Saturday, February 21, 2009

because magpie asked


I suppose my eyes are actually green, but because I'm only happy when it's complicated, I like to think of them as chatoyant -- a bluish-green or (more usually) greenish-blue changeable depending on the light, but always with a parenthesis of gold around the pupil.

And I do have eyelashes. I swear I do. I just blurred the rest of the picture to focus on the color of the iris.

Maybe this could be a meme. I'd love to see the actual color of your eyes -- because words like blue and brown and green and grey don't even begin to describe the variations. And it's generally not considered exactly socially acceptable to go up to strangers -- or even friends -- and stare deeply, deeply into their eyes, trying to gauge and compare their exact hue.

If you post a photo on your own blog, please leave a link in the comments. Or, if you don't want to (or can't) post a photo of your eyes, take a look at this chart of eye colors (click to enlarge) and let us know (in the comments or with a link to your own blog entry) which one most closely approximates your own and, most importantly, (this being blogging and all), how this makes you feel.



Just to make it a little easier, if you don't want to go through all the comments, here's where to see the eyes of luna; katie; eden; thordora; my reality; flutter; slouching mom; angela; intricately complex; mrs. lilypond ; liz; the nanny; basilbean; marin; anna; k@lakly; g$; jana; allie ; charmed girl; magpie (!); missing one; ahuva batya; motel manager; kari; rachel; anna; jana's family; doc grumbles; amanda; monica h; eden (do over); mommy at heart; de; mad; brenda; k; fertilized; another dreamer; kristin; julie; caro; your blog next....

And thanks, Anta, for the link to that amazing series of eyescapes. That's definitely one of those ideas that I really wish I'd thought of first.

64 comments:

Katie said...

Mine are a pretty intense blue, but it does depend on how the light catches them, they sometime seem green. I just posted a photo on my blog.

Monica H said...

Gonna have to go with "Zephy" (row 2, towards the end). I posted a pic of my eyes a while back.

You can see it, but because it's private others can't. Sorry.

http://hopefulmomma.blogspot.com/2008/07/wordless-wednesday-eyes.html?zx=f591b0a44ff086d2

S said...

Here's mine.

Your eye(s) is (are) lovely.

Bea said...

None of the eyes on that page really looks like mine. Mine are very dark green, but without any blue or brown in them. More of a grey-green.

luna said...

green-hazel, with specks:
http://lifefromhere.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/green-hazel-with-specks/

luna said...

I never knew you were a blonde!

Aurelia said...

My eyes are kind of a yellow, with a slight amount of green in a ring on the outside. They don't really match anything on that chart exactly?

And I'm not sure I can get a picture that close up without hurting my eyes! But I'll try.

Antigone said...

My first thought was: nice eyebrows.

Life in Eden said...

Blue-grey-green. See me here:
http://lifeineden.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/the-eyes-have-it/

Fun!

Anonymous said...

Deep dark brown, my parents called me chocolate-pie-eyes when I was little.

thordora said...

Technically hazel, but my eyes do their own thing and since they're covered up by glasses, I don't pay much attention. :)

It makes me feel HORRIBLE since you asked. Just WROUGHT with pain over the whole thing.

http://vomitcomit.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/since-niobe-asked/

Sarah said...

mine are kindda like yours without the nice aqua color. trade that in for sort of a yellowy green and you've got mine. they also change color. the closest thing is probably row 2 #2.

flutter said...

Your eyes are beautiful, as I suspected.

here I am:

http://byflutter.com/?p=820

Julia said...

OMG! Just today I decided that this is probably the color that the Cub's eyes are turning into. He just started developing that parenthesis of gold this week, and the blue is no longer as blue as it was even just recently. Never knew there is an actual name for this.

Anonymous said...

Your eye colour is beautiful, it is no wonder Cole's eyes are so stunning.

I posted a picture of my eye.

And the link:

http://mynewreality.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/because-i-heart-niobe/

The Nanny said...

Check my blog!

The Nanny said...

Check my blog!

Anonymous said...

that is a very cool idea!

i don't have a blog, but here's a pic of my eyes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/3299024182/

and just the eye with the brown spots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/3299024214/in/photostream/

--liz

mrslilypond said...

oh I want to play...

imfeelingfroggy.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

So, i have always, always thought my eyes were blue... my little photo shoot has left me a little confused!


http://intricatelycomplex.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/an-eye-on-you/

BasilBean said...

You inspired me to post a picture of my eye. I'm not sure which eye from the chart mine most resemble, I guess I need to give it more thought.

Anonymous said...

Marvell

Angela said...

I always thought your eyes would be a dark bluish-grey...I'm not sure why.

Anyway, here's mine:
http://boxofmaniacs.blogspot.com/2009/02/sugarloaf.html

Anonymous said...

Here it is: http://firstoffifth.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/only-for-niobe/

Anonymous said...

Coming out of lurkdom here Niobe to tell you I really enjoy your perspective on things, as well as the fact that when I read your phrase "...because words like blue and brown and green and grey don't even begin to describe the variations" I thought of this link which so aptly backs your statement: http://www.art-dept.com/artists/rankin/portfolio/specialprojects/eyescapes/portfolio.html. I cannot, for the life of me, remember the blog which I got this link from (my apologies to the blogger, but I bookmarked the link and not the blog from which it came from!) but the eyescapes are hauntingly beautiful and serve to remind us just how unique we all are, even in such supposedly common things as eye colour. Great post and your little Cole's eyes in your last post are just adorable!

Heather said...

