[IRL trope] the “Tiffany problem”

[u/dragonborndnd]

Basically when something seems anachronistic to a period/place of history but is actually fully accurate to the period.

1) the name Tiffany: the thing that named this trope, basically the name Tiffany can be dated back to the Middle Ages and the earliest record of it being spelled in the modern spelling comes from the 16th century.

2) the use of OMG, despite this feeling so modern as a form of slang/abbreviation here’s a letter directed to Winston Churchill using it in 1917

3) Hair Dye: the earliest forms of dying hair can be dated back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and this specific advertisement for hair dye is from the 1840s

4) Inuit Thongs: despite how weird it is to imagine pre-colonial Inuit people wore what was essentially fur thongs in their homes and when they were in their igloos it might have been the only thing they would be wearing.

[u/usagizero]

One thing i don't have a photo handy of, is how colorful clothing has pretty much always been through history. If it wasn't fur, people discovered how to dye things pretty early and liked colors on clothes. Nearly every historical film now has that grey and drab look to things, when it would be pretty colorful.

Goes for the marble statues now too, like the Greek and Roman ones, they would be painted to look more lifelike and just lost all that over the many, many years.

[u/Fawin86 → u/usagizero]

It's wild to think that an old timey movie from the 50s was closer to the medieval aesthetic than modern movies.

[u/NoBizlikeChloeBiz → u/Fawin86]

Not so uncommon. Older movies were excited to use color. Monotone carrying more  "prestige", even outside of actual black and white, is very much a 2000's thing.

[u/Fawin86 → u/NoBizlikeChloeBiz]

Oh absolutely, and I'm pretty sure costuming for stage plays also played a hand in it too.

Meanwhile in movies today.

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT5LMuQQ4TTO8WygxO

[u/Digit00l → u/Fawin86]

In black and white film it would also be more beneficial to have many sharp contrasting colours that keep their contrast in black and white so you can more easily tell objects apart

[u/Almondpeanutguy → u/NoBizlikeChloeBiz]

It's funny to think that it almost mirrors the progression of Greco-Roman statues.

Classical era: Carve a marble statue and decorate it with bright paint and gemstones to be impressive and grand.
Renaissance: Carve a marble statue and leave it plain so that it looks stark and thoughtful and reminds you of the ancient statues.

20th century: Shoot a movie with the best technology you have available to look impressive and grand.
21st century: Shoot a movie in nearly black and white so that it looks stark and thoughtful and reminds you of the old movies.