Choosing—or rejecting—a candidate by his/her face
People on the left and the right keep talking about Cruz’s unpleasant face. I’ve heard such discussions, I’ve read them, and you’ve probably heard and read them too. Perhaps you even agree that Cruz has a remarkably unpleasant face.
Oddly, fewer people are talking about Trump’s unpleasant face, but I think it’s the case that he’s got one.
But I don’t care much about either guy’s face. I have never chosen or rejected candidates on that basis; it seems bizarre to me. I’m not above commenting on looks; for example, I thought Rick Perry looked mighty sharp with his new glasses, but I didn’t support him politically on the basis of that. I don’t even think that most people choose or reject candidates on the basis of looks, but it does get factored in, and perhaps it matters more and more in this age of television, Facebook, and Twitter.
There have been many presidents whose looks I find odd, even off-putting in various ways: Nixon, Truman, LBJ, Carter (whose face seemed almost Alfred E. Neumanish to me). If I look at pictures of all the presidents, I find that the most handsome presidents were Franklin Pierce and Woodrow Wilson, FDR, JFK, and Reagan, and those first two are probably not winning any prizes from most people for anything else but their faces:
On the other hand, you’d have to look long and hard before you’d find someone with a face as unattractive as Lincoln, considered by most people one of our greatest presidents. We’re already familiar with his mien, and register it as “LINCOLN” with all the attendant associations such as “great,” but if that were not true we might indeed find his face repellent.
And John Adams looks unimpressive or worse—rather weak—if you just look at his face without knowing a thing about his actual history and accomplishments:
Look at a page that has all the presidents’ portraits on it, and you’ll find them a rather odd bunch, actually.
For that matter, think about Churchill. Really think about Churchill. If you didn’t already know who he was, you’d probably think: what a strange, melting sort of face! What an unimpressive, pudgy body!:
But as with Lincoln, all is forgiven with Churchill appearance-wise because we know of his eloquence, courage, and achievements. But his face itself when looked at objectively is quite strange, although it has a certain stubborn power.
There was no internet when Churchill or Lincoln were running for office. But there’s plenty of evidence that most people who saw Lincoln in the flesh at the time found him not just ugly, but surpassingly ugly, with some people (under the heading “extreme observations” at that link) making it clear that he was actually the ugliest man they ever saw, which I suppose is a sort of distinction. Lincoln himself often joked about his face, with this being typical:
After being called two-faced in a debate: “I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?”
As for Cruz, the internet is rife with people writing about why his face unsettles them. Here’s one such piece:
I have rarely, if ever, seen a conventional smile from Senator Cruz. In a natural smile the corners of the mouth go up; these muscles we can control voluntarily as well. But muscles circling the eyes are strictly under involuntary control: they make the eyes narrow, forming crow’s feet at the outside corners. Even the Mona Lisa’s smile shows this. The eyes give away one’s game and help us tell forged from genuine smiles. Grandma may have told you to put on a happy face, but you can’t if it isn’t heartfelt.
No matter what the emotional coloring of Senator Cruz’s outward rhetoric is, his mouth typically tightens into the same straight line. If it deviates from this, then the corners of his mouth bend down, not upwards. The outside of his eyebrows bend down, too, when he emotes, something so atypical that it disturbs me. Typically a person’s eyebrows arch up…
Actually, I’ve seen plenty of eyebrows that turn down, as well as mouths, and it doesn’t really disturb me although it doesn’t attract me either. The bearers of these turned-down faces aren’t usually people running for office, though; for example, I found an actor named Kyle Chandler (never heard of him before) who definitely has down-sloping eyes and eyebrows:
And I’m not quite sure what to say about this picture of 20s movie star Clara Bow—except that, well, she bears a slight resemblance to Ted Cruz here:
Quite a few websites suggest that it’s Ted Cruz’s smile that’s the problem—or rather, his supposed lack of a Duchenne smile. And if you look at a lot of photos of Criuz smiling, his smile does often look rather tight. But it’s not unlike that of his fellow Texan LBJ, and I don’t recall anyone mentioning a problem with LBJ’s smile at the time. There’s also an odd resemblance to the tight little smile of actress Joan Cusack, who is considered rather quirky and charming.
What I really think is the problem is that Cruz’s face looks too much like the classic mask of tragedy, which has the same down-sloping eyes and mouth:
As I said, I’m neutral about Cruz’s face. The following is not one of the worst photos I could find of him—I think it’s actually one of the best—but it’s certainly the way he looks quite a bit of the time, and I see nothing wrong there:
Cruz’s face doesn’t bother me either, and I think you can see when he smiles. Trump, on the othr hand, rarely shows a relaxed face. He almost always shows some sort of exaggerated expression. I could walk by Cruz on the street without noticing anything unusual, whereas with Trump I would think, What the hell is wrong with that guy?
Another person whose expression bothers me is Obama. When he pretends to smile, it is always an aren’t I great type of expression. There is never a true smile around his eyes, never any warmth. I bet he could look at a 3 year old cuddling his puppy without smiling. A mirror, on the other hand, would move his mouth corners up.
Cruz’s face reminds me so much of poekr whiz Phil Hellmuth.
Uh.
….
If Cruz faces hrc’s face his face should win the face contest.
😉
neo,
Kyle Chandler was the lead actor in the series Friday Night Lights. You can stream it on nexflix if you are curious.
Ted Cruz’s facial structure isn’t built for the wide “open” smile that is generally so appealing. I work with someone like that…not too long ago, I was taking office pictures for a specific project and was trying to get everyone in a good pose/nice expression/smile. I had the most trouble with her, because when we’d say “smile”, she’d respond, “I am!” She also said people always told her it doesn’t look like she is smiling when she feels she is. We finally said “Give an exaggerated, over the top, grimace-type smile”…and when she did, it looked like a “normal” smile to the rest of us (and in the photo), but felt unnatural to her. For those with that type of face structure, that “over-emphasis” sort of expression would have to be vigorously practiced and would probably never feel quite right.
Personally, I’d rather Cruz spent his energy elsewhere. 🙂
Franklin Pierce, for the win!
I try hard to not watch video of candidates, for fear of being unduly affected by accidents of charm. expats’ comment causes me to reflect. I find Obama to be deeply narcissistic, and wonder how much of that is is facial expression. I read the text but did not hear the 2004 convention speech and liked him quite a bit. By the time he was running up here in NH, however, I couldn’t stand him – yet still had seen no video.
People dislike Hillary’s looks and I have seen unattractive photos, but think she generally looks fine. Her voice is another matter – and video of her is uncomfortable. Trump’s expressions are odd.
Well, the Cruz haters have to have an ostensible reason to “hate” him. It’s who they are, it’s what they do. Hate and superficiality. (Cf. Obamafans.) So they talk about his face, his wife, the scurrilous affair rumors, the fact that he’s supposedly part of the establishment what with holding elected office and all. Honestly, it’s slim pickings, but they tend to repeat themselves and each other all the while supporting the amazingly handsome and articulate and statesmanlike Orangebama. The face on that one. Like a very rude and very loud basketball in a blonde wig.
Who cares what a candidate looks like? Increasingly desperate and superficial morons with nothing better to talk about.
I’ve always found Lincoln attractive, in the way I find someone like Liam Neeson attractive. It’s a rugged quality that’s appealing. And the eyes.
Chrissy Matthews hit Cruz for his “Black Irish” looks. Too ultra-male threatening was the insinuation; and reminiscent of “Joe McCarthy” was the comment.
Guess you don’t have to be Irish to have “black Irish looks”. Antonin Scalia when young might have frightened Tingling Chris Matthews as well.
Of course people can be criticized for anything. Romney was criticized for being out of touch and “not like us”. MoDo mocked George Bush for having too much space between his upper lip and nose. I guess she’s attracted to a more lush lipped and androgynous male. Or less Anglo-Saxon looking, in any event.
The voice bothers me much more than the face. But then again, they say that Lincoln’s voice was as high and shrill as one can imagine without it being squeaky
AMartel Says:
April 6th, 2016 at 4:18 pm
Well, the Cruz haters have to have an ostensible reason to “hate” him. It’s who they are, it’s what they do. Hate and superficiality. (Cf. Obamafans.)
BINGO.
All of the chat is rationalization.
I understand warren Harding was viewed as quite a heartthrob by women at the time. It just shows how fashions in physical appearance change. But in the past people’s lives were more challenging. Risks from disease, accidents, business or economic failures were real with no government safety net. People paid more attention to character as presented or real.
Looks matter, of course. Cruz isn’t ugly but he’s certainly not handsome in a conventional way. His features droop a bit and his nose is…unusual. When you combine that with his nerdy debate captain demeanor, and his powerful ability to win arguments, it’s a recipe for people to feel put off and a bit inferior rather than warm and fuzzy towards him. And I say that as someone who generally likes him and fervently hopes he is nominated and goes on to win.
