Getty Eric Schneiderman
Does Eric Schneiderman, the former Attorney General of New York who resigned in the midst of abuse allegations, wear eyeliner? It’s a question that’s floated around social media and political circles for years, but there may be a medical reason for what one New York magazine once dubbed Schneiderman’s “guyliner” look.
The possibility that Schneiderman wears eyeliner has been floated by two of the country’s most prominent politicians: President Donald Trump and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, no less. So, what gives? Does Schneiderman wear eyeliner?
GettyEric Schneiderman
Back in 2014, Trump took to Twitter and wrote, “Governor Cuomo is right about one thing – Attorney General Eric Schneiderman does wear eyeliner! What the hell is up with him?” (This comment caused Trump’s thread to fill up with such retorts as, “Is this really your idea of statesmanship and public discourse, Mr. Trump?”) Incidentally, Trump also wrote, in 2013, “Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone – next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner.” That tweet is also making the rounds again now that Schneiderman has resigned after serious abuse allegations were made against him by four women in the New Yorker magazine.
Governor Cuomo is right about one thing – Attorney General Eric Schneiderman does wear eyeliner! What the hell is up with him?
However, Trump wasn’t the only prominent New York pol to speculate about Schneiderman’s eyes. In 2014, The New York Times ran a story was headlined, “With $613 Million at Stake, an Albany Rivalry Is Said to Escalate.”
The first paragraph of the story reads, “Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has asked people if they think Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York State, wears eyeliner. Mr. Schneiderman has told people that he believes Mr. Cuomo’s administration is Machiavellian and is out to undermine him.”
Others on social media have seized on the accusations.
I never trusted Eric Schneiderman. Something about his eyes and the way he always looks like he has eyeliner on. I knew better. #blackintuition
The Times article painted the relationship between Cuomo and Schneiderman as being like “oil and water” and “toxic” without ever addressing the underlying accusation: Does Schneiderman wear eyeliner?
After that story ran, though, Schneiderman was asked about the governor’s contention. Schneiderman said, no, he does not wear eyeliner. Yes, he actually answered (and was asked) the question.
According to The New York Daily News, in 2014, “Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Thursday that despite what Gov. Cuomo may think, he does not wear eyeliner.” The New York newspaper noted that Schneiderman is “long-lashed.”
Eric Schneiderman
“I don’t wear eyeliner. Not that I would have any problem with anyone who chooses to wear eyeliner,” Schneiderman said at a news conference (yes, at a news conference). “I’ve taken these eye drops for a condition I’ve got. They have this side effect, well documented, of making your eyelashes longer and thicker.” The Observer added: “People told of his condition say he has glaucoma.”
“Schneiderman takes a glaucoma medication that makes his lashes thicker and more dramatic on their own,” reported New York Magazine, calling it “guyliner.”
According to The New York Observer, when the Cuomo eyeliner comment created some buzz, Schneiderman tried to make a joke of it, tweeting out the hashtag #eyelashes.
Schneiderman is the subject of very serious accusations that broke May 7, 2018, and eyeliner questions are the absolutely least of his problems, of course.
The abuse allegations against Schneiderman provoked his resignation within hours of their publication in the New Yorker, and they are a very serious matter. You can read the New Yorker story that details them here.