Author Topic: cosmetic changes?  (Read 4913 times)

Offline Brown Eyes

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cosmetic changes?
« on: April 04, 2007, 08:59:30 pm »
Hey Buds,

I've been thinking a little bit lately about Lureen's obvious cosmetic transitions and evolution as the film of BBM progresses.  I was wondering about this in relation to Jack's physical transformations.  In the story we're given more of an overt description of at least one major cosmetic change that Jack makes... getting his teeth fixed.  And in both the story and film he grows a moustache.  I don't think there's much of anything in the film to give the viewer any sense of the issue regarding Jack's teeth.

I know we've all had our theories about what Lureen's cosmetic changes might signify.  But, what about Jack's cosmetic changes?

Why the moustache (whether we like it or not)?  Why get his teeth fixed?  Who is he trying to impress?  Why doesn't Ennis go through a similar process of physical change?  Or does he in some way?
the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

injest

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2007, 09:04:36 pm »
Jack was trying to get as far away from the boy he was in Lightening Flat....changing his appearance (fixing himself) was one way to do that

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2007, 09:11:07 pm »
Well, yes, I think that's a good part of what's going on with Jack.  I guess that facial hair in general could be a sign of maturity... having grown beyond the reach of his abusive father.  It's also such an overt, in-your-face (pardon the pun  ;) ) sign of masculinity.  Did this pose a challenge to Ennis?  Was this Jack trying to make Ennis acknowledge that he was kissing another man?  At least from what we see in the film, Jack has that moustache for many, many years, so Ennis must not have voiced any objection.  I would think that if Jack sensed physical rejection over the moustache that he would have shaved it off pretty quickly.

But, I'm still also a little stuck on how Lureen's cosmetic changes might relate to Jack's.  Are the both signs of desperation?  Low self-esteem?  Attention-getting devices?
the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2007, 09:45:54 pm »
Well, mustaches were fashionable in the '70s when Jack grew his. Maybe it wasn't anything more than that.

Maybe Story Jack thought getting his teeth fixed would be good for his business as a salesman.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2007, 02:56:22 pm »
I just had an epiphany about Lureen...all those pearls she wears. The lustre is a secretion of the oyster when an irritant invades its shell. The oyster coats the irritant with lustre and in so doing makes it into a beautiful pearl. But also, in the process, smothers it.

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Offline tampatalon

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2007, 12:44:26 am »
There is a practicle reason to also grow a mustache and it has to do with face conture
and skin tecture. I always would nick myself shaving either above the lip or below the
lip with the old strait edge razor of the 60' and 70's because my skin was most tender
there. Also moles and such are hard to cut around. So for practicle reasons it easier to
grow facial hair rather than bleed like a stuck pig. Maybe Jack was being practicle?

TampaTalon^">
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2007, 01:05:14 am »
Hey Buds!
Thanks for reviving this thread... I'd forgotten about this topic.  But, it definitely is interesting.

I just had an epiphany about Lureen...all those pearls she wears. The lustre is a secretion of the oyster when an irritant invades its shell. The oyster coats the irritant with lustre and in so doing makes it into a beautiful pearl. But also, in the process, smothers it.

I think you're on to something here Sister-Mod... I feel like the cosmetic changes for both Lureen and Jack are signs of personal turmoil or unhappiness. Or the cosmetic changes are signs that they're not happy ("irritated") with certain circumstances in their lives. I mean, the first time we see Jack with a moustache is after the Mexico encounter and the horrible rejection from Ennis following the divorce.  And, am I correct that the first time we see Lureen with the bleached blonde hair is also in this same Thanksgiving scene?  These two drastic physical changes for both Lureen and Jack seem to happen at the same time. 

There is a practicle reason to also grow a mustache and it has to do with face conture
and skin tecture. I always would nick myself shaving either above the lip or below the
lip with the old strait edge razor of the 60' and 70's because my skin was most tender
there. Also moles and such are hard to cut around. So for practicle reasons it easier to
grow facial hair rather than bleed like a stuck pig. Maybe Jack was being practicle?

