History Main / GaussianGirl

When filmed, the Gaussian Girl is shot through a soft-focus filter, a piece of translucent plastic (or very sheer silk, in the days of classic film), or a quick smear of Vaseline, depending on the director's and/or cinematographer's preference. This surrounds her with a softly glowing aura, and smooths out any unappealing pores or lines on her face. The result makes her look nothing short of ethereal. If you can't tell a soft-focus shot, look at all of the light sources around her; if they have a starry-glare or halo look, it's soft focus.

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.

Named for the Gaussian Blur effect in photo editing software.
Also, she may arouse a viewer's desire to [[{{EMP}} degauss]] his screen. That is, until he remembers it's [=LCD=]...

You can create your own Gaussian Girl by duplicating her base layer, giving the new top layer a strong Gaussian Blur, and then setting it to about 50% opacity. If you are a straight guy or a Lesbian and need glasses, you can achieve a similar effect by taking them off before looking at women. (Straight women and gay men also sometimes enjoy this effect when looking at men and there's definitely such a thing as a Gaussian Guy.) If you don't, try having a lot of alcohol first. This latter technique is called the BeerGoggles effect. (Thus the phrase, "She's a 2 at 10 but a 10 at 2".)

This may come from a practice in the early days of filmmaking, when a piece of silk or gauze, a sheer stocking, or a smear of Vaseline was placed over the lens of the camera to blur the image of the actresses and hide imperfections on the face. 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; if Lombard didn't invent the Gaussian blur, she knew the person who did. Some have suggested that with the inception of UsefulNotes/HighDefinition film and television, which naturally shows more imperfections, the soft focus trick might make a return to compensate.

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.

A more limited, so to speak, application of the technique was used during the days of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode to make sure that women in low-cut dresses weren't displaying their cleavage in too much detail, thus [[MoralGuardians corrupting]] innocent youth. A limited portion of gauze or stocking, held in a frame, could be used to blur the "offending" anatomy and render it suitable for viewers.

This technique has been somewhat less common since ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' left the airwaves, having caused a critical shortage in the world supply of soft focus. Of the remains, some of it goes to embellishing non-human objects of desire as well these days; witness FoodPorn (and generic American porn, where it is ubiquitous), as well as the CargoShip examples offered below. Soft focus may be also be used to accompany a DreamSequence, FantasySequence, or nostalgic {{Flashback}}.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak", this happens when Ash sees Misty in a [[KimonoFanservice lovely]] kimono.
** "Piplup, Up, and Away!" reveals that Piplup always sees Dawn this way. The little penguin clearly [[InterspeciesRomance has a crush on her]].

* 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 througout The Comet Empire series. In fact, this trope shows up quite often in Creator/LeijiMatsumoto anime: Maetel (''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''), Maya (''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia of My Youth]]''), and Manga/QueenMillennia. [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] seems to be an interesting exception to this trope, probably because she is supposed to be seen as a female version of Captain Harlock.

* In ''LightNovel/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]].

Compare BishieSparkle.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Manga/{{Naruto}} sometimes fantasized Sakura in this manner in a few episodes.

[[/folder]]

* 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 througout The Comet Empire series. In fact, this trope shows up quite often in Creator/LeijiMatsumoto anime: Maetel (''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''), Maya (''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia of My Youth]]''), and Anime/QueenMillennia. [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] seems to be an interesting exception to this trope, probably because she is supposed to be seen as a female version of Captain Harlock.

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

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** The first appearance of Kara -Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- shows her blurred and in a flowing white dress. Under water. When she saves ComicBook/LexLuthor and flies away, he is convinced she is an angel who is there to make him repent his sins.
** The sequences within the Fortress of Solitude in all get a bit Gaussian...

* This effect--and other concealing camera tricks--are used throughout the music video of Music/{{Divinyls}}' hit "I Touch Myself". Singer Christina Amphlett was trying to conceal her true age (she was about 32 at the time, probably more than a decade older than most Top 40 female pop singers).
* The closeup shots of both girls in the ''ABBA'' video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-crgQGdpZR0 "Take A Chance on Me"]].

* Played with a little in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. When Snake knocks out Ocelot, soon to be his StalkerWithACrush, we see through Ocelot's eyes. He's losing consciousness, and so Snake is fully Gaussianed and even appears to [[BishieSparkle sparkle]] a little in the light.
** Parodied in [[http://gigaville.com/comic.php?id=283 this page]] of the WebComic ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND''.
** Also found in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', it is done for comedy in the Secret Theater "He's Still Got It," in which The End sees EVA this way.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': Averted for the most part with Rinoa, until the ending--and then subverted, by having her face ''so'' blurry it was basically a bunch of vague shaded and non-shaded spots, since [[MindScrew Squall couldn't remember what she looked like]].'
* In ''VideoGame/CrisisCore: VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', during Zack's death, Cloud is shown to have flashbacks and memories of Zack in a Gaussian Girl manner.
** And to add on to that, Cloud ''himself'' later appears fully Gaussianed in the sunlight.
** In ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'', Cloud has visions of Aerith in a Gaussian Girl way (though he himself is also Gaussianed there as well).
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Joker [[DiscussedTrope mentions this trope]] in one of the dialogue sequences about how he and [ArtificialIntelligence EDI]] are getting along.
--> '''EDI''': Regulations are clear, Mr. Moreau: Personalization does not include grease on my bridge cameras.\\
'''Joker''': It's just mad that all of its footage of me looks like a dream sequence.

