If you look at modern pop star Lana Del Rey, you will see towering dark hair, thick winged eyeliner, and pale lips. This hauntingly beautiful look is loved by millions on social media today. But Lana Del Rey did not invent this style. More than sixty years ago, a teenage girl named Priscilla Beaulieu walked into Elvis Presley’s life and became the blueprint for this exact look.
But behind the giant hair and the perfect makeup was a young girl trying to fit into a superstar’s world—and a woman who had to fight to find herself.
Priscilla was only 14 years old when she met Elvis Presley. Because she was so young, Elvis had a huge influence on her appearance. He liked high-contrast glamour. He encouraged her to dye her hair jet-black and wear heavy black eye makeup to make her eyes pop.
Her famous, towering hairstyle—called a beehive—took nearly an hour and a half to create.
It was made by teasing her hair over a small hidden cushion to get maximum height. Priscilla recalled that she often created these wild hairstyles just to surprise Elvis and please his gaze. Together, they looked like a perfect, polished doll couple. They even refused to wear pajamas around each other at home, believing they should always look their best.
In a famous Vogue interview where Priscilla looked back at her old photographs, she revealed that her perfect clothes often hid real pain. In a famous 1960 photo, she is smiling beautifully as Elvis leaves Germany.
But Priscilla admitted she was secretly terrified she would never see him again. Elvis had simply asked her not to cry for the cameras, so she forced a smile. Watch her talk about all her iconic styles right here.
Priscilla Presley Breaks Down 15 Looks From 1960 to Now | Life in Looks | Vogue
Even her wedding dress had a secret story. Because their wedding had to be kept completely quiet to avoid crazy fans, Priscilla went shopping under the guise of shopping. She wore glasses and brought Elvis’s friend, Charlie Hodge, with her. The shop workers actually thought Charlie was the groom!
As the years went on, Priscilla grew tired of living in Elvis’s shadow. After they divorced, her style began to change. Her hair got softer, her makeup became lighter, and she started making her own choices.
Priscilla was much more than just a pretty face. She was actually the one who sketched Elvis’s famous “TCB” lightning-bolt logo on a rainy airplane ride. After leaving Elvis, she opened a highly successful clothing boutique in Beverly Hills that styled stars like Cher, became a famous television actress, and saved Graceland from running out of money.
Lana Del Rey and modern beauty creators still copy heavy eyeliner and big hair today because they represent a beautiful, tragic dream. But the most important part of Priscilla Presley’s story is not the makeup. It is the moment she stepped out of the shadow, washed off the dark hair dye, and decided who she wanted to be on her own terms.