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The stanadard cliché is that Snape's hair is "greasy," due to the way that Harry describes it in the books. However, this seems at odds with the other cliché of Snape as the "Slytherin Sex God". The latter is usually thought of as a fanon invention, since Snape is ugly in canon...or is he?
Personally, I see the truth as lying somewhere in between. Several people have already pointed out in other discussions that when we see Snape in the Spinner's End chapter, one of the few that are not narrated from Harry's POV, there is no mention of greasy hair. I think that Snape's flaws are magnified in Harry's eyes, because of Harry's personal dislike for Snape. From his POV, Snape is the mean teacher who picks on him without justification, so it's easy for him to picture Snape looking villainous as well as acting the part.
Objectively, I suspect that Snape isn't the handsomest guy in the wizarding world, but neither is he repulsive. I think his hair may naturally be a little oily, but nowhere near as bad as Harry imagines it, or as other fans have suggested, it's all the time that Snape spends brewing potions that causes his hair to become lank and greasy--all that steam and fumes and chemicals.
Conversely, if someone should fall in love with Snape, he or she would probably see him as more attractive than he really is, because we tend to see the ones we love through rose-colored glasses. Lupin in my Snupin series always insists that Snape's hair is "shiny, not greasy," and that his nose is "hawklike" and "distinguished". (Harry and Sirius think that he's completely deluded, of course.) In another Snupin story called "A Little Out of Tune" by Minx, thanks to a prank that some students play on Lupin and Snape, they begin to see each other in a different light. Lupin is shocked to be having sexual thoughts about Snape--"Sarcastic (amusing), bitter (brooding), greasy (actually quite sexy in an unwashed kind of way) Snape." By the end of the story, when they finally get together, Lupin runs his fingers through Snape's hair and finds it "soft" and "surprisingly un-greasy". It's mostly a humorous story, but it was nice to see the way that Lupin's perception of Snape (and vice-versa) gradually changed.
And I do recall reading somewhere--I can't remember who said it, but it made a big impression on me--that not everyone can be pretty, but anyone can be beautiful. Meaning, not everyone has the conventional style of physical attractiveness, but that the force of one's personality can shine through and make not-conventionally-attractive features (say, a big nose) seem striking rather than homely. I don't think that Snape is pretty (except maybe in yaoi doujinshi ^_^), but I do think that he could be quite striking and compelling to the right person.
EDIT: Sorry for the initial double post. I deleted the duplicate entry.
Objectively, I suspect that Snape isn't the handsomest guy in the wizarding world, but neither is he repulsive. I think his hair may naturally be a little oily, but nowhere near as bad as Harry imagines it, or as other fans have suggested, it's all the time that Snape spends brewing potions that causes his hair to become lank and greasy--all that steam and fumes and chemicals.
Conversely, if someone should fall in love with Snape, he or she would probably see him as more attractive than he really is, because we tend to see the ones we love through rose-colored glasses. Lupin in my Snupin series always insists that Snape's hair is "shiny, not greasy," and that his nose is "hawklike" and "distinguished". (Harry and Sirius think that he's completely deluded, of course.) In another Snupin story called "A Little Out of Tune" by Minx, thanks to a prank that some students play on Lupin and Snape, they begin to see each other in a different light. Lupin is shocked to be having sexual thoughts about Snape--"Sarcastic (amusing), bitter (brooding), greasy (actually quite sexy in an unwashed kind of way) Snape." By the end of the story, when they finally get together, Lupin runs his fingers through Snape's hair and finds it "soft" and "surprisingly un-greasy". It's mostly a humorous story, but it was nice to see the way that Lupin's perception of Snape (and vice-versa) gradually changed.
And I do recall reading somewhere--I can't remember who said it, but it made a big impression on me--that not everyone can be pretty, but anyone can be beautiful. Meaning, not everyone has the conventional style of physical attractiveness, but that the force of one's personality can shine through and make not-conventionally-attractive features (say, a big nose) seem striking rather than homely. I don't think that Snape is pretty (except maybe in yaoi doujinshi ^_^), but I do think that he could be quite striking and compelling to the right person.
