History Main / GaussianGirl

** And [[https://youtu.be/Fr2LyxJpHu8?si=qfePl2OWdGp5xxHj yet again]] during the 2022 Midterm Elections, to lampoon the Republican candidate for Arizona Governor, former newscaster Kari Lake, who frequently gave virtual speeches and interviews (still quite common during the tail end of the worst of the COVID pandemic,) from behind a very strong [[https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_1563,w_2780,x_22,y_0/dpr_2.0/c_limit,w_740/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1665932458/Screen_Shot_2022-10-16_at_11.00.46_AM_rtpyhk soft focus]] (that she was already being [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fheupw0UAAEI35p.jpg mocked for]] with "Kari" (as played by Creator/CecilyStrong) commenting that she's speaking from a "beautiful pool of Vaseline" and her campaign isn't dead yet, "even though my camera filter makes it look like I'm in Heaven."

** And [[https://youtu.be/Fr2LyxJpHu8?si=qfePl2OWdGp5xxHj yet again]] during the 2022 Midterm Elections, to lampoon the Republican candidate for Arizona Governor, former newscaster Kari Lake, who frequently gave virtual speeches and interviews (still quite common during the tail end of the worst of the COVID pandemic,) from behind a very strong soft focus, with "Kari" (as played by Creator/CecilyStrong) commenting that she's speaking from a "beautiful pool of Vaseline" and her campaign isn't dead yet, "even though my camera filter makes it look like I'm in Heaven."

%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17087901640.53043000

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaussiangirl.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Scientists have proven that [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] shows up to [[TwentyPercentMoreAwesome 80% more sexual arousal]] when exposed to the right-hand picture.]]

* Lester's visions of Angela in ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. Due to the [[MayDecemberRomance massive age gap]] involved, it stops being romantic and comes across as Squicky.

* Used with the Child-like Empress in ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'', to make her look...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin child-like.]]

* Manga/{{Naruto}} sometimes fantasized about Sakura in this manner in a few episodes.

* Train from ''Manga/BlackCat'' is seen this way (complete with BishieSparkle) by his StalkerWithACrush Kyoko, whenever she's imagining or thinking of him.
* In ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', the bedridden Gauron is shown recalling [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SousukeGaussianGirl.jpg "beautiful" memories of a 12-year-old Sousuke]] being in a Gaussian Girl manner[[note]] The moment he's reminiscing about is Sousuke after a [[InLoveWithYourCarnage battle in which he kills several men]]. Gauron calls him a "killer saint".[[/note]] [[{{Squick}} Yeah]], Gauron [[PaedoHunt has]] [[AxeCrazy problems]].
** Also, in the short amount of time he was shown in the show, Zaied had frequent, really Gaussian Girl-esque memories of playing half-naked in the water with a young Sousuke. Although since they're close in age, Zaied might be romanticising their childhood together rather than Sousuke specifically.
* In the second ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' special, this effect is used on a shot of Gabite when Sunflora has been hit with Attract.

* Possibly the earliest anime use could have been in ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' (a.k.a. ''Star Blazers''). Queen Starsha typically appeared this way, even in scenes where she was having a normal conversation. Trelaina appeared this way throughout the Comet Empire series. In fact, this trope shows up quite often in Creator/LeijiMatsumoto anime: Maetel (''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''), Maya (''Anime/ArcadiaOfMyYouth''), and Manga/QueenMillennia. [[Manga/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] seems to be an interesting exception to this trope, probably because she is supposed to be seen as a [[DistaffCounterpart female version]] of Manga/CaptainHarlock.
* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' this was briefly used on Casca during her and Guts' love scene. Soft, romantic music included.

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', [[TheRival Jean]] perceives [[ObliviouslyBeautiful Mikasa]] this way the first time he sees her.

