10 Old Hollywood Celebrities Whose Beauty Is Actually Not That Natural

Many people reproach modern girls for the fact that, in pursuit of beauty, they become overly into going to beauticians. The same people claim that the gorgeous women and handsome men of the last century had a totally “natural” beauty and that the actresses of old Hollywood are perfect proof of this. However, this opinion is wrong. Celebrities would use the services of plastic surgeons during those times as well, and they were also using Vaseline and shaving their faces to get that perfect appearance.

Bright Side did a little investigation in order to find out which of these idols of “natural beauty” actually made some changes to their appearance.

Marilyn Monroe

Turns out that Marilyn Monroe, whose appearance is still considered flawless, had used the services of a plastic surgeon in pursuit of beauty. This information is recorded in her surgeon’s (Michael Gurdin) notes that indicate the celebrity underwent nose and chin surgery. The surgery was presumably done in 1950, before Marilyn played her iconic roles in the movies How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Apart from surgery, Marilyn was also using hormonal creams that promoted the growth of fluff on her face, but Monroe preferred to not shave it because it gave a tender glow to her face in photos.

Gloria Grahame

The Hollywood diva and winner of an Oscar Award, Gloria Grahame, felt shy about her upper lip because she believed it was too thin. In order to correct this imperfection, the actress inserted cotton or small pieces of fabric between her teeth and her lip, to make it look more plump and attractive. This trick was spotted during kissing scenes by her on-set partners.

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich takes 9th place on the list of greatest actresses of classical Hollywood movies in the American Film Institute’s ratings. This is not surprising, because apart from amazing talent and charm, she also had a sophisticated appearance. However, the actress strived to perfect the way she looked, which is why she was using the so-called “Croydon facelift” (face lifting without surgery). Dietrich asked her makeup artists to twist tiny strands of her hair around hairpins, pull them back, and tightly fix them on her head. This trick helped her lift the skin on her forehead.

Burt Lancaster

The winner of an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, Burt Lancaster used to play macho guys at the beginning of his career. However, he dreamt about more dramatic roles that required a certain appearance. That’s why, over many years, Burt kept constantly improving his face: he corrected his teeth, the shape of his cheekbones and chin, etc. The biographical book about Burt Lancaster’s life mentions a quote where he says that he has undergone so many surgeries that, in his words: “the most real thing on my face are my eyes.”

Rita Hayworth

One of the most popular American actresses of the 1940s, Rita Hayworth had Spanish roots, and that’s why she was originally a brunette. In order to meet the Hollywood’s beauty standards and get more significant roles in movies, she had to dye her hair red and do electrolysis (a method of removing individual hairs from the face or body using chemicals or heat energy) to push back her hairline and visually make her forehead look higher.

Clark Gable

The handsome Clark Gable, who conquered the hearts of viewers with his role as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, also made some corrections to his appearance. Clark’s natural smile was far from being “Hollywood-like.” His acting coach, Josephine Dillon, paid the dentist’s bill for his new teeth. Later, despite a big age difference (Dillon was 17 years older than Gable), she became his first wife.

Jean Harlow

It was Jean Harlow who was considered the ideal platinum blonde before Marilyn Monroe appeared on the big screen. The actress even had a corresponding nickname. It is believed that Harlow got this shade of hair thanks to a toxic mixture for dyeing, which included bleach, peroxide, ammonia, and Lux laundry detergent. However, this mix is actually very dangerous and could even be fatal; the process was infamous for having damaged Harlow’s natural ash-blonde hair.

Elizabeth Taylor

The incredible Elizabeth Taylor, who was especially remembered for her role as Cleopatra, would use a razor to look beautiful on screen. The actress would shave her face to remove the dead cells and make her skin look perfectly smooth.

Dean Martin

The jazz singer and American actor of Italian origins, Dean Martin, wasn’t satisfied with his nose — it had been broken in the actor’s youth. That’s why when his career started to go up, Dean decided to undergo plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty made it possible to slightly narrow and reduce the nose, although the shape itself wasn’t changed drastically.

Mary Pickford

The desire to look young and fresh played a cruel joke on silent film legend Mary Pickford. She was very worried about aging and did a facelift too early. Moreover, the procedure wasn’t successful — Mary couldn’t smile in a normal way or express her emotions fully, which was extremely important in the silent film actress’s career, because the biggest part of this type of acting is based on the mimics.

How do you relate to plastic surgeries and cosmetic interventions? Do you think it’s all because of a person’s inner complexes or do you support a person’s right to self-perfection?