Mine are almost exactly like yours, a touch bluer, and my ring of gold is a touch more yellow. Wow, I've never seen anyone outside of my family with eyes like ours.

Bon said...

Dave's eyes are like yours...the ring of gold and the rest blue/green. not quite identical but i noticed, even in person. i just never knew the name. he will be pleased.

Betty M said...

I'm the last eyes on the page - right over the end of the browns.

The goldish ring - I hadn't known anyone except my son have it before you showed your eyes.

Magpie said...

Hmm...if I didn't have a cold and therefore bloodshot eyes...

Maybe tomorrow.

The gold circle is extraordinary.

charmedgirl said...

fascinating, niobe. i love seeing everyone's eyeballs. i couldn't resist posting mine as well.

http://livingacharmedlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/chocolate.html

Magpie said...

http://www.magpiemusing.com/2009/02/eye-for-eye.html

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful color, almost sea-like.

http://solomonearly.blogspot.com/2009/02/because-niobe-asked.html

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful color, almost sea-like.

http://solomonearly.blogspot.com/2009/02/because-niobe-asked.html

Anonymous said...

Here's mine. thanks! this is oddly fun

A said...

And mine are available here...
http://curvatude.blogspot.com/2009/02/niobe-asked.html

Jana said...

What a great idea! I've been thinking about eyes lately, so I may eventually blog on this, but until then, here are mine (well, one of them, actually):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33138142@N00/3302032369/

I guess they're blue, blueish greenish and occasionally greyish more accurately.

This photo has convinced me to start using eye cream.

G$ said...

I never knew I had brown specks... I made my husband do it too, forever saving pictures of our eye colors.

http://makeustronger.blogspot.com/2009/02/niobe-asked.html

k@lakly said...

Looking in my eyes makes me feel old...maybe because I know more about what they've seen rather than how they're seen, you know?
But I put one up, just cuz you asked:)

Anna said...

I'll play! This is a fun one.

http://babypassionfruit.blogspot.com/2009/02/eye-meme.html

niobe said...

K@lakly: It made me feel old too. Of course, I am old....

Thordora: Thank you so, so much for sharing that with us. I know how hard it can be to let others know our deepest, most heartfelt emotions, but I've found that it leaves us, if not stronger, then wiser, and if not wiser, then stronger. And if, alas, neither, then both. ; )

Magpie said...

That eyescapes link is totally cool. I kind of want to scatter the eyeballs on a blank background and turn it into wall paper.

Jana said...

Okay, I've posted my whole family's eyes to my blog now:

http://tigweb.blogspot.com/2009/02/ive-been-thinking-about-eye-color.html

Thanks again for the cool idea!

Motel Manager said...

Mine are atrium, and my husband's are more like merle. I will also take a photo later!

Motel Manager said...

Mine is now posted here:
http://embryomotel.blogspot.com/2009/02/because-niobe-asked.html

Anonymous said...

You and Cole have the same look in your eyes. My eyes are like yours, green blue with a bit of gold. My son's are green golden brown and my daughter's are brown green. My husband has brown eyes with a little gold. Eyes are amazing and the old saying "windows to the soul" seems appropriate.
allypally

Anonymous said...

just for fun....I will play along....

http://motheringmymiraclemultiples.wordpress.com

Rachel said...

http://raspberrychip.blogspot.com/2009/02/eyes.html

I love this post, and the charts you linked to.

I now want to take pictures of the eyes of my entire family. I always thought they all had blue eyes, but now realize that some are more green or hazel.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Niobe. You probably didn't think of the idea first but you definitely have excellent "raw material" to add to the scenery! Your eyes are amazingly beautiful! Mine are just the plain brown kind which is kind of a bummer because I would have loved to have had green eyes. I guess I can always envy my husband's which are green with a touch of hazel. Better luck in my next life maybe?!...

Anonymous said...

I did it.

I'd describe my eyes as aqua, though they usually look pearly gray, which I have always felt represented me well.

docgrumbles said...

http://docgrumbles.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/look-into-my-eye/

Amanda said...

http://waitinginline.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/eye-meme/

Amanda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Monica H said...

Okay, I did it again. I posted them up on my other blog!

http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2009/02/family-of-eyes.html

Life in Eden said...

Okay, I had to do this again since my first try was NOT a good picture. So here's the link:

http://lifeineden.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/eye-do-over/

Alisha said...

Hi! I hope you don't mind but I joined in the fun :) Here are mine! http://lifewithoutclarence.blogspot.com/2009/02/window-to-my-soul.html

Mad said...

Why the heck not? Here's mine even though you have seen them in person:
http://madhattermommy.blogspot.com/2009/02/all-cool-kids-are-doing-it.html

Anonymous said...

Here is my eye:
http://lifecanbeashit.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/because-its-the-thing-to-do/

Hugs
xxx

K @ ourboxofrain said...

I only ever remember mine being green, but apparently they were blue for a long time:

http://ourboxofrain.blogspot.com/2009/02/eyes.html

AwkwardMoments said...

Gorgeous Color!

Fun Meme:
http://fertilizeme.blogspot.com/2009/02/eye-eye-eye.html

Deshaine said...

my eyes are the color scheme of pine trees: green and brown. Possibly my best feature.

Anonymous said...

Blue/hazel, or "merle" as the chart indicates :)

My eye photo is posted. Great idea for a meme!

Kristin said...

I finally posted a pic of my eye color.

Ya Chun said...

the eyes have it...?

serenityjoy.blogspot.com

Caro said...

I've been meaning to do this ever since I read your post and finally got around to it.