* Parodied in ''Manga/TheDisastrousLifeOfSaikiK'' with Kokomi, whom the entire world considers [[HeadTurningBeauty so beautiful]] that she is consistently drawn with a soft glow surrounding her, giving off this effect.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', Eve not only gets this treatment at times, but actually ''lives'' it. Her semi-translucent white plastic body scatters light, giving her an innately soft outline.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' repeatedly applies this to Jewel (a female macaw; the protagonist's a male one). It's later used on Linda, but only when she wears a macaw costume.

* In ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'', Cloud has visions of Aerith in a Gaussian Girl way (though he himself is also Gaussianed in the visions).

* The angelically beautiful elves in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' movies displayed this quality for both genders, particularly for Creator/LivTyler's Arwen.
* Max Reinhardt and cinematographer Hal Mohr, in creating the 1935 film version of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' used this effect for the fairies and their world.
* Used in the first shot of the love interest in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow''. (On the other hand, much of the film seems to be shot like this...)
* Creator/CatherineZetaJones was shot this way in the movie ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro''.

* No less than Creator/AlfredHitchcock used it in ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', as handy shorthand for "LoveAtFirstSight". This was also the film that pioneered the much-less-cliched VertigoEffect, just to show that there's highs and lows to cinematic creativity.

* Jewel, the havoc wreaking femme fatale in ''Film/OneNightAtMcCools,'' is shown this way when each of the three guys see her for the first time. She's played by Creator/LivTyler, who just has one of those faces.
* Lester's visions of Angela in ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. Due to the [[MayDecemberRomance massive age gap]] involved, it stops being romantic and comes across as Squicky.

* Parodied with Lady Helen Port-Huntley and Narcissa in ''Film/TheSaddestMusicInTheWorld''.
* Done for laughs in ''Film/WaynesWorld''. When Wayne first sees [[Creator/TiaCarrere Cassandra]], she's on stage aggressively singing "Let me stand next to your fire". Wayne's view of her is in Gaussian and he hears "Dream Weaver".
** This is also a running joke with Garth's crush, played by Creator/DonnaDixon, who appears to the "Romeo and Juliet" overture, slow-motion flying hair and all.
* Another Creator/MikeMyers movie where the effect is used for laughs: ''Film/TheCatInTheHat''. You may be dead inside if you don't belly laugh at the effect a savage nutshot has on a 6-foot-tall [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycPa18_e2r4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DycPa18_e2r4 cat piñata]]...

* Used in ''Film/{{Telstar}}'' when Joe first sees Heinz.
* In ''Film/WestSideStory1961'', when Tony and Maria both see each other for the first time, the edges of the frame are noticeably blurred (though, this is more to create the effect that they each have eyes only for one another)
* ''Film/TheManInTheWhiteSuit'': Particularly noticeable in a romantic scene when the camera cuts back and forth between crystal-clear shots of Creator/AlecGuinness' character and really ''really'' fuzzy shots of Joan Greenwood's character.

* Pretty much all of ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' is shot in a very harsh, very cold light, to drive home the concept of emotionless impersonality, except for [[Creator/ChristianBale John Preston's]] wife, who not only gets the Gaussian treatment, but shots of her include actual colours, as opposed to the slightly desaturated/bleached out effect of Librium as a whole. There's even a sequence (as she's being arrested for sense-crime) in which she shares a shot with and kisses her husband as she's dragged away. Her side of the screen? Sparkly, glowy, soft-focus. His side? Cold, harsh, slightly desaturated hard focus. Even in the middle of the kiss.
* Used as a joke in the live-action ''Film/ScoobyDooCurseOfTheLakeMonster'', when Fred catches Daphne after she'd knocked out a barn's upper window. As the pair gaze at each other and they both realize he's saved her life, the image of ''Fred'' is blurred and soft-lit.

