I love the Interactive, Beautiful and Gold Experience era... but why was Prince so pale, can someone explain

[Edited 5/20/18 13:42pm]

Look for track 6 of Vanity 6's album.

TrivialPursuit said:

Damn, he was small. The makeup--to attract looks and propagate mystery, of course. Just another look for the guy. I liked the hair, as questionable as it may appear.

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There's no denying that P was going with a much paler appearance during this time period, for whatever reason, but it's also possible that this picture makes it look much worse than it actually did in the flesh.

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Some makeup products don't photograph well, particularly under strong flash lighting, such as this picture would have been taken.

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Some other xamples:

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LaurenceNoonan said:

I believe that his "identity" never changed nor was in question, except for the public's opinion, which he obviously meant to encourage to bring himself more noteriety. The guy was wearing bikini underwear, legwarmers, a big hoop earring, ruffled blouses, pressed and chemically straightened hair, and different makeup much earlier. Where do you go from there to change your androgynous image? More customized clothes, and change up the hair & makeup. Why explain all of that?

[Edited 5/20/18 18:57pm]

It's the make up

Look at other pictures from that time period

luv4u said:

It's the make up

Look at other pictures from that time period

There are particular photos of him in concert and his face is just so odd with the paler makeup. I never got why he did that. He had lost some weight, he was never happy, and the makeup only made it look like death had warmed over. I'm glad he let that look go once Emancipation came around. Maybe Chaka got up his grill and said, "Boy, what the fuck you doin'?" lol

TrivialPursuit said:

Maybe Chaka got up his grill and said, "Boy, what the fuck you doin'?" lol

Chaka mad?

TheEnglishGent said:

luv4u said:

It's the make up

Look at other pictures from that time period

The look was called Heroin Chic at the time - in NYC at least. And I am NOT talking about drug taking so don't nobody jump all over me.

poppys said:

little richard used what was co called pancake makeup in the 50's to lighten his complexion, Prince and Michael were followers of Little Richard so that could be one reason. Prince was always tinkering with his image so I just think it was another look for him, Michael, on the other hand had some kind of deep seated racial neurosis obviously.

makeup + flashbulb = overly white skin? (look at his hand it is not like that)

TheEnglishGent said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Maybe Chaka got up his grill and said, "Boy, what the fuck you doin'?" lol

Chaka mad?

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Chaka real mad!

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PeteSilas said:

little richard used what was co called pancake makeup in the 50's to lighten his complexion, Prince and Michael were followers of Little Richard so that could be one reason. Prince was always tinkering with his image so I just think it was another look for him, Michael, on the other hand had some kind of deep seated racial neurosis obviously.

Not a great one though. The mid to late 90s were the only time that I thought that Prince looked anything less than great. Fast-forward a few years and he’s looking sharp again (and 10 years younger in my view):

fen said:

PeteSilas said:

little richard used what was co called pancake makeup in the 50's to lighten his complexion, Prince and Michael were followers of Little Richard so that could be one reason. Prince was always tinkering with his image so I just think it was another look for him, Michael, on the other hand had some kind of deep seated racial neurosis obviously.

Not a great one though. The mid to late 90s were the only time that I thought that Prince looked anything less than great. Fast-forward a few years and he’s looking sharp again (and 10 years younger in my view):

there's a couple other looks that i'd say were worse from an aesthetic personal opinion, i thought the graffiti bridge look was wierd and then braids. He tried everything and he understood the value of changing his image to get people's interest. Bowie did it and several others did it.

Liza Minnelli?.. is that you?

RJOrion said:

Liza Minnelli?.. is that you?

that's what they said about the atwiad era but i found out from some interview that he had his hair chopped off at the end of the PR tour just because he was tired of it and was letting it grow out and for some reason they needed to rush the video out. That was the beginning of his really changing his image for each and every album. Before that, there was a gradual morphing into the peak Purple Rain look from dirty mind on, hair got neater and neater, clothes got better tailored. Personally, that look will always be my fave although many of them were great, under the cherry moon is a real close second.

PeteSilas said:

sonshine said:

PeteSilas said:

there's a couple other looks that i'd say were worse from an aesthetic personal opinion, i thought the graffiti bridge look was wierd and then braids. He tried everything and he understood the value of changing his image to get people's interest. Bowie did it and several others did it.

I found someone else who feels the way I do about the Graffiti Bridge look! Lol I seriously thought I was the only one who didn't embrace that style.

ya, most of the time Prince looked great to me (I know looks are subjective) but that graffiti bridge look was ridiculous. I actually felt embarrassed for him when he accepted the ama award during that time. the braids were bad too but he knew it and rocked it anyway, so, kinda cool in that way. but that GB look? Somebody lied to his ass and said "ya Prince, damn, you look good like that".

I maintain that not only was it a look he tried for a short period. But was even paler shade of white after his "death" scene on David Letterman's performance of Dolphin. I also maintain that it was performance art. Prince was dead thus the pale white shading. Prince than rose up from the floor on the American Music Awards show about a month later as the "artist" alive and well.

PeteSilas said:

RJOrion said:

Liza Minnelli?.. is that you?

that's what they said about the atwiad era but i found out from some interview that he had his hair chopped off at the end of the PR tour just because he was tired of it and was letting it grow out and for some reason they needed to rush the video out. That was the beginning of his really changing his image for each and every album. Before that, there was a gradual morphing into the peak Purple Rain look from dirty mind on, hair got neater and neater, clothes got better tailored. Personally, that look will always be my fave although many of them were great, under the cherry moon is a real close second.

I read another explanation somewhere as to why he had short hair after PR : some hair stylist said the short hair style he got in the Raspberry Beret video was the result of Prince having had his hair dyed blond. It destroyed his hair (it started falling out), so the short hair cut was the only solution to save his hair. Personally, I think it worked out great : I loved the short hair cut and I know I would NOT have liked the blond look.

LaurenceNoonan said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Look for track 6 of Vanity 6's album.

Funny, I mean why, I don't think he ever mentioned the make up and questionable hair and what its purpose was.

TrivialP is just saying that is makeup and lighting making him look so blanc

It seems like between 1989-1997 Prince was alive at night time and spending a lot of time in the studios and night time performing. Which will affect complexion.

^^ Exactly. Heroin Chic was what the hipster rag namers called it. Like Spy and Interview (folding announced yesterday). Visual artists called it studio tan. It was combined with the skinny, not eating, never leaving your studio aura of artistic greatness. But Prince actually had the talent to go with it.