdness with an admirable resolve and is genuinely hilarious. (Honestly, CKR's outfits alone warrant a watch.) The idiosyncrasy is definitely Don McKellar's doing 200%. It couldn't be more different from Last Night, but if you've seen one, you'll recognise the other.

Battlestar Galactica (2003 – 2009)

I don't think a person should be allowed to look this pretty in the sweaty-and-dying makeup in that light (this sentence probably looks very weird to those not under the CKR magic spell).

I don't know what to say about BSG because I really, really enjoyed early it initially, but by the middle of S2 it got... well, whatever that was. If you know you know, if you don't, still give it a go. You might get invested enough to suffer through it all, as I have been, slowly.

The unfortunate thing is that CKR got to be there mostly in the "what the fuck" years and not the "wow that's so cool" years. That, as you might be aware, is a pattern with him. But! When he was here, he was so genuinely, wonderfully creepy not in the typecast-baddy way, but in this slow, half-absent way, which really worked. You can also see him tortured a little, as a treat!! <3

Also, a wild John Pyper-Ferguson appears! If you're looking at him thinking you know him from somewhere but not immediately remembering, you'll figure it out, I believe in you. I was very happy to see him.

Wilby Wonderful (2004)

Another win for the put CKR in more good shit team!!! Guess who's here again? Sandra Oh! Also, Paul Gross. Don't watch it for him either though haha.

Another one for whoever wants to look at pushing against the weight of others' (or your own) expectations and growing into who you are or reconsidering who you are or finding meaningful connections with others even when you're kind of a mess and they are too.

Not nearly the first time CKR's gotten to play a queer character, but man, this one really is the heart of the in-universe community, and, through that, of the film. A rare chance to see him so far out of the prickly persona! He's just so solid and calm and there for others in this one and, and soft, ough. It's awesome.

By the way, if any of you have the commentary track or know someone who has, please drop me a line here or on discord (emotionalrisotto), I really wanna hear that.

Supernatural (2005)

I love Supernatural a lot. It was a formative experiences (albeit a very late one) and I owe a lot of my favourite stuff about fandom-ing to the buddies I met through it. I can't believe I'm telling you this (because who hasn't seen it, not because I'm reccing it), but you should really try it if you haven't. It's pretty rad.

I had no idea who this guy was when I saw that episode (the second ever one!), though. I simply cannot fathom what @nigeltde-fic felt when she first saw it. I think I personally got very lucky she didn't combust on the spot. It would've been unfortunate.

On a sillier note, CKR's character has weird tension with both Sam and Dean in this episode, which is par for the course. I personally think they should've... no, I shan't say it. You can probably imagine.

Californication (2008 – 2013)

I haven't actually seen it, lol (and I suspect I won't enjoy it, but I'm very curious and also CKR looks really really good).

The real reason for this one on the list is to share a fic rec. Really, it's a due South F/K fic featuring Lew Ashby. It's ridiculously hot and very satisfying in its romantic resolution, too (but then, I'm kind of big on selfcest. And consensual voyeurism. And pretend relationships when done like this. And sublimated yearning. Erm.)

Shattered (2010 – 2011)

I wish this never happened. I badly, badly wish this never happened. I can't turn back time, but I can warn those luckier than me: do not go there. Yes, even for this dude. You'll sleep better not knowing just what it is he was the EP on. And the only important part — the mascara — can be seen above (yes, the show does look that bad, it's not just the gifs).

Just kidding — I watched it, didn't I? You'll have fun hating it! Just prepare for industrial grade cringe, lower your expectations (No, lower. No, still lower than that. And just a bit more.) and you'll have a great time!

Star trek: Discovery (2024)

Or, as I call it, Star Trek: The Mediocre Show. Discovery S5 was... what it was, but it was a wonderful viewing experience — mostly thanks to the gang (@kittkatk and @feroxargentea especially!)

What a joy it is, to follow a show week by week, yelling and laughing and discussing the whole time. And giffing, too. I was very happy to contribute to the Disco fandom from my own little obsessive corner, and I was glad to see people adoring Rayner, haha.

He's a pretty neat character — very much a stereotype, yes, but with CKR's usual twist of odd vulnerability and weirdness. Also, I loved the ears. I miss the ears. The ears were great.

I even wrote a fic! Although it's not within my usual range to write for canons and universes I don't know well — and back then, I'd only seen S5 of Disco. It was a lot of suffering, and a lot of fun.

Closing thoughts

I'd really love the dude to get a better agent. And possibly better taste, but I realise that's a tougher ask. Seriously, it's been too long since he was in something majorly cool. I'm grateful to him, at least, for not making terrible music on the side. And I still have a lot of his back catalogue to get through, some of it even good, so there will be more insanity. Until then!

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