I also think he’s a perfect target for the usual attacks by the left. They don’t hesitate to get personal about things like looks, nor does Trump. So it’s been a double whammy for Cruz…personal taunts and bullying from the left and from the front runner in his own party. I remember that one of the first things I read about Cruz (probably in the MSM) involved some comments from a college roommate or floormate. They commented on his weirdness and habit of wearing a bathrobe or some such nonsense. Anyway, the point is that if it’s said often enough it becomes “common knowledge.”
I do think Cruz should take every opportunity to appear with his wife and daughters, who increase his overall attractiveness (regardless of what Trump has to say about Heidi Cruz).
What a shame that trivial issues take on so much significance.
I am sympathetic to people who are criticized for their facial expression, because on the paternal side of my family, the face is rather dour. I inherited it. Oddly, the sense of humor from that side was highly developed, although dry. When I smile for the camera, it does not look or feel genuine. There is just not much you can do about it, other than try to offset appearance with actions.
Maybe someday the electorate will again concern itself with character more than appearance. Probably not soon, however,
Let’s just say that it “helps”, but set against Hillary’s facade (or Bernie’s for that matter), it is a “wash”.
1. Cruz is funny-looking, but not that bad. His ancestry would be 3/8 Irish & 1/8 Italian from his mother, and 1/2 Spanish (via Cuba) from his father. Elsewhere, I have heard him described as creepy-looking, rat-faced, and looking like Grandpa Munster.
2. One former co-worker who met Bill Clinton a dozen years ago described him as very big, very good-looking, and very charismatic. Clinton looked like a rogue when he was younger, and now he looks dissipated.
3. Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush were both good-looking as young men. Ulysses S. Grant had mature, paternal good looks.
4. Personality can also be reflected in one’s face, with Andrew Jackson being an obvious example. Wilson looks like a moralizing scold. Eisenhower looks crafty. Obama looks very pleased with himself.
Apparently politicians are expected to connect with people on an emotional level. And not only on an emotional level in the sense of being ideologically and morally simpatico, but with some other more nebulous connection having some shit to do with the politician radiating waves of unconditional positive regard which builds up self-esteem in the hand flapping listeners.
Now I don’t really know what kind of man Cruz is. I only know what he says and has demonstrated to this point in walking the walk when it comes to his political principles; even if it alienates every establishment co-opted niche-dweller in the Republican party.
His looks? I don’t think it is his formal portrait serious looks that bother anyone. It is that he doesn’t have an easy smile.
He is a serious man. And we are not a serious nation, anymore.
That said, a guy who looked like Romney pissed people off because he was too good looking to suit them. “Not like us.”
Hate to think of what “us” has become. Look around you at the next traffic stop. Feminized males, obese lesbians and the tattooed and pierced brigades of indolent, physically unfit snufflers.
Now that I have shot my mouth off about walking the walk, I have to go home and dust off those damn barbells.
Sometimes there are fads in faces. That would explain the changes in the desired result of makeup.
For example, the old-time ideal cowboy had that slanted-down eye fold. It’s called the “nordic fold” and what it has to do with cowboys is unclear, except that substantial number of Germans came to Texas in the mid-nineteenth century. Indeed, of nine high schools in my nephew’s athletic league near Houston, nine had German names.
Roy Rogers may have had an advantage because his eyes are almost grotesque in their fold, nordic or not.
Anyway, point is, faces trigger conscious or unconscious biases in us. A friend of mine showed a picture of a man involved in their church. He gives off a child molester vibe, she said. And I only saw a picture of him, but would have kept an eye on him.
Cowboys? Maybe the guys who played cowboys as you mention. This guy, always reminded me of my uncle. A face like that probably could not get elected nowadays. LOL
Maybe some women too; Irish if I am picturing it right. When Irish eyes are …
“Irish women were noted for their vivacity” paraphrase from “The Story of the Irish Race”, by Seamus Mac’Someoneoranother.
His not very scholarly history of Auld Sod.
But he was right about the vivacity part.
Regarding that iconic photo of Churchill (and I’m sure many of you already know this): Yosuf Karsh was the photographer. In his own words:
“He was in no mood for portraiture and two minutes were all that he would allow me as he passed from the House of Commons chamber to an anteroom. Two niggardly minutes in which I must try to put on film a man who had already written or inspired a library of books, baffled all his biographers, filled the world with his fame, and me, on this occasion, with dread.”
Church had not been told that he would be photographed on this occasion. He relented, but at the same time pulled out a cigar, lit it, and began puffing away.