* [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''. While Constantine is shown in a Gaussian fashion during part of "I'll Get You What You Want," it's only because he is applying Vaseline to the camera lens!
* In ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'', when Maria and the captain dance the Landler, the gaussian effect on Julie Andrews is used to show how the captain starts seeing Maria differently.
* ''Film/{{Fanny}}'': Used multiple times to make Leslie Caron look just that much more beautiful.
* ''Film/TheRedMill'': Played for a gag. Tina, a scullery maid, is Creator/MarionDavies de-glammed, with almost no makeup and freckles showing. Tina sees a jar of Mud Massage Face Beautifier, and smears the mud massage on her face. When she takes it off she is gleaming, gorgeous Marion Davies, with a soft-focus Gaussian Girl effect.
* Lampshaded for a bizarre joke in ''Film/GingerAndFred''. Pippo, a dancer getting ready backstage at a variety show, sits next to a woman in a strange outfit. The woman wears a sort of metal rig that holds a pane of glass in front of her face. When Pippo asks what's her deal, the woman says that it's "a soft focus screen" and "it makes me look younger." Then the woman looks through the glass at the camera and delivers some TV news patter.
* The 1974 film adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Mame}}'' with Creator/LucilleBall in the title role makes liberal use of soft focus to cover for the fact that Ball was in her early 60s; this is particularly jarring when the camera alternates between close-ups of her and ''much'' sharper close-ups of her co-stars.

* The most JustForFun/{{egregious}} use of the Gaussian Girl was in [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original]] ''Franchise/StarTrek'', where Kirk's GirlOfTheWeek would never, ''ever'' be in focus, at any point during the episode, and would always be accompanied by soft strings or woodwinds (or in the case of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever Edith Keeler]], the song "Goodnight, Sweetheart"). This effect was achieved by a small piece of plastic placed over the lens.
** In cases of extreme infatuation, Kirk isn't in focus either.
** Spock also has the tendency to blur, and to a lesser extent, Bones. Uhura will almost always be blurry and Nurse Chapel often is, especially when she's talking to Spock.
** Spock Prime was given this treatment in Creator/JJAbrams' ''Film/StarTrek2009''. [[HoYay Make of that what you will]].
** Website/{{Google}} paid {{homage}} to this in their September 7-8, 2012 doodle celebrating the 46th anniversary of TOS's first airing. It's activated by clicking on Uhura (played by the first "o" in the logo.)
** How bad is it? This happens to KHAN'S girlfriend!
* Cybill Shepherd in ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}''. Perhaps the most notorious example on American television after ''Star Trek'', as it aired in TheEighties, a decade otherwise known for grittier, more naturalistic cinematography. Unsurprisingly, Jerry Finnerman was the Director of Photography for both ''Moonlighting'' and ''Star Trek''. In scenes of Cybill talking to co-star Creator/BruceWillis, the contrast was startling as Cybill was ''heavily'' misted while Bruce had intensely gritty photography.
** [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] in "The Straight Poop" when a camera crew investigating [[NoFourthWall why there's no new episode]] ambushes Maddie and films her without the usual soft focus. Maddie ducks back into her office and emerges holding a sheet of gauze in front of her face.

* Italian politician and owner of several TV stations Silvio Berlusconi had himself filmed through a nylon stocking, although definitely not a girl. Comedians joked he should've put the nylon stocking over his face instead.
* In ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', a sketch involved Michael Moore and Phil Donahue contacting Barbra Streisand by cable. Her image is shown with a super-strong Gaussian Blur, as they comment on how young she still looks.
** Also the Creator/ElizabethTaylor's White Diamonds ad-parody sketch featuring Sally Field behind about four layers of gauze.

