Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Difference between revisions

[[File:SnowAndApple 1680.png|frame|link=Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney film)]]

 

 

Dark hair and pale skin as an indication that a character is beautiful. In Western culture, this is a [[Cyclic Trope|once-dead, now reviving trope]], thanks to the [[Goth]] and Retro movements bringing an increased awareness of this and the 1950s pin-up style regaining popularity. In addition, the vampire fad of the 1990s and 2000s and the rising fear of skin cancer have helped with the resurgence of this trope. This is also quite popular in Eastern media, being the traditional standard of Asian beauty, and the fact that most of the Japanese population has [[Shiny Midnight Black|black]] or very dark [[Brainy Brunette|brown]] hair helps. The [[Chiaroscuro|high contrast]] also makes for a striking and visually appealing appearance.

{{noreallife|this is a trope about how characters are depicted in media.}}

{{examples}}

* ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei]]'': Kiri Komori and Itoshiki-sensei are both seen as this.

* ''[[Black Jack]]'': one episode featured a strong example of this—Souno, a [[Yamato Nadeshiko]] young girl from an old and rather traditional Japanese family, who had been kept indoors all her life due to suffering form a debilitating disease that would cause her life to drastically shorten if she was exposed to sunlight (as well as killing her off before she turns 18 even if she avoids it). She's spent most of her life in a sealed room, practicing Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, under the watch of her very severe [[Overprotective Dad]]; thus, Souno is perfectly pale, with perfectly black hair, and a perfectly exquisite face...a beauty in a bottle. (Remember, the "Nadesico" part of [[Yamato Nadeshiko]] refers to a particular type of flower—probably a deliberate parallel in this case.) Fortunately, Doctor Blackjack is there to help—along with his [[Cheerful Child|lively assistant]], Pinoco, who strikes a really cute [[Intergenerational Friendship]] (sorta) with Souno and gives her the courage to get the treatment she needs.

* Ruri "Kuroneko" Gokou from ''[[Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai!]]'', especially when she is in [[Elegant Gothic Lolita]] garb.

 

* Death and Desire from ''[[The Sandman]]'' qualify (two other members of the Endless have the right hair and skin for it, but Morpheus is extremely gaunt and [[Looks Like Cesare]] and Despair is a [[Gonk]]); Death was based on a myth (Kabbalistic, I think) in which the Angel of Death appears to the deceased as a woman so beautiful [[Even the Girls Want Her|their]] soul leaves their body in ecstasy, and, being [[Your Heart's Desire|the personification of desire]] and all, Desire is ([[Informed Attractiveness|supposed to be]]) the embodiment of perfect androgynous beauty.

* Domino and Sage from ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''.

 

* Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way from ''[[My Immortal]]''.

{{quote|"Hi my name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long [[Department of Redundancy Department|ebony black]] hair (that's how I got my name) <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Costume Porn|...]]] I have [[Department of Redundancy Department|pale white]] skin."}}

* Before [[J. K. Rowling]] revealed his actual gender and ethnicity in ''[[Harry Potter/Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', the default fanfic version of Blaise Zabini was a Sicilian-looking girl with, yes, raven hair and ivory skin. This now-forgotten and obsolete [[Fanon]] Blaise is probably best exemplified by her appearance in ''[http://draco664.fanficauthors.net/Apprentice_Potter/index/ Apprentice Potter]'' and its sequels by "Draco664".

 

* Amélie ([[Audrey Tautou]]) from ''[[Amelie]]''.

* ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'': Vesper (her actress [[Eva Green]] is [[Dye Hard]]).

** The same goes for ''[[Snow White and the Huntsman]]'', ''[[Mirror Mirror (film)|Mirror Mirror]]'' and any other live-action ''Snow White''.

 

* ''[[Fool]]'': in this [[Perspective Flip]] retelling of ''[[King Lear]]'', Pocket describes Lear's daughter Regan:

{{quote|''... there she stood, raven-haired and violet-eyed, snowy fair and finely fit, as if carved by the gods from a solid block of desire.''}}

* [[Big Bad|Tom Riddle (AKA Lord Voldemort)]] from ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' had pale skin and dark hair, and was frequently noted to be very handsome before he started ripping out chunks of his soul and putting them in [[Soul Jar|Horcruxes]].

 

* Blair Waldorf from ''[[Gossip Girl]]''.

* Marian from ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]''.

* Gwen Cooper from ''[[Torchwood]]''.

* Jane Margolis from ''[[Breaking Bad]]''.

* Bay from ''[[Switched At Birth]]''.

* Lady Mary Crawley and Lady Sybil Crawley from ''[[Downton Abbey]]''. They get inherited it from their mother, Cora.

* Lana Lang in ''[[Smallville]]'' has dark hair, possibly of French decent, and in her senior year was voted "Most likely to be a cover girl".

* Fiona Coyne and her blonde brother Declan are rich. With her dark brown curls she is referred to as a princess and one of the hottest girls at [[Degrassi]] school.

* Chloe in ''[[Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23]]''

 

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6hiKSJvHl4 This example] has black hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and is likening a boy to a constipated monkey through song.

* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1BLVEbqLCY "Goth Girl"] by Anthony and Those Other Guys, the main character has a crush on a black-haired and pale-skinned beauty.

** [https://web.archive.org/web/20110905004434/http://nogoodforme.filmstills.org/stvincent.jpg Annie Clark] herself fits the trope, which is remarked upon by [http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2012/04/live_review_4_24_12_tune-yards_st_vincent_oakland_fox_theater.php?page=2 every] [http://www.spin.com/articles/style-issue-st-vincent single] [http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/05/just-the-gist-st-vincents-annie-clark journalist].

 

* A male example is Naoise, lover of Deirdre in the Ulster Cycle of [[Celtic Mythology]].

{{quote|'''Deirdre:''' ''(After seeing a raven drinking blood out of the snow)'' I will love a man with hair the color of the raven, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood.}}

 

* In ''[[Persona 4]]'', Yukiko Amagi is seen as this and gathers quite a fan club because her looks.

* If someone in ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem 7]]'' is about to describe a Morph, there's likely three features to be mentioned: "1. Pale skin, 2. Hair like ebony,<ref>but it really looks purple</ref> and 3. [[Eyes of Gold]]". Sonia was actually made to be beautiful and to seduce Brendan Reed.

* Ashei, the lady knight in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'', has the physical characteristics of this trope, but whether other characters consider her beautiful is never stated.

 

* Amusingly averted by Weiss Schnee of ''[[RWBY]]'', who despite being based on Snow White is a platinum blonde. Her teammate Blake Belladonna, however, fits the trope to a T. (Ruby Rose would, too, except for the reddish highlights in her hair.) Among the adults in the cast, siblings Qrow and Raven Branwen, although Qrow displays some premature grey.

 

* ''[[Fred's Head]]'': Anette.

* [[Betty Boop]] was designed around this trope.

* [[Perky Goth|Gwen]] and [[Lovable Alpha Bitch|Heather]] from ''[[Total Drama Island]]''.

* Dr. Girlfriend from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]''.

 

{{reflist}}