What is Zoolander's Blue Steel Look? Plus, How to Nail It

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Learn the history of this comedic pose & how to master it

Co-authored by Devin McSween

Last Updated: May 13, 2025 Fact Checked

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What is the blue steel look?

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Origins

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Other Zoolander Looks

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How to Do It

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“My Best Blue Steel” Meaning

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Other Meanings

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Video

The Blue Steel look is a famous comedic facial expression that comes from the movie Zoolander. The look is an overly exaggerated, serious pose that involves pursing your lips, sucking in your cheeks, and gazing intently at the camera. Whether you’re familiar with this look but want to know more or you’re still not quite sure what this pose is all about, we’ve got you covered! We’ll explain what the Blue Steel look looks like, where it comes from, and how to do it yourself. Read on to learn more!

All About the Blue Steel Look

The Blue Steel look is a funny facial expression that spoofs serious modeling poses. The look is dramatic and exaggerated, featuring furrowed brows, sucked-in cheeks, puckered lips, and an intense stare. The Blue Steel comes from the comedy Zoolander, where it’s the main character’s signature modeling look.

Section 1 of 6:

What is the blue steel look?

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The Blue Steel is a comical, self-serious facial expression. The Blue Steel is a humorous and dramatic look that’s meant to poke fun at serious modeling expressions. The look usually involves furrowing your brow, sucking in your cheeks, pursing your lips, and staring down the camera with intensity.
- The look often involves different head movements to achieve an even more dramatic (and funny) look. For instance, you might look over your shoulder, push your head out, or tilt it slightly down or to either side.
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People use “Blue Steel” to poke fun at serious poses in photos. When striking a serious, model-like pose in front of the camera (or mirror), people often refer to themselves as “giving the Blue Steel” or “Blue Steeling.” This is a funny way to call out their silly and overly exaggerated look. People also talk about celebrities and models giving the Blue Steel in photos and on red carpets to joke about their serious looks.
- For instance, you might post a photo of yourself giving a dramatic facial expression on Instagram or Snapchat and caption it “Blue Steel.”
- Or, you might share pictures on TikTok or X/Twitter of your favorite celebrity serving face and joke about them Blue Steeling.

Section 2 of 6:

Where does the blue steel look come from?

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The Blue Steel look comes from the movie Zoolander. Zoolander is a 2001 comedy film starring Ben Stiller, who plays the titular character Derek Zoolander. Zoolander is a male model who’s known for his signature look—the Blue Steel. The look is a satire of “serious” model expressions and involves Zoolander sucking in his cheeks, pursing his lips, and intensely gazing at the camera.^{[1]
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- While Zoolander clearly thinks the look makes him look good, the joke is that he actually looks ridiculous and self-important. He pulls the look multiple times throughout the movie (as well as identical poses that are meant to look different, but don’t), making it one of best-known gags in the film.
- Technically, the Blue Steel comes from a short sketch shown at the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards. Ben Stiller stars as Derek Zoolander, who talks about his famous poses, the Blue Steel and Ferrari (which look exactly the same). The sketch was so popular that it prompted Stiller to write and direct Zoolander.
- Zoolander is meant to be a satire of the fashion industry and modeling. It’s had a huge influence on pop culture, with many people seeing it as responsible for making the duck face, selfies, and social media influencers popular.
- In interviews, Stiller has said that the Blue Steel pose came from the expressions he’d make in the mirror to make himself look good.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 6:

What are the Other Zoolander Looks?

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Zoolander’s other famous looks are Le Tigre, Ferrari, and Magnum. In the film, Zoolander explains that Le Tigre and Ferrari are his other signature looks. Even though they look exactly the same to the audience, Zoolander says Le Tigre is a “softer” look. Magnum is a new look that Zoolander’s been working on for years and teases throughout the film. When he finally uses it at the end of the movie to save the day, surprise—it looks exactly like Blue Steel!
- Mugatu, the antagonist of the film, seems to be the only one who notices Zoolander’s looks are all the same. At the end of the movie, he loses it and yells, “Blue Steel, Ferrari, Le Tigre? They’re the same face!”

Section 4 of 6:

How to Do the Blue Steel Look

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Furrow your brow, pucker your lips, and stare down the camera. To achieve the iconic Blue Steel look, start by bunching your brows and slightly raising them—you want a smoldering, slightly surprised look. Then, suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. Finally, squint your eyes slightly and gaze intently into the camera.^{[3]
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- Stiller has explained in interviews that the look is mental, too. You need to set your intention to achieve the look and clear your mind. The look also has an arrogant and impatient vibe, like you’re telling the cameraman to hurry up and take the picture.

Section 5 of 6:

“My Best Blue Steel” Meaning

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“My Best Blue Steel” is a photo prompt on the dating app Hinge. On Hinge, photo prompts are short phrases that you add to your photos to help inject personality and humor into your profile.^{[4]
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Research source} The “My Best Blue Steel” prompt is a reference to the Blue Steel look from Zoolander, so lots of people pair it with pictures of themselves doing a jokey model pose.
- Some people also pair the “My Best Blue Steel” prompt with a picture of themselves looking their best or giving the camera a sultry stare. Either way, this is a fun prompt to add to your profile to show off your personality and looks!

Section 6 of 6:

Other Meanings of Blue Steel

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“Blue Steel” can refer to other things besides the comedic look. While the Blue Steel look refers to the comedic expression from Zoolander, blue steel and blue steeling can refer to lots of other things, like:
- Metallurgy:
  - Bluing steel is a process that protects metal from rust.^{[5]
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  - Blue steel is metal that’s been tempered to a specific temperature (where it turns blue) to make it more durable.
- Films:
  - Blue Steel, which is a 1934 western film starring John Wayne.
  - Blue Steel, which is a 1990 thriller film starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
  - R.O.T.O.R, also known as Blue Steel, which is a 1987 sci-fi film starring Richard Gesswein.