History Main / EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette

* Being the pasty geeks that they are, there's a lot of these in the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses crew. Benzaie, [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] and TheNostalgiaCritic, in particular.

* [[AdventureTimeWithFinnAndJake Marceline the Vampire Queen]] is this, only because she is a vampire.

Alice Cullen and many other dark-haired ''{{Twilight}}'' vampires fall under this trope as well, having skin so pale, it's completely white and ice cold. [[AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame They also sparkle in sunlight.]]

* The titular character from ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''. Not so much in the {{Pilot}} version, where he was a little more tanned and had slightly browner hair.

* The titular character from ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''. Not so much in the [[Pilot pilot]] version, where he was a little more tanned and had slightly browner hair.

* The titular character from ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''. Not so much in the pilot version, where he was a little more tanned and had slightly browner hair.

This is somewhat ironic, as OnceUponATime pale skin symbolized wealth and education, as the privileged could afford to work indoors rather than in the fields. (Also it's very easy to tell if a pale person is sick; with a 'healthy tan', one can hide it more easily.) Nowadays this is not uncommon in RealLife.

* The legend of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuki_onna Yuki-onna or Snow Lady]] in Japanese mythos. Exceptionally pale and beautiful, but her eyes can be terrifying. She may also lack feet.

* Selene from the ''{{Underworld}}'' movies. Being a vampire and all, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

* Magiere from ''TheSagaOfTheNobleDead'' straddles the line between this and UndeathlyPallor. At her most normal she has a chalk-white complexion (impossible given the amount of time she spends outdoors) and [[RedRightHand blood red highlights]] in her [[ShinyMidnightBlack otherwise black hair]] (when her SuperpoweredEvilSide comes out, so do the fangs). [[SarcasmMode Oddly enough]], [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer she had a rough childhood]] and developed a thing about superstitious peasantry.

* Nearly all humanoid Disney villains ever, starting with Snow White's wicked stepmother and going on. Sometimes the skin is greenish or yellowish-tinged (Maleficent from ''Disney/SleepingBeauty''), but this can be seen as an over-the-top graphic representation of cool or sallow tones in pale skin.
** Vanessa, [[spoiler:Ursula's human form]] in The Little Mermaid, certainly qualifies.

* It's not that difficult[[hottip:*:Assuming you're white or Asian; members of races with more melanin can only do it if they bleach their skin or happen to have a [[HeroicAlbino pigmentation]] [[EvilAlbino abnormality]]]] to acquire the skin and hair colors of this trope, if you dye your hair and stay out of the sun, and some people are naturally black-haired and pale-skinned enough to fit the visuals. Hence why this page has such a long TroperTales page (it used to only ''require'' the looks, with creepiness just as a serving suggestion; it also had a lot of TropeDecay). Eerieness, however, is both harder to achieve and far more subjective, and people who ''try'' to be eerie can easily wind up looking like poseurs instead.

* It's not that difficult[[hottip:*:Assuming you're white or Asian; members of races with more melanin can only do it if they bleach their skin or happen to have a [[HeroicAlbino pigmentation]] [[EvilAlbino abnormality]]]] to acquire the skin and hair colors of this trope, if you dye your hair and stay out of the sun, and some people are naturally black-haired and pale-skinned enough to qualify. Hence why this page has such a long TroperTales page (it used to only ''require'' the looks, with creepiness just as a serving suggestion; it also had a lot of TropeDecay). Eerieness, however, is both harder to achieve and far more subjective, and people who ''try'' to be eerie can easily wind up looking like poseurs instead.

The EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette is a character not just with [[PeopleSitOnChairs mere brown hair and light skin]], but [[ShinyMidnightBlack hair as black as midnight]] and skin pale as a ghost -- possibly because they ''are'' [[UndeathlyPallor a ghost]], though it's not required. This [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] complexion is [[{{Chiaroscuro}} visually contrasting]], and interesting to look at; serving as a cue to a high contrast or even [[HiddenDepths duality]] about the character. And it's dirt common among villains, creepy characters (vampires especially), and {{Goth}}s.

[[SweeneyTodd quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helena02.jpg]]

The EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette is a character not just with black or brown hair and fair skin, but with a downright near deathly pallor, thinness, and [[ShinyMidnightBlack hair as black as midnight]]. This [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] complexion is [[{{Chiaroscuro}} visually contrasting]], and interesting to look at; serving as a cue to a high contrast or even [[HiddenDepths duality]] about the character. And it's dirt common among villains.

[[SweeneyTodd [[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helena02.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helena02.jpg]]

* Marceline the Vampire Queen is this, only because she is a vampire.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helena02.jpg

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Helena02.jpg

Sometimes [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by VictorianNovelDisease, which practically defined the trope, hence its popularity in {{Goth}}ic fiction.

* Hyatt from ''ExcelSaga'', who is very sickly and usually dies several times per episode.

That said, this is still something of an alignment neutral trope. On the DarkIsNotEvil side of the equation there's the {{Goth}}, StrangeGirl, the {{Trickster}} and AntiHero. Still, some of the more memorable examples of this trope are the likes of TheVamp, BloodKnight, and WickedWitch. Oddly enough, the EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette is hardly ever TheBigGuy or a bruiser, as most villains with this complexion complement it with [[LooksLikeCesare haggard, sleep deprived eyes]] and near starved frames. Perhaps to send the message that [[LeanAndMean evil takes a physical as well as]] [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil moral toll]]. If they ''are'' on the side of good, though, they'll usually be of TheLancer or TheSmartGuy type.

Note that pale will not always mean pure white; a yellowish (usually referred to as "sallow") tinge is common. In comics or cartoons, a greenish hue is a frequent substitute. Blue, violet or grey pastels will also do in a pinch.