* In ''LightNovel/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 [[NightmareFetishist battle in which he kills several men]]. Gauron calls him a "killer saint".[[/note]] [[{{Squick}} Yeah]], Gauron [[PaedoHunt has]] [[AxeCrazy problems]].

* 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 througout The Comet Empire series. In fact, this trope shows up quite often in Leijii Matsumoto anime: Maetel (''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''), Maya (''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia of My Youth]]''), and Anime/QueenMillennia. [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] seems to be an interesting exception to this trope, probably because she is supposed to be seen as a female version of Captain Harlock.

* 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 througout The Comet Empire series. In fact, this trope shows up quite often in Leijii Matsumoto anime: Maetel (''Anime/GalaxyExpress999''), Maya (''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia of My Youth]]''), and Anime/QueenMillennia. [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] seems to be an interesting exception to this trope, probably because she is supposed to be seen as a female version of Captain Harlock.

This technique has been somewhat less common since ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' left the airwaves, having caused a critical shortage in the world supply of soft focus. Of the remains, some of it goes to embellishing non-human objects of desire as well these days; witness FoodPorn (and generic American porn, where it is ubiquitous), as well as the CargoShip examples offered below. Occasionally soft focus is also used to accompany a DreamSequence, FantasySequence, or nostalgic {{Flashback}}.

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

An especially common creature in TheSixties, the Gaussian Girl is distinguishable by her supernatural blurriness and the soft, romantic music accompanying her.

When filmed, the Gaussian Girl is shot through a soft-focus filter, a piece of translucent plastic (or very sheer silk, in the days of classic film) or a quick smear of Vaseline, depending on the director's preference. This gives a soft, glowing aura to her, and smooths out any unappealing pores or lines on her face. The result makes her look nothing short of ethereal. If you can't tell a soft-focus shot, look at all of the light sources around her; if they have a starry-glare or halo look, it's soft focus.

* 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]]...

This technique has been somewhat less common since ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' left the airwaves, having caused a critical shortage in the world supply of soft focus. Of the remains, some of it goes to embellishing non-human objects of desire as well these days; witness FoodPorn (and generic American porn, where it is ubiquitous), as well as the CargoShip examples offered below. Some suggest that with the inception of High Definition film and television, which naturally shows more imperfections, that the Soft Focus trick might make a return to compensate.

This may come from a practice in the early days of film making when a piece of silk or gauze, a sheer stocking, or Vaseline was placed over the lens of the camera to blur the image of the actresses and hide imperfections on the face. Popularized by the fabulous Carole Lombard, who spent her time in the hospital after suffering a serious facial injury devising ways in which she could hide her eventual scar. If she didn't invent the Gaussian blur, she knew the person who did.

* In the 1964 ''T.A.M.I'' concert film, the director had his cameramen put a screen with vaseline in front of the camera lens when a performer was singing a slow ballad. Most noticeable when Lesley Gore sings[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmOrWG2FTbg "You Don't Own Me".]]

* Also parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when the Comic Book Guy first spots a [[HollywoodNerd geekily beautiful fangirl]], he sees her in a classic ''Franchise/StarTrek'' soft-focus-and-music moment, while her braces play light over his startled face.

* In ''Film/WestSideStory'', 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)

* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' loved this trope. It was generally used on Creator/AlyssaMilano, because Phoebe was supposed to be the pretty one (although everyone secretly likes Piper best, and Paige is way sexier.)

* 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 Network/{{VH1}}.

* In ''VideoGame/CrisisCore: VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', during Zack's death, Cloud is shown to have flashbacks and memories of Zack in a Gaussian Girl manner. [[HoYay Yeah]].

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', Joker [[DiscussedTrope mentions this trope]] in one of the dialogue sequences about how he and [[{{AI}} EDI]] are getting along.
--> '''EDI''': Regulations are clear, Mr. Moreau: Personalization does not include grease on my bridge cameras.
--> '''Joker''': It's just mad that all of its footage of me looks like a dream sequence.

** [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] in "The Straight Poop" when a camera crew investigating [[NoFourthWall why there's no new episode]] ambushes Maddie in her office 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.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaussiangirl.jpg]]

** It was also used often for Dr. Helena Russell (also played by Barbara Bain) in the second season of ''Series/Space1999''.