Here’s what happened next, in Karsh’s words:
“Churchill’s cigar was ever present. I held out an ashtray, but he would not dispose of it. I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was all right technically. I waited; he continued to chomp vigorously at his cigar. I waited. Then I stepped toward him and, without premeditation, but ever so respectfully, I said, “Forgive me, sir,” and plucked the cigar out of his mouth. By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.“
There is a little read novel by Victor Hugo called The Man Who Laughs that reminds me of the predicament of Ted Cruz. The novel is about a boy kidnapped by a group of Gypsy type bandits named the Comprachicos. They disfigure the boy so that he has a perpetual and exaggerated grin, just the opposite of the dour expression of Cruz. In a great scene in the novel, after the boy has become a man and through a series of events is seated in the House of Lords, he arises to make his first speech. With all his might he is able to overcome the cut muscles and through force of will lowers his mouth into what resembles a Ted Cruz countenance. The Lords who had never seen the man before were overcome with the eloquence of his speech, until finally his willpower isn’t enough and he reverts to the hideous grin, at which point he is ridiculed and laughed out of the place.
What we have in Ted Cruz is a brilliant man with ultimate debating skills, the ability to deliver fine speeches, and a history of independent thought and action. Such a man isn’t wanted by a public that prefers the hideous grin and empty soul of Donald Trump.
Where are the trumpians making fun of Cruz’s face and exclaiming the alpha male of Trumps’s fish face?
Sorry, but Woodrow Wilson is not what I would call a good-looking man. Each to his own, I guess.
A while back I saw a picture of Ted as a teenager and thought he looked kinda cute. Probably because his face wasn’t as heavy ( as in he’d probably be more attractive if he was a little thinner). His face can also look quite a bit different on the attractiveness continuum depending on the angle it’s taken from. If he ends up being the candidate, the media will make sure to make him look as homely as possible.
I also think many voters are more shallow than you seem to think they are. Obama is proof of that.
@DNW
Cruz has some north Spain looking mixed with wasp. “Black Irish” were supposed to descend from Spanish sailors and traders from the north coast of Spain who settled in Ireland.
So, quite likely you’re right.
I’ve always thought (and I’m not alone) that Cruz looks and sounds like Mr. Haney from Green Acres, aka actor Pat Buttram.
He also did a lot of cowboy movies, including Back to the Future III
May I suggest that it’s not the face — it’s the voice. Do you really want to listen to Cruz’ nasal whine for four years? I have no idea how we survived Jimmy Carter.
Legend has it Churchill was glowering in that famous Yousuf Karsh photo because Karsh told him to put his cigar off to the side.
Yann, I’m not sure Black Irishmen would appreciate the insinuation that they’re either Anglo-Saxon or Protestant.
In addition to Friday Night Lights, Kyle Chandler is also in Bloodline on Netflix, a 13-part series which I heartily recommend to anyone who likes crime dramas or family dramas (it’s a bit of both).
Terry Kirkpatrick Says:
“May I suggest that it’s not the face – it’s the voice. Do you really want to listen to Cruz’ nasal whine for four years? I have no idea how we survived Jimmy Carter.”
Well, there you have it, a thoughtful, well-considered and logical reason as to why we must reject a brilliant Constitutional conservative who has fought against the political establishment and for liberty his entire career.
Instead we must choose the liberal, vulgar, incoherent attention whore with the bad comb-over as our standard bearer. Yes, that makes so much more sense. I’m sold.
Then we get to have either Screech or Comrade Bern lead us Forward! to 1984 for the next 8 years.
If you choose an more average photo of Cruz is his nose that did it…
But you let off Krauthammer who looks like the child snatching villain from chitty chitty bang bang and usually in a suit that appears to be too large shrinking his head
> Chrissy Matthews hit Cruz for his “Black Irish” looks.
Chris Matthews hits a lot of his political targets over the way they look. He couldn’t quit talking about Gov Christie wearing a white shirt.
If I didn’t know what Matthews looked like myself, I would have guessed he was some sort of prissy, pretty-boy metro-sexual fashion plate. I guess he’s never heard of the adage about people in glass houses.
I think that looks have more affect on voters than we would like to think. And I think it has been more of an issue since JFK than anytime before 1960. Is it our youth-oriented, celebrity-emulating culture? I’m sure there are many theories out there. I remember thinking early on that Scott Walker could never win nationally because he just doesn’t look presidential – and I liked Scott Walker a lot!
Oh, and since leftists are “feelings based”, they are, and have been tellng me here in the academic soviet, that they are going to vote Trump as they feel Cruz is Creepy, and Hillary is old and scary, and bernie is a evil white guy…
cant make this stuff up if you try…
@Janet
Remember, Video killed the radio star…
I have mentioned this before, but between the complainers i often dont know who pays attention or not.
The way the music died
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/music/interviews/crosby.html
Ann Coulter is doubling down on Donald Trump.
