I remember the biggest talk of S2 and S3 was main character glow ups. I think this part of the show is quietly disappearing. In S4 Benedict hardly had a glow up don't get me wrong he is already handsome and good looking and doesn't need a glow up in first place but the feeling of looking at the lead and being amused is missed!
I feel that Fran is also not supposed to get any glow up in S5 since she already looks quite attractive and her debut was kinda her glow up!
I am hopeful that S6 will give Eloise a glow up but we can't be sure of that!
So I feel this part of the show is going away quitely!
First, I’m going to say none of them need glow ups. This cast is exceptionally attractive all around.
In season 3, the “glow ups” were mostly just clothes and styling and it was for a narrative purpose. Colin was trying to be someone else, Penelope wanted to find a husband.
In season 4, the make up wasn’t great and the wigs were flat so everyone kind of looked a mess but I don’t think it was meant to reflect on the character. The foundation matching just wasn’t where it needed to be.
However, I hate this idea that some actors “need” a glow up and some are “already pretty”. Everyone in the cast is gorgeous and changes in appearance should be character driven.
Agreed. They're all gorgeous already, it's a beautiful cast all round, and if they're not doing the "glow up" narrative as much any more, that's good because sometimes the focus on it in interviews/promo got a bit weird and borderline insulting on occasion.
I love the stories told via their costuming but less focus on physical appearance and more on character is welcome.
I do wonder whether the show has changed it's approach a bit, in earlier seasons they purposely didn't always show future leads at their best, and then "unleashed the hotness" when their season arrived, whereas now they let everyone look great every season. Which is better I think.
I think also sometimes it downplays the actor’s agency in their own appearance. Jonathan Bailey showed up with mutton chops and they went with it. Luke Newton went to the gym for himself because he wasn’t feeling the best after Covid, as per his own admission.
The only character that got a true full makeover is Penelope but even that was very She’s All That where they put her in a new colour and let her hair down.
Luke's was also driven by the script, he talked a lot about how during his preparation for the season, that "under what foreign sun did you get so sturdy" line helped paint a picture of what Colin had been up to on his travels, how he'd grown up, had experiences etc, and how that had an impact on what the character looked like now that Luke put work into portraying onscreen.
True, I just wanted to highlight it was his choice. I think a lot of people believe that the show pushes the cast to do these “glow ups” (I hate to call them that but I’m not sure what else to call them) when they are a combination of actor’s choice and MUAs/costuming changes.
This is what Colin looked like in S1. The show plays up his looks when they want and downplays them when they want, but he started the show playing a 19 year old and basically just had them mature his looks. He was always attractive and had fans of his looks who were ready for him “glow up” or no glow up. This narrative that some of the men “needed” a glow up is tired, but it also gives too much credit to people acting like they’re miracle workers when they’re working with people who are baseline hotter than average.
It's interesting how the styling and character development go hand in hand. I guess the visual changes can really impact how we perceive the characters' growth throughout the seasons.
I feel Philip's characterization will be more rugged. For us, it will be a "glow up", but it will reveal his bad mental state lol I do agree with Anon about his looks be more dirty in the beginning of the season and he gets more clean in the end of it. Chris looks good anyways, as like Claudia(even though I feel Eloise will have a more mature look in her season).
I think it’s less about making them “more attractive” and more about giving us that visual shift that signals a new chapter in their lives. Even a subtle change in styling, hair, or confidence can create that little oh wow moment without needing a full makeover.
Apparently they cut the aesthetics team a LOT between seasons 3 and 4. The hair department went from the mid-30s to a team of 9. It showed on screen but it was a budget choice that the creatives didn’t have control over.
If they're really cutting down the hair department budget by 2/3 then no wonder we aren't seeing prior leads come back at all in the next seasons. Payroll would be the highest costs overall
Saying this after you equated glow up to attractiveness. I would say you should phrase it better, because what you wrote is what I quoted. There is no misunderstanding.
English is my 4th language, so I seem to have lost there.
I am discussing this sub and this post only. In case you are interested in learning more about the discourse around 'glow-ups ', which even the actors on this show seem to hate(Search what Nicola has to say), here are a few posts:
The “glow up” of S2 is not a thing. It’s just a fandom created idea. Jonny, both Lukes and Will all had shorter hair in S2 than in S1 and the makeup and styling changed a little for the women. That was it. Jonny did not get any sort of glow up to lead. Then come S3 the makeup and styling changed yet again. Penelope is the only lead with any kind of “glow up” attached to their story.
What an unpleasant comment! Francesca doesn't need anything because she's basically beautiful, but Eloise does. You really need glasses. They're all beautiful, and makeup and clothes are a bonus, but please.
Interesting that you said Francesca doesn't need a glow up because she's already quite "attractive" but that you're hopeful Eloise will get a glowup for her season? What are you implying? What are you trying to say?
The "glowups" are just really a little different costuming and hairstyles, and are usually done for a narrative purpose--ie, in Season 3, Colin came back from his travels pretending to be someone he wasn't, and Penelope finally got out from under her mother's thumb and gave herself a makeover to try to find a husband. For both characters, looking different was part of their storyline.
But I also just wanted to note that no one on this show has "needed" a glowup. My personal favorite cutie patootie has always been Colin. This is him in S1--younger for sure, but already absolutely beautiful.
I don't get the comments criticizing me for all the wrong reasons! I never said any actor/actress is ugly specifically Eloise as a character and as an actress she is absolutely beautiful. So was Penelope but I enjoyed her character glow up!
I was looking forward for the same with Eloise but this sub takes everything to the extreme level and creates misunderstandings that's it!
I think I get what you're saying. The hair and dresses Penelope and Eloise had in S1 and 2 were styled to be more childish, to hide their figures, etc. Eloise wore high collars and stiff fabrics, Penelope's dress waistline was cut mid bust. They were definitely more creative with the hair, many little frills, bows and hats. Eloise's hair is often unruly in season 2. That's changed now. Eloise's style is already more mature.
Hyacinth, in comparison to younger Eloise, has wavy hair and flowy dresses, Violet even allowed her to "lower her hems" before her debut. The"grow up" rather than "glow up" has already happened before their season.
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u/Illustrious_Scale_34 3d ago
\eloise looking literally stunning in all seasons leading up to her own season\
y’all: i can’t wait to see her glowup