We all have insecurities about the way we look, especially when it comes to the natural eccentricities that are hard to change without an exorbitant amount of money and, quite likely, more than a fair bit of pain.
Today, we want to remind you that different is beautiful…and that includes when it comes to teeth! As long as you have a healthy oral care regimen, the attributes that are a little off-from-the-norm are actually what makes you wonderfully you!
In that spirit, we want to introduce you to 8 celebrities that not only have unique smiles, but celebrate them:
MICHAEL STRAHAN
This Football Hall of Famer, Entrepreneur, Media Personality and Daytime Emmy Award Recipient has not let a gap come in between him and his success. In a 2012 interview for Elle magazine, Strahan revealed that he came close to closing the gap, but decided against it: “I was in my twenties. I was playing with the Giants. There’s so much pressure to be perfect. You can fix everything now. For me, I made the conscious effort to say “This is who I am.” I’m not perfect. I don’t want to try to be perfect. At this point, I don’t think my kids would recognize me without it. They’d be like, “Who is this stranger in the house? Call 911!” He parlayed his distinctive smile into becoming one of the most recognized people in the world of sports. Now, he loves it so much that he even told Jimmy Kimmel that he wants his smile to be immortalized as-is on his Hall of Fame bust.
ANNA PAQUIN
She might not have been a vampire in True Blood, but she was definitely sucking us in with her down-to-earth grin. Despite criticism and pressure to fix the gap, in a 2012 interview in Zooey Magazine, Anna Paquin stated that she had no intention of conforming to the “normal” beauty standard saying:
“I think anyone is as critical as they have the energy to self-obsess, but I also know as an actress you are more limited if you interfere with your looks. If you have a whole bunch of work done with your teeth and your face and your boobs then you’re only going to play modern people. That’s a big choice to make. Very limiting.”
ALEK WEK
Designer and supermodel known for pioneering a new definition of “beauty”, this Sudanese native has walked the runway for Chanel, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Yves St Laurent and Gucci and modeled for the covers of notable fashion magazines such as Elle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, i-D, and Ebony. In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Alek said, “The things I used to worry about are now the things I love about myself and make me who I am.” When she was encouraged by her dentist to get braces, she firmly said, “‘No.’ People have gaps and gaps are sexy now, anyway.” How’s that for conviction?
MADONNA
Songstress, actress, and icon of a generation, Madonna has long been known for her dental diastema. She made it clear that sexy had no boundaries and a bold gap and a bolder attitude could only further your path to stardom. Madonna’s smile was so quintessential, she even inspired others to surgically implant a gap in their teeth to make them appear more youthful (though we definitely do NOT recommend this. It can seriously impact your health).
EDDIE MURPHY
You know what’s not so nutty? Eddie Murphy’s smile. We don’t know about you, but we can’t help laughing right along with Murphy whenever he busts into one of his signature laughs, and it wouldn’t be complete without his classic gap-toothed grin. He’s worn his smile proudly from the start and we have to say that comedies wouldn’t have been the same without his signature smile.
DAVID LETTERMAN
Referred to as “The Last Giant of Late Night” in SF Gate Magazine, David Letterman was known for his personable, honest, and sometimes acerbic and irreverent style of interviewing. He wanted to host a show without ‘hosting a show’, defying a long-time standard that had been set up by late night talk shows. He was similarly unapologetic by his unique, sometimes thought of as “goofy” grin. His gap teeth added to the image and the persona and his refusal to change that contributed to making him the legacy that he is.
MIKE TYSON
You can’t get through a list of gap-toothed celebrities without mentioning perhaps the most iconic: Mike Tyson. Who can forget the teeth that literally took the ear off Evander Holyfield? Tyson’s teeth have become synonymous with his career. Although he’s damaged his teeth from injury in the ring and apparently from an accident where he was headbutted by his pet tiger, he has a natural gap in his teeth that he’s whole-heartedly embraced throughout his career.
LAUREN HUTTON
This one’s a bit of a deep cut for all you Gen Zers out there, but it’s worth mentioning. Lauren is the actress from iconic movies and TV shows such as American Gigolo and Nip/Tuck. Most notably, she’s the supermodel known for changing the face of the fashion industry when she signed the biggest modeling contract in history at the time with Revlon. She also amassed a record 26 appearances on the cover of Vogue. Initially ridiculed and dismissed by agents because of her gap, she tried to hide the gap with mortician’s wax. Eventually she embraced her appearance, broke the mold and revolutionized the concept of beauty.
If you or your loved ones have struggled with judgement from an unusual grin, we know it can make you self-conscious. Remember, though, that these celebrities were defined and remembered because they didn’t give into the pressure to conform to a conventional standard of beauty. They were trailblazers and visionaries and the world caught up to their aesthetic.
As long as you take care of your smile with the proper oral health regimen (and maaaybe some help from RADIUS), you should be proud to show your teeth…. gap teeth or not.