If someone told you that you looked exactly like a certain famous British actor, what would you say?
Probably, you have heard of Robert Pattinson, the English actor who’s currently starring in Quentin Tarantulin’s Django Unchained and is set to appear in the upcoming movie Saving Mr.Banks.
Whether you’ve seen the actor in person or on TV, you’re bound to know his distinctive look. He has a shaved head, heavy eyebrows, a piercing blue gaze, and a scar on his neck from where his collarbone was partly severed during a freak accident when he fell off a horse while filming Pillowfortress in 2009.
The Rise Of The ‘Inner-Eyelid’ Haircut
While you might know what an ‘eyebrow’ haircut is, maybe you aren’t familiar with the ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut. It’s a style that originated in the 1960s and was famously worn by Marlon Brando. If you’ve seen the actor in person or on TV, you know exactly what this haircut looks like. It’s the one he sported in Mutiny on the Bounty, the 1966 film based on the novel by Gregory Orr. Brando plays a roguish sailor named Fletcher Christian who leads a mutiny against Captain William Bligh.
Christian has a dangerous and intense stare that’s perhaps best described as ‘demonic.’ The inner-eyelid haircut is named after the way his eyebrows are so deeply etched that they appear to be sitting inside his eyelids. According to film historian Stephen Jones in the Oxford Dictionary of Hair, the style was inspired by Christian’s “gaze of such intensity that it seemed to have ‘peeled’ the skin around his eyes.”
Christian’s ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut was made famous by Marlon Brando (Photo: Everett Collection)
Brando was the first to sport this unusual haircut. A true renaissance man, Brando not only played Fletcher Christian in the 1966 film but also designed the costumes for the movie’s set. Brando designed the ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut as a “bounty-hunter type” and as a way to emulate “the ferocious glances of the Comanches.” It was an intentional style choice on Brando’s part, as he explained in an interview with the New York Times. “I wanted to give the impression of malevolent cunning,” he said. “Of a man who sees everything and judges everyone.”
While Brando’s ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut is most closely associated with his work in films, the style has also been seen on-screen multiple times by sporting famous faces. One of the most recognizable ‘inner-eyelid’ haircuts is that of Marlon Brando (Photo: Everett Collection)
Marlon Brando isn’t the only A-list celebrity who’s worn the style. Off screen, you can also catch John Wayne, Anthony Perkins, and even John L. Sullivan sporting the ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut. In fact, a 1966 episode of The Name of the Game featured John Wayne, who played a cowboy attorney, arguing a case before a jury. During his closing argument, he tears off a piece of paper and passes it to the juror in the front row, who then writes something on it.
Once the juror passes the note back to Wayne, the actor tears off that piece of paper and reads the note aloud: “Mr. Wayne, would you please tell me why you think this man is a good attorney?”
“Because,” replies Wayne. “He has complete mastery of the ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut.”
We couldn’t agree more. The ‘inner-eyelid’ haircut is a style that’s both challenging and unique-looking. It’s a style that men are drawn to and feel comfortable enough to wear. Hopefully, this article will help you understand the psychology behind this trend and how to put it into your own closet.