A Recent History of Notable Celebrity Side-Eye

3 minute read

Side-eye, that sidelong glance favored by shade queens like Mariah Carey devil-may-care rebels like Rihanna, is finally being acknowledged in the canon.

As a part of the latest additions to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, side-eye was inducted as one of more than 1,000 words and phrases (including humblebrag, photobomb and “throw shade”) that will now be gracing the pages of the dictionary.

While Merriam-Webster is only now officially recognizing side-eye, this loaded look has always been the ultimate way to show you feel any number of things including annoyance, curiosity or suspicion without saying a word. With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the most notable side-eye moments in recent history.

Beyoncé

2016 NBA Finals - Game Six
Jason Miller—Getty Images

Queen Bey was the talk of the Internet after a photo of her appearing to give serious side-eye to a Cavs fan while sitting courtside during the 2016 NBA Finals made the rounds; a tweet by the fan in question revealed that the look was accidental and that he and Beyoncé had a good laugh about it afterwards.

Anna Wintour

ERDEM - Front Row - LFW February 2017
David M. Benett—Dave Benett/Getty Images

Vogue‘s editor-in-chief is rarely seen without her trademark sunglasses, but she was spotted giving some epic side-eye sans shades during London Fashion Week at the Erdem show in February 2017.

Rihanna

The 59th GRAMMY Awards - Roaming Show
Christopher Polk—Getty Images for NARAS

The baddest gal always freely lets her face do the talking, even if it means giving some side-eye, as seen here at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

Hillary Clinton

US-VOTE-DEBATE
AFP—AFP/Getty Images

During the spirited presidential debates of 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton was noted for what could be interpreted as dexterous use of side-eye. In the first debate she exhibited some well-placed side-eye toward her opponent, nominee Donald Trump.

 

Michelle Obama

The exiting First Lady Michelle Obama’s looks also went viral during the 2017 presidential inauguration as people shared her “offstage” moments to process their stress about the transition of power.

Mariah Carey

Watch What Happens Live - Season 13
Bravo—NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

The ultimate shade queen has never shied away from throwing a charged glance, as seen most recently during a chat about Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live!

James Harden

The Houston Rockets star is known for his big personality—and that’s more than apparent from his candid expressions. However, Harden’s best side-eye moment came from a court side interview that he did in November 2015, where he declined to give a reporter an answer and simply gave them a very pointed side-eye.

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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com