* The Kirk version is referenced by Jeff from ''Series/{{Coupling}}'', in the page quotation.
* The first season of ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'' was notorious for this. Not only was it present throughout the show, but [=RuPaul=] had an extra-strong version used on herself. How bad was it? As far as anyone could tell, the show was hosted by a [[https://therealityreview.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/screen-shot-2013-09-05-at-12-46-08-pm.png brown blob with eyes that vaguely resembled a drag queen]]. The second season fortunately got rid of the filter, since by that point, everyone on Creator/{{LOGO}}, even some of the contestants, were mocking her for it. This trope was also invoked by the fact that ''Drag Race'' is not shot in HD, but "Stunning Standard Definition." At least, until the show's ChannelHop to Creator/{{VH1}}.
* ''Series/TopGear'''s Jeremy Clarkson attempted to create the romantic soft focus on a ''car'' by smearing vaseline on the camera lens. [[HilarityEnsues It didn't go well]].
* ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfOldChristine'' seemed to use this in every episode.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In "The Daleks", closeups of the Thals are shot this way to indicate that they are an InhumanlyBeautifulRace.
** In the First Doctor serial "The Web Planet", the Zarbi are almost always shown through a greased lens as an attempt to [[ObscuredSpecialEffects disguise]] how [[SpecialEffectFailure lousy]] the costumes look.
** In "Terror of the Zygons", the Doctor is shot in extreme closeup like this when he uses his HypnoticEyes on Sarah Jane, although it's less to hide imperfections or indicate attractiveness than to indicate Sarah's half-conscious mental state.
** Used quite frequently on everyone in the first series of the revival for no particular reason.

* Used in some of the flashbacks in ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'' when Abigail is at her youngest, most noticeably in "Look Before You Leap" in Italy when Abigail catches up to Henry after he tries to leave her at the Hotel Montoliogne.
* Used in ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' when after Will tries to uptalk Carlton at a dinner with his domineering girlfriend Jeanette to get her to break up with him and saddle Carlton with her instead. Carlton finds her rude and bullying behavior just as intolerable and against all expectations puts her in her place. Will hides at the other end of the fire to dodge Jeanette's hellish wrath, but then the blur activates. Turns out [[AllAmazonsWantHercules she's really into controlling men]].
* Lampshaded on an episode of ''Series/TheNanny.'' Fran qualifies to play on ''Jeopardy!'' and while backstage, Gracie tells her she looks pretty. Fran turns and says that here, looks don't matter, it's brains that count. [[HypocriticalHumor She then turns to the cameraman and tells him,]] "Hey you, I want the filter they used on [[Creator/ElizabethTaylor Liz]] for the White Diamonds commercial."''
* Used in ''Series/TheMonkees'' episode "The Chaperone" when Micky had to be disguised as a woman to fool some guy. Although the disguise was comically unconvincing to the viewers, the target male's first enraptured view of "her" was in obvious soft-focus.
* Used with Creator/TiffaniAmberThiessen on ''Dinner at Tiffani's'' on the [[Creator/CookingChannel Cooking Channel]] to an almost absurd degree. The cuts between her and her guests make one wonder if the high-definition feed is cutting in and out.
* Used in ''Series/AmericanGods'' when Shadow meets Ostara. Considering she's a love/fertility goddess, it's implied to be a function of her divinity (later in the episode, Shadow meets an incarnation of Jesus who is surrounded by a literal glowing halo of light).
* Used to marvelous effect on Michelle Monaghan in an episode of ''Series/ThePath'' that is supposed to take place in Giverny, France[[note]]It was actually filmed at [[http://www.oheka.com Oheka Castle]] on Long Island[[/note]]. It's all art-directed and photographed like a classic French film from the '60s, where you'd expect to see Creator/AnoukAimee or Creator/CatherineDeneuve who were often filmed this way.

* The scenes of the woman in Gavin [=DeGraw's=] video for "Best I Ever Had" were shot this way, which along with the slow-motion and her dance-like movements gave her an incredibly ethereal feel.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'':
** When Snake knocks out Ocelot, soon to be his StalkerWithACrush, we see through Ocelot's eyes. He's losing consciousness, so Snake is fully Gaussianed and even appears to [[BishieSparkle sparkle]] a little in the light, which is parodied in [[http://gigaville.com/comic.php?id=283 this page]] of ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND''.
** PlayedForLaughs in the Secret Theater "He's Still Got It", in which The End sees EVA this way.

