Content warning: This article contains references to murder and sexual assault some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.
If someone uses the term "serial killer eyes" as a descriptor, a specific color, shape, or size might not come to mind, but you'd certainly know what they're talking about. You might even assume that those serial killer eyes might be peeking out from behind a pair of wire-rimmed aviators, a style of glasses that became notorious thanks to Jeffrey Dahmer.
In Monster: the Jeffrey Dahmer Storyon Netflix, Evan Peters plays serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as the TV series tells the story of his life from infancy to death at the hands of a fellow inmate. Throughout his time as a teen living with parents Lionel and Joyce Dahmer up until his trial in 1992, Dahmer wore a pair of '70s-style aviator eyeglasses as well as bright yellow colored contacts. Here's what we know about his thought process behind that choice.
Did Jeffrey Dahmer ever take off his glasses?
Yes, but only for a very specific reason. Dahmer, despite having worn his glasses for a significant portion of his life, removed his glasses in the courtroom. His stepmom Shari Dahmer told Inside Edition in 1992, "He's not wearing glasses so that he can't see people. He panics."
Dahmer put on his glasses one time throughout his court proceedings — when he received 15 consecutive life sentences to be served out in prison. Dahmer was unable to receive the death penalty due to the practice being abolished in the state of Wisconsin many years prior. "Frankly, I wanted death for myself," Dahmer had stated.
If you have ever wondered why Dahmer (and therefore Evan Peters, cast in the role of Dahmer) has such creepy, unsettling eyes, it might be because of the colored contacts that he wore. Originally blue-eyed, Dahmer would often wear bright yellow contacts before going to scope out gay bars for men to attack.
Gisela K., author of "The Milwaukee Monster," explained that Dahmer was obsessed with Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine as well as The Exorcist III. The killer would channel both the movie villains and get into character by wearing yellow contacts. In her book, Gisela K. wrote, "At his trial, TheExorcist III became a focal point as it was his favorite movie that he watched at least two to three times per week for about six months before he was caught." She continued, "He resonated so much with the main antagonist, the Gemini killer, that he bought yellow contact lenses to feel and look like him."
Why does it seem like other serial killers wore the same glasses?
Dorothea Puente, the Zodiac Killer, Harold Shipman, Wayne Williams, Dennis Nilsen, the BTK Strangler a.k.a. Dennis Rader, and Ed Kemper all happened to wear glasses — some (Rader, Kemper) even donned pairs of aviators that looked eerily similar to Dahmer's signature glasses.
It's hard to know why so many serial killers from the '70s and '80s wore glasses, but the common thread could partially be attributed to the fact that glasses obscure a portion of the face, as a sort of mask. Those frames were also popular, commonly-worn styles of the times that may have just happened to be worn in multiple serial killers’ mugshots.
Where are Jeffrey Dahmer's glasses now?
Dahmer's glasses that he wore in prison are currently on sale for $150,000. Collectors who are looking to purchase the serial killer's gold, wire-rimmed frames will need to reach deep into their pockets and hand over $150k to Taylor James, owner of Vancouver-based business Cult Collectibles.
As per TMZ, James acquired the frames after being contacted by Lionel Dahmer's former housekeeper. James agreed to sell the glasses along with other Jeffrey Dahmer-related items (paperwork, cutlery, photos, and a Bible) for a cut of the profits.
Watch all 10 episodes of "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" on Netflix.
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Gisela K., author of "The Milwaukee Monster," explained that Dahmer
Dahmer
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is the first season of the American biographical true crime television anthology series, Monster, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix, which was released on September 21, 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Dahmer_–_Monster:_The_Je...
was obsessed with Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine as well as The Exorcist III. The killer would channel both the movie villains and get into character by wearing yellow contacts.
While he was out, searching for his next victim, the serial killer would often wear a pair of contact lenses. And it wasn't the kind to improve his eyesight. During his trial, Jeffrey revealed that he would usually wear bright yellow contact lenses when he went out to meet his victims.
James acquired the glasses and other Dahmer memorabilia a few years ago, after a former housekeeper of Dahmer's father, Lionel Dahmer, contacted him, according to reports. The collector agreed to manage and sell the collection through Cult Collectibles for a portion of the profit.
As Harry Potter rose to fame, however, so did the style. It is now considered chic and quirky. Jeffrey Dahmer: The notorious American serial killer's aviators come next in the list. The popularity, perhaps, stemmed from the release of the series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which dropped on Netflix last year.
Jeffrey Dahmer definitely had extremely unsettling and piercing eyes. This is because he would often wear yellow contact lenses. He was born with blue eyes, but would wear the yellow contacts before heading to bars like Club 219 to pick up men he would later kill.
If you have ever wondered why Dahmer (and therefore Evan Peters, cast in the role of Dahmer) has such creepy, unsettling eyes, it might be because of the colored contacts that he wore. Originally blue-eyed, Dahmer would often wear bright yellow contacts before going to scope out gay bars for men to attack.
Explaining His Signature Glasses and Yellow Contacts. The contacts helped Dahmer channel his favorite movie villain. Evan Peters Becomes Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer In CHILLING 1st Look!
Dahmer didn't wear his eyeglasses during his sanity trial because he didn't want to see the jury and spectators, his stepmother says. "He's not wearing glasses so that he can't see people. He panics," Shari Dahmer told "Inside Edition" in an interview to be broadcast Wednesday.
A pair of Jeffrey Dahmer's glasses worn by the murderer in prison is going up for sale for $150,000 (£132,625). In the wake of Netflix's newest revival of gory true-crime mysteries, the latest of which is Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, sales of cult memorabilia have shot through the roof.
Glasses become a mask that's acceptable for the killer to wear in public. They become a threat, too: after all, the serial killer who wears glasses is apparently someone who can see us better than we can see them. Someone who's always watching.
Because the Zodiac Killer hasn't actually ever been definitively identified, it's hard to know the murderer's age today. Based on theories of who may have been the Zodiac, the killer would likely be in their 80s or 90s today.
Yes, notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer did indeed eat a number of his victims. Active from 1978 to 1991, he killed at least 17 young men and ate many of their body parts afterward. Jeffrey Dahmer openly admitted to eating some of his victims after killing them. On several occasions, he ate their hearts.
Convicted of murdering 17 young men, Dahmer was killed by a fellow inmate in prison on November 28, 1994. His final words, spoken to his killer, were eerie: "I don't care if I live or die.Go ahead and kill me." Dahmer's resignation hinted at the tormented soul behind the monstrous acts.
The popularity of the frames peaked around what has been dubbed the Satanic Panic era and unfortunately met its demise when it gained its association with the faces of gruesome murders like Jeffery Dahmer, Jim Jones, and David Koresh.
Jeffrey Dahmer, though, had blonde hair, so Sanford-Fong and her team assembled a collection of wigs that they would use on Peters as he portrayed his character across multiple decades. Murphy, however, had a specific wish: Peters would wear extensions for the 1970s, but his natural hair for the '90s.
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