Elizabeth Taylor's Distichiasis: Actress' Double Eyelash Genetic Mutation Revealed

One of the more interesting parts of the late Elizabeth Taylor's beauty life is that she was born with distichiasis -- double rows of eyelashes, Slate writes:

Double rows of eyelashes are usually the result of a mutation at FOXC2, a gene that influences all kinds of tissue development in embryos. FOXC2 mutations are thought to be responsible for, among other things, lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome, a hereditary disease that can cause disorders of the lymphatic system in addition to double eyelashes.

The eyelash mutation isn't always as cosmetically enhancing as Taylor's turned out to be--the extra eyelashes can sometimes grow inward and damage the cornea. And it turns out that 7 percent of people with lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome also suffer from congenital heart disease.

Although she avoided any of the complications associated with distichiasis, Liz's diagnosis certainly factored into her childhood. From an old Washington Post review of J. Randy Taraborrelli's Taylor biography Elizabeth:

The scene is straight out of the "X-Men" franchise. A beetle-browed physician calls a pair of young parents into his office and, in the gravest of cadences, informs them that their newly born daughter has -- a mutation.

"Well, that sounded just awful," the girl's mother later recalls, "a mutation. But, when he explained that her eyes had double rows of eyelashes, I thought, well, now, that doesn't sound so terrible at all."

And another excerpt via the Daily Mail:

Star of the film ["Lassie Come Home"] Roddy McDowall, then 13, recalled: 'On her first day of filming, they took one look at her and said: "Get that girl off the set - she has too much eye make-up on, too much mascara.'

So they rushed her off the set and started rubbing at her eyes with a moist cloth to take the mascara off.

'Guess what? They learned that she had no mascara on. She has a double set of eyelashes. Now, who has double eyelashes except a girl who was absolutely born to be on the big screen?"

Pretty interesting stuff. In any case, it all explains her mascara-ad-worthy look.

Comments

[frant52]

04:59 PM on 05/04/2011

I've never heard of this before, it's really interesting.

[thetruthhoits]

11:57 PM on 04/03/2011

She was gorgeous! Although she did not truly have violet eyes at all. Look at more recent, unretouched pictures of her. She had truly blue eyes. Eventhough real violet eyes are a sort of blue, she didn't even have real violet eyes.

A lot of myth was spread about Liz by MGM back in the day about her eyes. Apparently a lot of people still believe these myths.

My grandfather was Kashmiri, had jet black hair, pale skin, and violet eyes. Not sure about the double row of lashes.

[lioness39]

11:18 AM on 04/02/2011

Ah to have such a mutation. We will miss you, Liz.

[RosslynRose]

10:48 PM on 03/31/2011

She was perfection. Absolutely breathtaking.

[Dana Nicole]

10:18 PM on 03/31/2011

She totally won the genetic lottery. Violet eyes, raven hair, and double rows of eyelashes. Beauty like that is hard to find.

[AlsoSarah]

08:30 PM on 03/31/2011

OK, I am going to go there. Liz Taylor, Marylin Monroe, Kim Novak. Do we have any real beauties recently that can compare to them?

[veritas88]

11:28 PM on 03/31/2011

Don't forget Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Sophia Loren. You know, color.

[beavismom62]

01:32 PM on 04/16/2011

Here, here! And not to forget my personal fave, Tina Turner. Oh, those legs!

[americancolonyinhell]

06:27 AM on 04/01/2011

Of course, we do. We simply don't live in a more restrained - and therefore glamorous - society anymore. Had Jolie, Kidman, Berry, to name but a few, worked in the 50's, their careers would certainly have equalled Novak's.

[odinfellow]

07:47 PM on 03/31/2011

I remember watching Ivanhoe when I was younger and being awestruck by her beauty. I was in love. She was one in a million.

[BowlingForRevenge]

04:45 PM on 03/31/2011

I adored her, my mother adored her, my grandmother adored her and my great grandmother adored her. She was epitome of grace, beauty and kindness.
Didn't always make the wisest decisions when she was young but that's what happens when you lead with your heart.
Look how that worked out later on for the world. Not to shabby.

[maxom]

04:28 PM on 03/31/2011

One thing about this thread....there's no political bashing going on for a change ....that's a relief....and she was a beautiful woman....no other like her.

[dannywanny]

02:49 PM on 03/31/2011

Hardly revealing. It's been mentioned numerous times over at least 50 years by a number of writers and journalists

[Gussmith]

03:27 PM on 03/31/2011

I never knew so I find the information very revealing, except the article does not go far enough to discuss the effect on Ms Taylor's life. Did she know about the connection with conjunctive heart disease? What comments did she have on the mutation? Yes, revealing and interesting.

[adcan49]

08:22 PM on 03/31/2011

Make that two of us; I had not heard of this either.

[NevaforLeadership]

07:25 PM on 03/31/2011

The fact that congenital heart disease, which is how she died, goes along with the double row of eylashes, is most revealing.

[amantedelibros]

10:43 PM on 03/31/2011

She died of congestive heart failure. I don't know if a congenital heart condition contributed to that or not. If she did suffer from a congenital heart condition, I'm wondering if it would have killed at a much younger age than her age at death? Any doctors in the house who can clear this up for me/us?

[justanotherbushhater]

02:42 PM on 03/31/2011

FOXC2??? Is this for real? "Foxy 2"??? The violet eyes were certainly set off by the double lashes!

[FireInMyBelly]

02:29 PM on 03/31/2011

She mentions her double eyelashes in her autobiography.

[Femonanon]

02:14 PM on 03/31/2011

She was born with a special set of beauty genes.

[Diana Black Bandelow]

02:07 PM on 03/31/2011

And the bible thumpers will still not see how evolution is around us in every way. Science is neat. God is not.

[SoSorry]

01:15 PM on 03/31/2011

Unfortunately I never understood the mass appeal of Taylor. Never thought she was 'that' beautiful.

[Botany5000]

01:55 PM on 03/31/2011

Especially after she opened her mouth to speak.

[ladiesbane]

01:59 PM on 03/31/2011

Her appearance was enhanced by her talent and her combination of earthiness and poise. Seeing her in Butterfield 8, and her better performances, made me a believer -- but until then, I was indifferent.