Hollywood is contributing to "prejudice" against people with skin disease, doctors have claimed.
Movie villains like Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader and the Wicked Queen who torments Snow White have obvious dermatological flaws, while few heroes do, a new US study suggests.
Julia Croley of the University of Texas looked at the top 10 heroes and villains, as compiled by the American Film Institute. Six of the 10 villains had problems including hair loss, bags under the eyes and wrinkles, while only two of the heroes did - and their flaws were minor when compared to those suffered by the baddies.
The six flaws noted in the study were:
- alopecia - Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader (as seen when unmasked in Return of the Jedi) and It's A Wonderful Life's Mr Potter
- periorbital hyperpigmentation (dark circles under the eyes) - Darth Vader, The Exorcist's Regan MacNeil and the Wicked Queen
- wrinkles - Darth Vader, the Wicked Queen
- facial scars - Darth Vader, Regan MacNeil
- warts - The Wizard Of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, the Wicked Queen
- bulbous nose - the Wicked Queen
The only two heroes in the top 10 with flaws were Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine from Casablanca - both with minor scars.
"The results of this study demonstrate Hollywood's tendency to depict skin disease in an evil context, the implications of which extend beyond the theatre," says Dr Croley.
"Unfairly targeting dermatologic minorities may contribute to a tendency toward prejudice in our culture and facilitate misunderstanding of particular disease entities among the general public."
Alopecia - hairlessness - is particularly common among villains, the study claims, using Austin Powers antagonist Dr Evil and his son Scott as prime examples.
"As Scott demonstrates increasingly wicked behaviour to please his nefarious father, Scott's hair volume diminishes from stage 3 to stage 7 androgenic alopecia.
"His hair loss culminates in the final scene. Promising to fulfil his revenge plot, Scott laughs maniacally and reveals a completely hairless scalp, the visual manifestation of his malevolence."
Scars are so commonly used to denote evil intentions, the study claims, that many bad guys bear the name of their flaw, "including Scar in The Lion King, Al Pacino's Scarface, and Craterface in Grease".
And the Wicked Witch of the West's wart and green skin essentially doomed her from the moment Dorothy landed in Oz.
"Although subtle, together with her witch's wardrobe, they represent visual cues that her character will almost certainly effect suffering and misfortune."
Redheads though have equal cause for concern and celebration - 20 percent of both villains and heroes are gingers, compared to only 4 percent of us mortals.
"While red hair does not distinguish between heroes and villains, it does create memorable film characters."
The redhead trope goes back centuries, the study notes, with Leonardo da Vinci portraying Judas as a ginger.
The research was published in journal JAMA Dermatology.
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