EDIT: Sorry for the initial double post. I deleted the duplicate entry.
Even JKR said that her 'image' when she was 'casting' the character of Snape for the films, was exactly Alan Rickman. C'mon! ;) The man is not 'conventionally' gorgeous. He *does* have an enormous (but very intriguing, unique, distinguished) conk.
Few, if any, rational women would ever argue against the sex-appeal and sheer charisma of Mr Rickman! In my opinion, he's a bit too old and too 'jowly' to play Severus - but I love the fanart that comes strongly biased/based on his features.
IMO, Severus does not have time or the slightest inclination to make himself 'attractive', physically, to anyone at Hogwarts during the time/scenes in which we see him. What does he care of the opinion of children? Children whose NEGATIVE opinion he is trying to cultivate? (He had to know Harry Potter would be a contemporary of Draco Malfoy - there was never the remotest possibility that he could risk anything but blatant malevolence toward the former and unsubtle favouritism of the latter.)
If we were to see him in an adult setting away from all children and Death Eaters (he must be extremely cautious with Peter in his house!), we might see him in a very different light.
Certainly I do not see him has hideous or even 'ugly' on first glance. Perhaps 'plain' might work - terribly, terribly average, with only his unusually large nose to draw attention to his features. But what detraction is a prominent proboscis in the face of powerful charisma, intensity and sharp, intelligent (often biting) wit?
Well written. Thank you for sharing your views. :)
(adds to Memories)
I absolutely agree that he doesn't have the time or inclination to make himself attractive--making his hair prettier probably isn't a priority while he's trying to keep Harry alive and work against Voldemort!
It might be interested to see him in a situation where he is expected to be presentable and sociable, say at a Malfoy Manor party. I noticed that he showed some smoothness in his conversation with Narcissa and Bellatrix in Spinner's End, so I could definitely see him fitting in and holding his own at such a function.
And I agree that Harry is disposed to see him in as poor light as possible.
Good for Lupin!
And yay, Lupin! (My AU version, anyway! ^_^)
Book 6
I do distinctly remember that no mention of 'greasyness' was mentioned in the scene at SpinnersEnd and I'm guessing it would have been noted by now if no mention had been made at other times in the book - but I'm curious as to whether anyone noticed/remembers whether less was made of this once he began teaching DADA?
IF so then it is certainly a matter of brewing causing the greasy look. Altho' knowing Harry, he still thought Snape looked Greasy whether he did or not. -- Hwyla
Re: Book 6
"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Sirius viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read it."
Aside from *why* Sirius was watching Snape so very closely during exams (can we all spell 'homoeroticism', children? How about 'denial'?) Snape could just be one of those people with a naturally oily skin.
Alison
Re: Book 6
Or in a non-slashy universe, maybe he was trying to copy Snape's answers for the exam.
I think Sirius is probably exaggerating for effect, but it could be that Snape has naturally oily skin, poor guy.
Re: Book 6
It's up to fandom, I think, to deal with that aspect of him in a kind and believable way (or unkind, whatever your inclinations are).
It's interesting that Bellatrix doesn't like Snape, but doesn't refer to him as "greasy," either. But maybe she's more concerned with being in the Dark Lord's favor than she is with appearances.
All things considered I don't need Alan Rickman to see Snape as very compelling.But of course it's probably right that he himself doesn't care much about his looks.
I knew a guy who had hair that would look greasy within hours of shampooing. The man bathed/showered every day, and usually looked like it had been a least a day since he had seen soap, poor guy. And so, I accepted the description, frankly: greasy hair, ugly face, etc. And surely, sneering at people cannot be very attractive, so of course, Harry describes Snape as ugly. But, as you say, there is a difference between ugly and repulsive. And how someone feels about a person influences appearance as well.
