In the portraits that grace the covers of Joni Mitchell’s albums, the cheekbones are hard to ignore. Prominent, almost sculptural, they draw the eye into the paintings—and into the singer’s world itself. Today marks the folk icon’s 73rd birthday—and more than half a century of making music—and her idiosyncratic beauty still fascinates in portraits. Mitchell even starred in a Saint Laurent campaign last year, a dark and wide-brimmed hat setting off her white-blond hair and extraordinarily prominent cheekbones.
Mitchell seems a perfect illustration of the lasting allure of the trait. If full cheeks imply adolescence and innocence, high cheekbones suggest sharpness and experience without forgoing youthfulness or approachability—not unlike Mitchell’s legendary music. When we think of famous faces with the feature, it’s of bold and intellectual women for whom a highly structured visage only reinforced their images. The steely wit and aristocratic drawl of Katharine Hepburn are set off by her severe features; Lauren Bacall had a face for film noir, giving off a sense of mystery with only a look. The effect isn’t limited to old Hollywood though. Debbie Harry’s structural, easily photographed face fostered the replication of her look the world over, and Cate Blanchett, across her range of characters, communicates a cool, regal aura whenever she’s on camera. High cheekbones only underline that there’s something enigmatic going on behind the eyes. Almost like architecture, they lead us in toward the subject. Here, we look at 19 legendary faces famous for the trait.
The post Happy Birthday Joni Mitchell! 19 of the Greatest Cheekbones in History appeared first on Vogue.
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