Chappell Roan discusses the queer origins of her signature makeup look
Chappell Roan has peeled back the curtain on how her iconic makeup look. Since 2024, the ‘Pink Pony Club’ artist has catapulted to mainstream superstardom following the release of her stand-alone LGBTQIA+ pop anthem, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ In addition to captivating music listeners with her unapologetically queer music, the 26-year-old talent has made waves for her stunning outfits – including her signature white face makeup.
While appearing on Hulu’s Face Of Music series, Chappell gave insight into why she always paints her face white and how it ties to her queer identity. “The white face is very important.
There’s a reason why I do the white face. I grew up in a place where there wasn’t a lot of gay people that were out and proud and safe,” she explained. “There were a few people – mostly boys in my high school – that would call gay people clowns.
They would be like, ‘Oh, they are so loud, and they dress up obnoxiously, and they just have to be the centre of attention; they’re like clowns.'” Chappell went on to say that she embraced the clown label to push back against her small-minded classmates. “So I started doing white makeup because I was like, ‘If you’re going to call me a clown, then I’m going to be the best clown you’ve ever seen, and it’s going to be undeniable that I’m gay, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
