One-Question Poll: Eye Color

[rsadelle]

One of the things I've talked about with people in my writing group is how to describe people, and the subject of eye color always comes up. I keep thinking of it off and on, and since I'm reading something where one of the characters just mentioned another character's eyes, I think it's time to find out what the reality basis for this is.

Comments

[norwich36]

Certain colors I notice--all of my brothers have that sort of watery blue eyes (rather like Paul Newman's), which is uncommon enough that I tend to notice. But generally I don't notice that sort of thing.

[rsadelle]

Huh. I don't notice at all. I think my driver's license says I have hazel eyes. And since I've talked about it so many times with people from my writing group, I've been trying to pay attention to it, but I don't have any kind of recall for it when I do notice. (I think, after months and months of paying attention when we have lunch every week, that Brad's eyes are blue.)

[stevie_roch]

His eyes are gray, actually.

And for not being someone that likes to make a lot of eye contact, I notice eye color most of the time. I even pay attention to shades of brown...

[rsadelle]

See? And that was one I was trying to notice!

Do you think you're more likely to notice because you're an artist?

[dedalvs]

If someone's caucasian and has blonde hair, I don't note it if their eyes are blue or brown. If someone is otherwise, I don't find it noteworthy if their eyes are any shade of brown. Anything that differs from this, I'll probably notice.

[rsadelle]

It's so interesting to find out how other people see the world.

[molly_o]

I know members of my immediate family, and in the past I've noted the eye color of good friends/roommates/people I had crushes on (though not of everyone in any of those categories). My husband and I have been together eight years, and he has no idea what color my eyes are.

Every now and then I'll ask him, for no particular reason, and for the longest time he would ALWAYS say brown because he knows it's the most prevalent color. And then I would tease him about not knowing they're blue, and then ask him again a few months later, and he'd say brown AGAIN.

Just in the last year he's said blue twice, but I'm pretty sure it's not because he actually knows my eye color, but because he remembers that his first guess has been wrong in the past.

[rsadelle]

Hee! He's learning something!

[allegram]

I tend to assume that everyone should ave brown eyes, and only remember it if they don't and are unusual, or if I've looked at their eyes a lot. For instance I couldn't tell you what my customer today's eye color was (prob brown or I just didn't notice) but I know both Dave's (tea brown) and his cousin's (a different brown more woody-not that I stare into her eyes all that much!) and can tell you the color of that girl who came in for a quote last week's eyes (an amazing tealy green) and Darrell no Darren in highschool (sky blue).

Also I'm more likely to describe eyes if someone asks for a physical description than in just describing them (kinda like in conversation I'd say shortish or tall, but not 5'1 or 7'4), and I usually describe them as what they remind me of rather than the classic color terms...

[rsadelle]

Huh. I find it fascinating how different people's reactions are.