The Rise and Fall of Eyebrow Trends: Why It's Time to Embrace Your Natural Shape
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From ultra-thin 90s brows to the drawn-on boxy brows of the 2010s, we’ve cycled through an endless amount of eyebrow trends, and it's time we finally say enough is enough. Although trends seem to affect all aspects of our life these days, it feels as though eyebrows have borne the brunt of their exhausting cycle over the years. Some people are still facing the repercussions of tweezing their eyebrows in the 90s. But recently, things are looking up when it comes to eyebrow individuality. More people are embracing their natural shape and even trying experimental forms that highlight their uniqueness. Look at Doja Cat, who shaved off her eyebrows and now fills them in with artistic designs, or Yara Shahidi who rocks her natural unibrow. People don’t fit into a mold, and neither should their eyebrows.
Image Courtesy: Marie Claire
Eyebrow trends have been mainstream for almost a century now. Dating back to the 1920s, eyebrows were a means of expression in a black and white world. They were thin and rounded with a downward arch and showed plenty of emotion. Throughout the 30s and 40s, eyebrows kept their thin frame, it wasn’t until the 50s when icon Marilyn Monroe started filling in her eyebrows that a fuller brow came into style. By the 1980s the bushy, unruly brow was all the rage. Women in Hollywood such as Madonna and Brooke Shields wore their dark and bold brows proudly during this time. However, the trend took a sudden turn in the 1990s when people started to pluck their brows into oblivion. The pencil-thin eyebrows of the 90s serve as a reminder that trends fade just as quickly as they emerge, and for good reason.
As the beauty industry has grown, the presence of influencers and makeup artists has as well; with this the “Instagram baddie” brows of the 2010s was born. People everywhere were attempting to recreate the thick, sharp, and bold brows of the influencers they saw at the time, like Kylie Jenner. The Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Dip Brow Pomade and a concealer for sculpting was essential in drawing on these eyebrows. Although this look didn’t suit everyone, that did not stop anyone from joining in on the trend.
Image Courtesy: Glamour
In more recent years, eyebrow trends have slowed down a bit, but there are definitely still some out there, like the popular soap brows. We’re also seeing a resurgence of old trends coming back. A new 90s brow filter on Tik Tok has people reaching for the tweezers again. The recurrence of these trends is a testament to their fleeting nature and shows just how easy it is to get caught up in what's popular at the time. Trends come and go, but you get one set of eyebrows in your lifetime, do what you want with them.
It’s empowering to see celebrities embracing their natural shape and trying out new looks to step out of the mold of what is acceptable. For example, bleach brows are a new craze. Completely erasing your brows is one way to rebel against the constraints of trends that often hold us back. You can also forego any modifications and embrace your natural shape, which is the most authentic version of yourself. Take Emilia Clarke, who uses her natural, animated brows to express a range of emotions.
Image Courtesy: Beauty Crew
For the first time in a long time, eyebrows of all different shapes and sizes are able to co-exist and be celebrated in their own right. Skinny, shaved, colorful, thick, or bold; all brows deserve to be highlighted as an expression of individuality. By stepping away from these trends, we can move to a new era of uniqueness where we abandon the pressures of trends and instead celebrate the beauty of individuality.
Strike out,
Writer: Isabella Santiago
Editor: Racquel Gluckstern
Tallahassee