Throughout the ages, the faces that have remained true beauty icons are often the ones that break the mold. A gap between the teeth, asymmetrical face or an unusual way of carrying oneself have always sparked more of a flame than the conventional beauty standard. The French have a word for it: "jolie laide," or "beautiful ugly." The imperfections are what captivate us most. Here, a history of the women who fit the bill of unconventional beauty.
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1
Anjelica Houston
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She has claimed that she inherited her unconventional looks from her mother—accessorizing a large nose, skinny eyebrows and deep-set eyes with a chic and angular Vidal Sassoon bob and heavy eyeliner during her modeling days in the 1960s.
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2
Grace Jones
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With her androgynous features and sharp jawbone, Grace Jones has rocked both a completely bald look as well as an extreme flat top haircut, cementing her as an unusual beauty icon for the ages.
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3
Bette Davis
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Bette Davis' unusually large baby blue eyes have always been enviable. In contrast to her sleek finger waved hair and dark lips of the 1920s—they stood out even more.
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4
Joan Jett
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The original rocker girl said no to the conventional beauty standards from the get-go. In favor, she sported dark, razor-cut hair, extreme eyeliner and the coolest of leather jackets.
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5
Devon Aoki
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With her strikingly unusual look, model Devon Aoki captivated the fashion world during the '90s. Her puckered pout and lightened hair have made her one to watch ever since.
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6
Michelle Harper
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A regular street style star, Michelle Harper is an unconventional beauty by nature: petite features, doe-like eyes and all. She further accentuates her look with extreme, architectural hairstyles and bold makeup.
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7
Lindsey Wixon
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Her look is both alluring and arresting: Lindsey Wixson's larger-than-life lips, chin dimple and gap-between-her-teeth have made her a model to watch for all the right reasons.
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8
Barbra Streisand
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As one of the most legendary performers of all time, Barbra Streisand certainly does not fit into the conventional standards of Hollywood beauty.
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9
Tilda Swinton
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As a woman with androgynous features, Tilda Swinton has embraced her look—sporting a short haircut, and often foregoing makeup on the red carpet, save for a bright red lip. Her beauty has become iconic—earning her an ad campaign with Nars.
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10
Lily Cole
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With her long red hair, Lily Cole remains one of the few natural redheads left in the world of entertainment and fashion. That, in combination with her petite, round face and large doe-eyes make her look like a living doll.
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11
FKA Twigs
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From her untamed, sculpturally braided hair (replete with lots of baby-bangs) to her natural eyebrows and nose ring—FKA Twigs has opened up the general public's perception of beauty. She takes risks with her look, and we appreciate it.
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12
Uma Thurman
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The gorgeous actress stands out as an unconventional beauty for her large forehead and deep-set eyes. Combined with her blonde hair, she's always been a whimsical beauty icon.
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13
Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga's eccentric looks have stemmed from her career in music. She has always experimented with identity—rainbow hair colors, makeup inspired from a decade long ago and she once had a convincing male alter ego. She broke the mold of beauty through experimentation.
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14
Frida Kahlo
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The Mexican painter took the power of beauty into her own hands through her self-portraits. While other artists may have conformed to unrealistic beauty standards, Frida Kahlo painted herself with her unibrow and facial hair in plain sight—and she's been admired for it till this day.
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15
Jamie Bochert
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Jamie Bochert's boyish features and shaggy haircut have landed her campaign after campaign—namely Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Lanvin. She's been celebrated for her unusual rocker-girl looks and sharp-as-ice cheekbones.
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16
Kristen McMenamy
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Kristen McMenamy has always experimented with her look. She is unconventional in that she favors extreme and editorial beauty. In the '90s, it was a short black crop with no eyebrows—today, it's a long, stunning silver mane.
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17
Lauren Hutton
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American model and actress Lauren Hutton is one of the first women to be celebrated in entertainment with a gap in her teeth. She's been loved for her beautiful, toothy smile since she came on the scene in the '60s.
Kristen Bateman is a contributing editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Her first fashion article was published in Vogue Italia during her junior year of high school. Since then, she has interned and contributed to WWD, Glamour, Lucky, i-D, Marie Claire and more. She created and writes the #ChicEats column and covers fashion and culture for Bazaar. When not writing, she follows the latest runway collections, dyes her hair to match her mood, and practices her Italian in hopes of scoring 90% off Prada at the Tuscan outlets. She loves vintage shopping, dessert and cats.