One student turns heads at football games with creative, detailed makeup looks inspired by each game’s theme, from aliens and Venom to blackout skeletons
By: Isabella Guijarro
Football games are about more than what happens on the field. Between the cheering crowds, school spirit, themed outfits, and student sections, every game has its own atmosphere. For one student, that atmosphere has become an opportunity to get creative with makeup.
At multiple football games this season, Lillian McManus has caught the attention of students with detailed face makeup designed specifically around each game’s theme. Rather than simply wearing school colors, she has turned her face into part of her game-day look.
One of her most noticeable looks was her Navi-inspired look from the movie Avatar for the Space Rangers game, featuring the same blue skin and highly detailed features that look almost identical to the movie. The look stood out in the crowd and showed just how much detail she puts into creating each design.
Lillian McManus, ‘27, says, “I think that Avatar look was my favorite; it really set things off, and it was my first big look of the year.”
For this year’s homecoming game, she took inspiration from Spider-Man’s Venom, creating a darker and more dramatic look than just following the Spider-Man theme. The design incorporated the recognizable black-and-white appearance of Venom while adding her own artistic details.
Her makeup has also included a blackout skeleton design, transforming her face into a striking skull-inspired look. The dark makeup fit the atmosphere of the game while adding a more creative twist to dressing up in the student section.
Each look takes planning and time, especially when it comes to creating detailed designs that will still be noticeable from a distance.
McManus says, “ I’ve gotten a lot of people telling me I should do drama; many say I should do it as a full-time job, and I’ve gotten a lot of crazy looks. Other than that, everyone’s been really supportive and been wanting to see other looks.”
Her game-day makeup has also become something other students notice and look forward to seeing.
While football players represent school spirit on the field, students in the stands find their own ways to contribute to the atmosphere. For Lillian McManus, that means using makeup as a form of creativity and self-expression.
McManus says, “I really like dressing up because it’s my senior year. I wanna make sure that other kids know it’s not weird to dress up and they can be confident and look as crazy as they want to.”
With every new game comes another opportunity for a new design, leaving students wondering what she might show up wearing or, more accurately, painted as next.
“I would say dress up; it’s not weird to dress up. It makes your experience at Redwood so much fun, and it honestly makes you have more friends,” says McManus
Isabella Guijarro
Isabella Guijarro is a three year member of the Redwood Gigantea and the managing editor. She is involved in the Academy of Law and Justice and apart of Mock trial. She wants to be a civil rights attorney after high school and plans on working for the paper for all four years of high school.
Tags: feature, Lillian McManus, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, rhs, student life, visalia ca
