We’ve all thought it—some actors are just too symmetrical to be in a period piece.
Following the release of Daisy Jones & The Six (2023), the highly anticipated rock band drama, the internet was up in arms over the cast’s accuracy—or lack thereof. While all undeniably attractive and rocking fabulous ’70s hair, many fans found the actors too modern-looking.
Camila Morrone, who plays Camila Alvarez in the series, was one of the main targets. One X summed up the sentiment: “She looks like she knows what Venmo is.”
Though humorous, the X comment taps into a broader unease about how modern beauty standards can clash with historical settings in period films, colloquially known as “iPhone face.”
The Daisy Jones & The Six cast isn’t the first instance of so-called iPhone face accusations. The term—though technically applicable to any smartphone—has become shorthand for the ultra-symmetrical, hyper-groomed, and distinctly modern features that some actors bring to period dramas.
Dakota Johnson in Persuasion (2022), Timothée Chalamet in The King (2019), and Halle Bailey in The Colour Purple (2023), among many, have also found themselves in the hot seat for looking a little too 2025.
At its core, iPhone face refers to the polished, symmetrical, and often cosmetically enhanced features that have grown more common due to the rise of social media, filters, and beauty technology. Skincare advancements, Botox, fillers, and even the most subtle cosmetic tweaks have shifted beauty standards, making certain facial features—like fuller lips, higher cheekbones, ultra-smooth skin, and sparkling white teeth—the new norm.
For many period pieces, and the loyal fans who defend them, these modern features feel out of place, and historically inaccurate.
Even actors who haven’t undergone procedures may still exhibit these “modern” facial features due to better nutrition, orthodontics, and skincare than people had in past centuries. Add in the fact that we’re used to seeing highly curated, filtered faces on Instagram and TikTok, and suddenly, anyone who doesn’t look like they’ve just stepped off a time machine set feels anachronistic.
Interestingly, there’s actual science behind why modern faces look different.
Studies suggest that frequent exposure to front-facing cameras and filters is subtly reshaping our perception of beauty. The Snapchat-bred dysmorphia has led to an increase in cosmetic procedures designed to mimic the polished, idealized versions of ourselves we see on screen, their faces smoothed, contoured, and enhanced to match a digital standard that doesn’t actually exist.
On the surface, it may seem like a strange complaint—the perfection of an actor’s appearance in a movie may feel insignificant. But part of what makes period dramas compelling is their ability to transport audiences into another time. So, when an actor’s face (or veneers) scream “21st century,” it breaks that immersion.
Some actors seem to sidestep this critique. Florence Pugh in Little Women (2019), Anya Taylor-Joy in Last Night in Soho (2021), and Barry Keoghan in Dunkirk (2017), for example, are often praised for their ability to blend seamlessly into both historical settings and contemporary films. Their features boast a certain timelessness that doesn’t subscribe to the over-plumped, over-chiselled, filtered beauty standards of today—perhaps making them feel more at-home in period pieces.
While iPhone face is more of a social media gripe than a scientific term, it does highlight real shifts in beauty standards and relationships with authenticity in storytelling. Whether it’s a ing internet complaint or a genuine issue for filmmakers, one thing is clear. Some faces just feel too modern for depictions of the past.
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