I must note that the H1b program is always folded into the immigration debate.
Whereas, it’s not a serious source of immigrants… nothing like Barry’s open borders.
H1b talent has to go back home — and overwhelmingly does so.
Ditto for Donald’s Romanian troopers.
Something about Cruz’s face, his nose, the set of his eyes, or something, vaguely reminds me of Lyndon Johnson. The Texas accent contributes, maybe.
You have to understand that people impute the quality of physical characteristics based simply on whether or not they like a person. I don’t doubt for one second that every enemy of Churchill thought the man was grotesquely ugly, while his supporters, at worst, considered his visage to full of interesting character. You see a similar thing with Shelob, or as some call her, Cankles Clinton.
Objectively (I hope!) I think Cruz’s face is rather ordinary and unremarkable in pretty much every facet. Were he a nobody on a street, I wouldn’t even notice him at all. Trump on the other hand would garner immediate notice simply because of the hair and the bronzing- I would be chuckling as I passed him by.
Artfldgr: if Krauthammer looks funny in a suit, and I don’t think he does, it might be from upper body muscle atrophy from his paralysis and that he he is sitting in a wheelchair. And what he has to do with the topic of presidential appearance, I’m not sure.
I don’t have a problem with Ted’s face.
What can be a real decider for me is voice. A *bad* voice. I recall the Bush/Gore race came down to Gore nasal, condescending voice – I could not tolerate that for 4 years.
I’ve always found Hillary’s voice like nails on a chalkboard.
Kyle Chandler was on Early Edition, too. It was a pretty solid show. He had a bit in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, too. He’s not in the main Hollywood mold, to be sure, but that’s not a bad thing.
Cruz, well… he’s not as iconic as, say, Ben Franklin, but that’s fine. What’s the phrase? “Content of character” or something along those lines? He’s good in my book.
Cruz definitely has the principles and intelligence of Reagan (the leftists constantly called Reagan dumb, but in reality he was years ahead of everybody), but it is true Cruz does not have the face or the voice, as reagan did. Trump on the other hand, has the face and the voice, but none of the principles, and other than in business or celebrity, none of the intelligence. I dont think Hillary has the face or the voice or the principles, although she is intelligent. I just hope in our celebrity looks based culture, a true man of principle, who is also brilliant, like Cruz, can actually win. The real irony is after everybody else is constantly calling him a liar, with the trumpies slandering him daily, the only one in the race who really is honest, measured by the only thing that is really objective, whether his past actions match what he is saying now, Cruz, also seems to be among the most mistrusted.
richard40:
“Trump has the face and the voice”—are you kidding me???
We must be seeing and hearing two different things.
Franklin Pierce was quite the cutie!
My mother is voting for Cruz, but says that something about him repels her. I’ve seen some photos of him where he looks pretty good, so I think it’s an issue of angle which means that he will never get a good photo in the MSM.
I see this now after writing about his face elsewhere here but so glad to see you writing about this. It bugs me how people are obsessed with Cruz’s face especially when The Donald’s look is not friendly but kind of arrogant (the way he sets his mouth in the debates when listening to the other debaters), and he is past his prime in terms of looks – well, he ain’t young so… (although yes when younger Trump was decent looking) Cruz is younger and as I said in another comment, can be read as homely or handsome depending on the angle and the picture. I think he is striking but striking in a way that people are not sure what they are seeing: again — homely or handsome. Both maybe? Political cartoonists will have a great time with his face! That’s not bad either, he is memorable, much like a Lincoln or an LBJ. He’s better looking than LBJ though he does remind me of him a bit. I do get irritated with people obsessing on his face when frankly, he’s not trying to be a fashion model or an actor but the President.
He really gets people inflamed and I think that has to do with the fact that he is a true constitutional conservative and a very bright man who does what he says he will – and the left instinctively know he is the enemy. But the rest of us need to direct matters to things more important than his looks.
He does have physical stature and good taste in suits and I think he does appear presidential. So, no problem there. I agree with another commenter here than having him appear with Heidi and the kids is good. His wife is attractive and the kids are very cute. I also think his wife adores him and she is a bright, accomplished woman.
Oh Neo, that’s a great picture of Cruz by the way! Nothing wrong, exactly – even good looking there by some estimation.
People are crazy, especially if they pick Trump as having the better appearance with his weird hair and his bronze complexion and — his arrogant look.
I’ll be the one dissenter here about Hillary and say I have always thought she was an attractive woman but she also has a cold demeanor though she’s warmed up in her older age. But frankly, who cares? The main thing is the policies!
liberty wolf:
I’ve written posts defending Hillary Clinton’s looks, such as this one.
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