TampaTalon^">

I think it's possible that there's some practical aspect to the moustache.  But, when you think about Jack... he's shown to be very concerned with his appearance from the very beginning.  It may actually be significant that one of the first things we see him doing in the film is shaving while he waits for Aguirre.  And, that seems to be a particularly awkward way to be shaving... so he's willing to shave in those uncomfortable, outdoor conditions for the sake of his appearance.  And, he clearly goes to the trouble to continue shaving while on Brokeback (which, again was probably pretty cumbersome to accomplish given the rudimentary camping conditions).  And, as the years go on we see Jack seems to take a lot of care with his clothing... the big watch... seeming to have dressed up to go surprise Ennis following the divorce.  My hunch is that the moustache was at least partially an aesthetic thing for Jack.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline tampatalon

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #7 on: December 23, 2007, 01:13:59 am »
I agree also with the aesthetic thang. Facial hair done right is hot in my book.
Where was Jack's (Jake's) mole on his face? Left side by the lip? My memory
escapes me on this one.

TampaTalon^">
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Offline LauraGigs

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #8 on: December 23, 2007, 03:21:06 am »
I thought one reason for the mustache in the film was to make it really clear that the dozy embrace scene was a flashback.

Offline brokeplex

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Re: cosmetic changes?
« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2007, 02:58:25 pm »
We are mixing two different sources of information here about "Brokeback". Two different canons, so to speak.

a) the short story

b) the film

A.L.'s  film makes some departures from the A.P.'s short story. I think that each needs to be viewed on its own merits, not blended together as if they are one entity. Mixing them together can make for a muddled analysis.

a) In A.P.'s short story, Jack had buck teeth, was short, and had a big butt.

This is how A.P. described Jack Twist,
 "Jack seemed fair enough with his curly hair and quick laugh, but for a small man he carried some weight in the haunch and his smile disclosed buckteeth."

 A.P.'s Jack was concerned about his appearance for very good reasons, his description in the short story shows us that he was not attractive as a man. Of course, there are exceptions, but gay men don't tend to find a big butt on a man to be attractive. Gay "urban legend", if a man has a big butt, he is probably is not gay.

Jack had his teeth filed down to make himself more attractive, probably not for Ennis, Ennis already knew Jack had buck teeth. Jack probably did this to make hunting for "tricks" in roadside parks and other closeted sexual arenas easier. The mustache was popular on men in the 1970's, I grew one for 6 weeks and hated it, shaved it right off. Jack's mustache is consistent with the period.

A.P. describes Jacks appearance as changing over the years, "Jack had filled out through the shoulders and hams" He was getting fatter, for a short man that is not a good thing. Jack filed down his teeth and grew a mustache, "he had his front teeth filed down and capped,..., and to finish the job grew a heavy mustache."  The only mention of a growth on either of the boys faces is the one on Ennis's eyelid, "A benign growth appeared on his eyelid and gave it a drooping appearance..."

The short story doesn't say much about Lureen's appearance. 

b) In the film we are treated to the appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack. Quite a change from the image I had formed reading A.P.'s story!

In appearance we see him grow a mustache, gain weight, and sport a clunky Rolex wrist watch. All just about what I would have expected to see on a Jack Twist aging thru the 1970's into the 1980's.

We also get to see Lureen, and her transformation into a successful small town Texas farm equipment executive. She favors the slathered on makeup, the peroxided hair- do, the loud, large pieces of jewelry. Her nails are brightly painted. Her teeth begin to stain from the cigarettes. In short, she want to looks the part of a successful business woman from her small town in Texas. And, A.L. got that image right in the film! That is exactly how I remember the appearance of most successfully business women in Texas in that period.

Why did she peroxide the hair?  "Blondes have more fun!"  And as Texas women age, they just get bigger, blonder hairdoes! It is also would have been easier to cover up any gray with peroxide, rather than using the natural chestnut brown color of her hair.