Gayface

From Urban Dictionary:

gayface n.

Gayface is the look that gay men have that enables other gay men to quickly identify them as "family" no matter what they're doing, wearing or saying. Gayface is identifiable in photos. Gayface cannot be hidden by attempts to butch it up. Straight men with gayface are not really straight. When I saw his picture in the paper, I immediately knew that girl on his arm was a beard because he totally has gayface.

While this definition misses some important nuance (which I will dissect below), it is a good introduction to gayface, a condition that afflicts only certain gays.

My definition has more to do with grooming, particularly in terms of plucked eyebrows, and may be signaled by the presence of concealer on men (who are not onstage).

Anyway, I was thinking about gayface today when I ran into an unnamed acquaintance unusually afflicted. On top of an unnaturally even complexion (see: concealer) and thin, even eyebrows (see: plucking), the wardrobe was the epitome of newly named gaythread: clothing worn by men that signals homosexuality, involving in particular certain brands, shoulder bags smaller than a messanger, bootcut designer jeans with superfluous embellishment, and pointy boots or shoes. The whole effect is a little rediculous.

I am not in a position to throw stones, really, in this situation, however, an important distinction must be made. Being in style, following trends, and having a style are completely different things. Being in style is a basic level of sartorial awareness; its consent to ones involvement in a project of image. Following trends is the next level, when one knows generally what is and is not tasteful. A dangerous trap at this stage is devotion to a brand or brands at all cost. All that is necessary is an awareness of trends - a devotion, however, is dangerous due to the volitility and dynacism of style. Having one's own style involves first an understanding of oneself, a committment to being in style, and an awareness of trends. The best personal styles are unaffected: they always match the body.

Gayface is, in my opinion, a hyper-devotion to style and trends without any self-awareness and thus a style of one's own. The underlying assumption of its victims is that what appears on the outside will manifest on the inside. Needless to say, this is at best misguided.

Momentarily, while I do certainly agree that gayface is identifiable in photos, a brief umbridge with the above definition: gayface has nothing whatsoever to do with who and who is not gay. Its victims are no accident. Deciding whether or not someone is gay is a fun game, but please, play it to yourself. We all have different relationships with the closet.

To close, here's an example of how you can see it in photos: