Joan Crawford, a renowned figure in Hollywood, mastered the art of shaping her public image.

Although she was born a redhead, she is predominantly recognized as a brunette.

To conceal her natural freckles, she skillfully applied makeup.

While she typically maintained thin eyebrows, she occasionally experimented with varying thicknesses and lined her lower eyes differently.

It is said that she routinely washed her eyes with boric acid twice daily to maintain their bright and lustrous appearance.

One of the most significant alterations she made was to her name.

Originally known as Lucille LeSueur around 1904, her stepfather suggested she adopt the name Billie Cassin during her vaudeville days.

Despite briefly reverting to her birth name, MGM’s head Louis B. Mayer, during her rise to stardom in the late 1920s, felt that her name sounded artificial and bore resemblance to the word “sewer.”

Consequently, he organized a competition offering a $1,000 reward to rename her.

Although she was not particularly fond of her new moniker, feeling that Crawford resembled the word “crawfish,” she eventually embraced it.

During the later stages of her life, Crawford, once a style icon, chose to retreat from the public eye for the final three years after being unsettled by unflattering photographs taken during a 1974 event at the Rainbow Room in New York.

Expressing discontent with her appearance, she remarked, “if that’s how I look, they won’t see me again.”

Tragically, she succumbed to cancer in 1977.

The FX series “Feud: Bette and Joan” delved into Joan Crawford’s personal life, shedding light on various aspects.

In one episode, Crawford undergoes a cosmetic procedure known as a “buckle,” involving the removal of some back teeth to create a sunken, hollow look.

This operation, as confirmed by the book that inspired the show, resulted in infected gums and a stretched-out mouth.

Despite the challenges she faced, Crawford found solace in certain enhancements to her appearance.

Delighted with the plumpness of her upper lip post-surgery, she began enhancing her lower lip through makeup techniques.

By employing a method called the “smear,” she accentuated her top lip by overdrawing it and smudging lipstick along the top line.

These modifications not only emphasized her cheekbones but also balanced her prominent lips with her large eyes, establishing her distinctive visual identity.

Additionally, she underwent dental work early in her career by covering two decaying front teeth with caps.

Apart from these notable alterations, Joan Crawford’s journey to fame was marked by numerous other changes.

From concealing her freckles and experimenting with eyebrow thickness to undergoing a transformative dental procedure and perfecting her makeup techniques, Crawford meticulously curated her image to align with the glamorous standards of Hollywood.

Her legacy endures as a testament to her unwavering commitment to reinvention and self-presentation in the world of entertainment.