As to the competing fanon cliches of greasy hair and sex god... we don't often see them together, do we? It's kind of like that (rather annoying, IMO) cliche of the "teaching glamour" that supposedly Snape uses when teaching, and Granger instantly falls in love with him when she sees him without the glamour and realizes he is actually gorgeous. ~sigh~
Though I have read several fics where Snape takes reasonable steps to better his appearance--washes hair more often; cuts hair; gains or loses weight; dresses better and maybe gets a tan--and suddenly Lupin or Hermione or whoever notices how good-looking he really is.
As for his teeth, yellow and crooked doesn’t indicate that he doesn’t brush them. Black, green, bad breath and thick salvia would. He was also close enough to students that if he did have bad breath that would be something they would bring up about him.
Also having white teeth is the norm now, because of all the whiteners available. This probably started in the late 80’s. I remember I use to get so many complements for my white teeth, because not many people had them. Now everyone has them. If you watch old movies or TV shows, many of those actors have yellow teeth. Snape did grow up in the 1970’s, when many people had crooked yellow teeth.
crooked teeth
And hee hee, your comment about teeth whiteners made me wonder if Lockhart markets some sort of wizarding product to make your teeth white and sparkly! ^_^ That would be enough to make me want to stick with yellow teeth!
I can't see Snape as caring about his good looks, or absence thereof. I do see him as someone who carefully cultivates an image. His looks accomplish something, and I think he really enjoys the effect he creates with them.
And I do think he rarely washes his hair. Just because it fits his Evil Wizard image ;P.
Ron parrots Harry, but Hermione never thinks ill of Snape. Even when he says "I see no difference" her feelings are hurt, but she still views him with respect as a teacher and does not call him a greasy git. She *does*, on the other hand, start to view Sirius as irresponsible and dislikes his 'hold' over Harry.
Come to think of it, Sirius was living rough, as a dog, eating rats and not bathing and the kids don't ever describe him as being nasty or greasy or smelly even though the reader can easily imagine that he was all those things during that period. They still like him. Which, I think, is the ticket. If they like you, it doesn't matter your appearance. Look at Hagrid. But if they don't like someone as with Snape, then it doesn't matter how clean and polished he is, or even how talented -- in fact, even after he has tried to help them (Snape saving Harry with a counter-curse 1st year, Snape trying to keep the kids from getting eaten third year, etc.) -- they continued to focus only on the negative (he's greasy, he was a Death Eater, he's harsh) and never let him forget how they feel.
Only Hermione tries to be fair-minded and she basically gives up on trying to get Harry or Ron to change their minds. Only Harry actually changes his mind, too, but unfortunately, it is after it is far too late to redress the matter.
I like your story idea, but poor Snape--stuck with either greasy hair or zits! ^_^
Throughout the series, JKR draws a lot of attention to Snape's black eyes, often in reference to their being cold or hostile or dead-looking. This emphasis has always inclined me to picture his eyes as intense and hard to read, which is already fairly compelling. And I happen to like large, bony noses. I don't need to be talked into finding a hawkish or hooked nose attractive. Then Snape's thin, he's pale, his teeth are yellow and uneven - fairly average characteristics before the advent of gym culture and the rise of the fashion-model aesthetic. As far as I'm concerned, these are purely descriptive, not negative, terms. The implication is that Harry finds them ugly, especially as he starts to consider them evidence of Snape's dastardliness. He looks the part of the evil wizard. One, it's a step up from being a Muggle urchin. Two, it's a role he can't very well abandon, especially once Harry comes on the scene. Three, I'm persuaded Snape is a Dark wizard by nature. I just happen to believe that Dark wizards aren't intrinsically evil, the same way that Slytherins aren't. But that's another topic altogether.
In Sorcerer's Stone, even before Harry knows who Snape is or has any opinion of him at all, he remarks on Snape's greasy hair. So I'm assuming JKR wants us to take it as read that Snape's hair is oily. I don't think that means unwashed or disgusting - in my estimation, not hers. I suspect Jo saddled Snape with greasy hair to make him as unappealing as possible. It's not the *best* kind of hair to have, but it doesn't mean he's actually dripping with grease. Also, he keeps his hair long.
