What is a canthal tilt?
"Canthal tilt" refers to the angle at which your eyes are positioned. A negative canthal tilt means the outer corner of your eyes are positioned slightly lower than the inner corners, which angles them slightly downward. A positive canthal tilt, on the other hand, means that the outer corners of your eyes are positioned higher than the inner corners, which makes your eyes look like they're angled upward. It’s also possible to have a neutral canthal tilt. This means that the outer and inner corners of your eyes are on the same horizontal level, so your eyes don’t appear to tilt upward or downward. Canthal tilts are primarily determined by genetics (meaning people are just born with their eyes angled a certain way), but aging can also be a factor. As people get older, their eyes can take on more of a downturned appearance.
Why is negative canthal tilt a popular TikTok topic?
Canthal tilts have become a viral (and potentially harmful) TikTok topic. This stemmed from a popular filter that claimed to be able to tell users whether they had a positive, negative, or neutral canthal tilt. This would be harmless enough on its own, but users soon began claiming that a negative canthal tilt makes someone less attractive, while a positive canthal tilt makes someone more attractive. In general, they suggested that this was because downturned eyes create a sad or fatigued appearance, while upturned eyes create a more youthful, alert, and lifted appearance. Claims like these can create harmful and unrealistic beauty standards, and they cause people to develop insecurities about a perfectly normal facial feature. They're also not true—in fact, many celebrities who are considered the epitome of beauty and attractiveness have negative canthal tilts. We’ll get more into canthal tilt’s effect on attractiveness (or lack thereof) below.
Does negative canthal tilt affect attractiveness?
No, your canthal tilt doesn’t determine your attractiveness. Users on TikTok and Reddit have made the claim that negative canthal tilts are unattractive, but this is a major misconception. For one thing, “attractiveness” is subjective, so it means different things to different people. Some people may find upturned eyes more attractive, some may prefer downturned eyes, and others might not have a preference at all. It may sound cliché to say, but it’s entirely true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, many people find downturned eyes to be dreamy, soulful, and ethereal-looking. In fact, there was even a recent TikTok beauty trend called “puppy dog eyeliner,” which was aimed at giving eyes a more downturned and rounded appearance.
Many attractive people have negative canthal tilts. Another piece of evidence against the TikTok trend is the fact that there are many attractive people who do, in fact, have negative canthal tilts and downturned eyes. You can probably think of several people in your own life who fit this description, but here’s a list of a few celebrities with negative canthal tilts to check out: Marilyn Monroe, Anne Hathatway, Sydney Sweeney, Katie Holmes, Laura Harrier, Camilla Belle, Princess Diana, Lucy Hale, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Chamberlain, Britney Spears
Addressing a Negative Canthal Tilt
There are many ways to change the appearance of a negative canthal tilt. First of all, there’s nothing wrong with having a negative canthal tilt, and it’s not something you need to "fix" or change about yourself. However, if you’re unhappy with the appearance of your negative canthal tilt, there are a few things you can do to address this. Here’s a breakdown: Makeup: If you have eyes that angle downward, certain eye makeup looks can make them appear a bit more upturned. For example, cosmetologist Shun Pittman explains that cat eye eyeliner can increase lift. Some TikTok users even use the positive canthal tilt filter as a guide to apply upturned eyeliner. Non-invasive cosmetic treatments. If your eyes appear more downturned because of the natural process of aging, there are a few cosmetic treatments you can try that are aimed at giving the skin a more youthful appearance. This includes things like laser therapy, chemical peels, botox, or fillers. Surgical options. Surgical procedures like a blepharoplasty, brow lift, or mid-face lift are options. Keep in mind that surgery is a big choice and a permanent change, so it’s important to make sure it’s what you truly want. If you choose to go this route, it should be because the choice makes you feel empowered and confident, not because you feel pressured by beauty trends on social media.
The Bottom Line
The discussion of canthal tilts and attractiveness can be problematic. When TikTok users make sweeping claims like “negative canthal tilts are unattractive,” or “positive canthal tilts look more feminine,” it can cause many people to pick apart their appearances and develop insecurities about their facial features. This may lead them to seek out cosmetic procedures to get more upturned eyes, even though they were happy with their appearance before coming across this TikTok trend. Specifically, language about positive canthal tilts and femininity can be harmful to trans women. If a trans woman has a negative canthal tilt and comes across this topic on TikTok, she may think that this is something she needs to change about herself, when in reality, canthal tilt has nothing to do with gender, and there tons of women out there who have negative or neutral canthal tilts. TikTok trends having to do with upturned eyes (including the viral "fox eye" makeup and plastic surgery trends) can also be offensive and appropriative toward Asian people, who have often faced discrimination for the very facial feature that's now becoming popular and coveted on social media. If you’ve come across this discourse on social media and it’s making you feel insecure or worried about your appearance, remember, there is nothing wrong with having a negative canthal tilt. You’re beautiful the way you are, and you don’t need to change a thing!
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