* ''VisualNovel/IkemenSengoku'': While we don't get to see the actual effect, Sasuke starts seeing a "glow" around the female main character as he falls in love with her. He [[ObliviousToLove doesn't realize]] the reason behind him seeing her this way and just thinks that he's suffering from some strange eye condition.

* In part 3 of Episode 60 of ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', when Android 18 tells Krillin they should "talk later", a Gaussian blur is added to the original scene.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'' when Sheep sees Swanky the Poodle for the first time. He then wipes away the fog on a glass screen in front of her.

* The ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' character Darling has this as a superpower: time ''literally'' slows down when she flips her hair. [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower She uses this liberally and effectively in combat.]]

* Parodied with Lady Helen Port-Huntley and Narcissa in ''The Saddest Music in the World''.

* Close-ups of Creator/DonnaReed as Mary are slightly blurred in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''.

* ''Film/TheManInTheWhiteSuit'': Particularly noticeable in a romantic scene when the camera cuts back and forth between crystal-clear shots of Alec Guinness' character and really ''really'' fuzzy shots of Joan Greenwood's character.
* ''Film/{{Sextette}}'', a Mae West vehicle from 1978, noticeably used this technique in all of her scenes to try and portray her as a cougar-y seductress (her current love interest was played by Timothy Dalton). Mae was now in her ''eighties'', and resembled a busty alien Pez dispenser. The soft-focus [[{{Squick}} didn't help.]]

* Close-ups of Donna Reed are slightly blurred in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''.
* One or two close-ups of Saunders in ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'', but it's mainly used to show ''her'' becoming captivated by Smith's idealism.

** Spock Prime was given this treatment in Creator/JJAbrams ''Film/StarTrek2009''. [[HoYay Make of that what you will]].

* ComicBook/LoisLane gets this treatment in the first ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movie.

-->-- '''Jeff''', ''Series/{{Coupling}}'', "The Girl with Two Breasts"

* Happens when Hiccup first sees Astrid in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', helped by the fact that there's a massive exploding fireball behind her.

Depending on the show, she might only display this quality when first encountered to show that she's the GirlOfTheWeek, or she might be blurry all the time. She'll never be blurry when a man is in the shot with her, unless they're kissing. Closeups tend to have the most blur. A limited application of the technique was also used during the days of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode to cover up partially-exposed breasts.

Popularized by the fabulous Creator/CaroleLombard, who spent her time in the hospital after suffering a serious facial injury devising ways in which she could hide her eventual scar. Named for the Gaussian Blur effect in photo editing software.[[note]]The effect can be replicated in software by duplicating the base layer, giving the new top layer a strong Gaussian Blur, and then setting it to about 50% opacity.[[/note]]

There is some physiological justification for the "soft focus=appealing" relationship. Desire is one of the things that makes a person's pupils dilate. A side-effect of this dilation is to slightly shift the eye's focus into the distance, making anything closer just that little bit more blurry. With experience, the observer's capacity for visual perception learns to correlate cause and effect, and the effect becomes supporting evidence for the cause. The technique may also be used for embellishing [[FoodPorn non-human objects]] [[CargoShip of desire]] as well, or to accompany a DreamSequence, FantasySequence, or nostalgic {{Flashback}}.

* Cybill Shepherd in ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', as mentioned above. Perhaps the most notorious example on American television after ''Star Trek'', as it aired in TheEighties, a decade otherwise known for grittier, more naturalistic cinematography. Unsurprisingly, Jerry Finnerman was the Director of Photography for both shows. In scenes of Cybill talking to co-star Creator/BruceWillis, the contrast was startling as Cybill was ''heavily'' misted while Bruce had intensely gritty photography.

* This always happens to Barbara Walters, but whether Creator/{{ABC}} News insists on it or whether she does is, unfortunately, unknown at this time.