In The Prince's Tale we're given the distinct impression that young Severus is neglected, hasn't been taught the basics of caring for himself, has unkempt, overgrown hair even as a child, feels lonely and outcast and desperate for respect, and wears ill-assorted hand-me-downs. We also find out that Snape wanted to die after Lily was killed, which, okay, was probably an outburst of youthful exaggeration as much as genuine anguish. But his life after that is one long penance, and I'd say Snape's lack of interest in his appearance is a pretty good indication of how hopeless he feels about both the present and the future. The often-described coldness in his eyes could very well reflect the emptiness inside him, the despair and self-loathing. Not to minimize, of course, Snape's general dislike of other people. He knows he's hated and distrusted, and he certainly returns the favor.
On the other hand, he's clearly conscious of effect, has learned how to glide and billow and use his appearance to intimidate students and keep them at bay. There's no denying he's got physical presence, but I'd say he's pretty thoroughly internalized the greasy-git persona and sees no reason to bother improving either his self-image or his reputation. And, frankly, he's right. Had he lived, there might have been some incentive. But during the years covered by the series, Dumbledore and his own conscience have him over a barrel.
Lastly, not to put too much stock in this, but I've seen a photo of John Nettleship, the chemistry teacher who was at least partly a basis for Snape, and he possesses the kind of dour, homely, interesting face I can imagine Snape having. I quite like it. And no, he's not handsome in the least. But if this is what JKR considers ugly, she and I will simply have to differ.
Actually, I've seen a photo of Mr. Nettleship and I thought he was kind of handsome. ^_^ Of course, maybe it's because I've already been conditioned to find Snapey-ness appealing!
In fact, let's draw a positive from his looks! The teeth. Uneven and yellowed, I think, and that's mostly from canon at least. My ponderings of poor deprived!youth Severus's lack of orthodontic treatment led me to Hermione Granger and her prominent front teeth. Back in the day (before the films came out, way back) I always thought I'd make a pretty good Hermione (I was a kid, you think these sorts of things). I've got the bushy brown hair (I've learnt to take better care of it now, like Hermione) and my front teeth were a sight to behold, not to mention the rest which were all over the place. Then, after that little Densuago she gets her teeth shrunk to 'normal' size with magic. Well, how nice for you, Miss Granger. I had two years of traintrack braces just to get my teeth into some sort of conventional arrangement and they're rather yellowy-brown colour (partly my fault, admittedly, for liking the taste of toothpaste when I was young).
In short, Severus Snape don't need no cosmetic magic. He's allowed to have normal features rather than the Handsome Heroic ones of, hmm, every Gryffindor.
I'm probably overthinking this. But Heroic Gryffs can't have obvious physical imperfections. Somehow in my end this is translating to comic books - the heroes matching up with superhero comics: glossy and shiny, bright colours and attractive people (and All Heroes Are Orphans too, of course). Snape fits more into more adult comics - for example: John Constantine, Hellblazer - with more gritty (I hate that word but it's the best I can think of), realistic depictions. I am overthinking this and should probably go to bed. *ponders* I may have to play with that idea another time though. *writes it down for future reference*
I'm sure I had something else to say. Ah yes. As a fanartist - well, I always find it easier to draw more more attractive people. I'd say that drawing ugly is more difficult. I can't really say why. There's something very pleasing in drawing beauty. Then again, there's something satisfying in drawing ugly. I drew dead!Snape for a Snupin comic a while back and spent ages trying to make it look at least a bit horrific. And yet, once it was done I still found it weirdly compelling. I suppose that's how I see Snape: he might have these features - nose, hair, gaping snakebite wounds - but you just can't stop looking.
Bloody hell, I really need to learn how to say things more concisely.
As for comic books, I must confess that I love yaoi manga with impossibly beautiful young men, but I prefer Snape to be interesting-looking rather than conventionally pretty. And I'm quite impressed by the number of people who say that they like him to be ugly!
I love me some yaoi manga with pretty boys but it can annoy me when Snape's drawn in that style. Mainly because of the nose. He doesn't have a cute little manga nose but does get drawn with one.