From the intense spotlights of Hollywood’s golden age to the LEDs used by influencers, it has always played a leading role in transcending faces.
On film and television sets, as well as on red carpets and social networks, light acts like a language: it transcends or trivializes. Even ugly. The recent red carpet of theafterparty des Oscars 2026, organisé par Vanity Fairshowed it with its lighting considered unfortunate, like a crime of lèse-majesté! He has accentuated wrinkles, dark circles and pores on celebrities including Jane Fonda, Demi Moore, Kate Hudson and Dua Lipa.
Also read
Cannes Film Festival 2026: Jane Fonda, amazing at 88 years old in a tight sequined dress
“The photos of the event were widely criticized on the networks and in the media. It’s as if the general public were suddenly surprised that celebrities are human, as if we suddenly saw the tricks of a magic trick that we used to believe in. We expect stars who are always gleaming and impeccable. Also, when we see their wrinkles and dark circles, we almost feel it like a betrayal,” deciphers fashion historian Élodie Nowinski. Because from the golden age of Hollywood to contemporary TV sets, the power of light has not only contributed to giving actresses this mysterious star aura, but has also transformed the way they put on makeup, and even the way we look at them.
Skip the ad
The Dietrich case
In the 1930s, Hollywood literally invented glamour, as we understand it today, thanks to light, Paloma Pineda, cinematographer, reminds us: “When we filmed on film, we needed a lot of extremely powerful projectors to print well. Which gave this very characteristic aesthetic, with very brightly lit faces, detached from a darker background, and finally artificial lighting…
Arc projectors, like the famous Klieg lights (named after the inventors, the Klieg brothers) are so strong that they cause eye inflammation in actors. It is in this context that director Josef von Sternberg contributes to making Marlene Dietrich a myth, notably sculpting her cheekbones using strategically placed shutters and halos. It is even said that she constantly checked the light on herself using a standing mirror that she carried everywhere. Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed it, recounted how the star was picky about lighting: “Dietrich organizes everything. It shows exactly where to place the lights and how to photograph it.”
The reign of blondes
thiemo sander
Black and white cinema greatly appreciates blonde actresses for their hair penetrated by light, which creates an effect of radiance, like a captivating halo. As a result, a relative standardization of film stars takes place. At the beginning, it was the reign of blondes, Mae West, Carole Lombard and of course Jean Harlow, the legendary Platinum Blonde. Many people have had to dye their hair to attract attention – the most cited example being naturally Marilyn Monroe. But this high-intensity lighting, which avoids having to make adjustments between each scene and speeds up filming, diminishes with the arrival of color. The latter makes filmmakers want to work with more nuanced light, as a narrative issue in itself.
New wave
“In the 1960s, the New Wave deconstructed the very contrasting intensity of the past, and offered something more natural. Since the 2010s, LEDs have become more popular on sets. Much lighter and more economical, they allow even more flexibility. And obviously, in post-production, we can now correct the light on digital files more easily than on old film before,” explains Paloma Pineda. But, as Élodie Nowinski points out, actresses – and directors – are much more attentive than actors to the way in which they are highlighted. “The careers of women on screen depend more on their physique than that of men, according to the sexist biases of society. So on set as in post-production, we tend to retouch female faces more than male faces.” In 2021, Kate Winslet also revealed that she had refused to shoot a scene again for the series Mare of Easttown. The director, Craig Zobel, wanted a more flattering light on a shot highlighting the actress’s small belly – which she totally assumed.
Le make-up à la rescousse
Thiemo Sander
Even if the view of women on screen is evolving and camera technologies are improving and gaining in definition, we have not started filming the pores of stars in ultra-high definition. Because we continue to use lights and makeup to magnify some of them. “The make-up adapts to new image resolutions. And brands are playing with it with product names linked to the film world, such as Ultra HD Powder from Make Up For Ever. Proof that it has really become an issue,” analyzes makeup artist Florian Bignon. “We are used to testing the results during filming rehearsals or fashion shows. Generally, the most flattering light is that which comes from opposite, hence the emblematic mirrors surrounded by bulbs in the dressing rooms or the ring light. When it comes from the ceiling, it accentuates dark circles, even creates a double chin,” he assures.
Skip the ad
L’ère Instagram
The television sets have understood this well. An example? The talk show Dailyprésenté par Yann Barthès. À l’étranger, l’émission est même surnommée « The French show with the good lighting » (“The French show with good lighting”), as it stands out for the quality of its light, which presents the guests in their best light, from Margot Robbie to Jacob Elordi. Followed by 75,000 people on soften shadows. »
Thiemo Sander
Light has therefore never been so controlled, but also so scrutinized and commented on as today. “Now, almost everyone has a smartphone with great lenses. THE selfie stick, the tripod and the ring light have become easily accessible versions of tools once reserved for professionals. At the start of Instagram, we were happy to post amateur photos, but today our skills and expectations have greatly increased,” explains Élodie Nowinski. “Make-up connoisseurs know that it is better to apply highlighter above the cheekbone, blush above, and bronzer below to sculpt their face. And contouring is no longer a confidential technique reserved for drag queens,” adds the makeup artist. Sometimes flattering, sometimes cruel, light continues to shape faces, impose beauty standards and reveal the biases of an industry now in high definition.
