Brows On Fleek: Eyebrow Trends Throughout History

In the world of fashion and beauty, trends are fickle. They come and go and come back again. Now, it’s probably a good time to tell you that you should not fall for all the social media fads, even when it comes to your eyebrows. You can try and make them squiggly, barbed, braided, feathered, or whatever.

However, too much experimenting can actually harm your eyebrow hair, especially if you aren’t doing it right. And let’s be honest, a lot of experiments go wrong quite easily and quickly when it comes to social media. Putting that aside, changing eyebrow trends have produced some of the most iconic looks of their time. 

Many people underestimate the power of beautiful eyebrows. Imagine a face without eyebrows (having no brows has, of course, been a trend once). It’s almost as if you’re missing the framing of your face. Eyebrows are an important part of the face. They are integral to portraying our emotions. 

Just look up different facial expressions, and you’ll find images that depict different expressions, mainly through the eyes and the eyebrows. Beauty standards have changed throughout history. Different eyebrow styles have gained popularity. Still, above all, you should know that the fight’s always been between thick eyebrows and thin eyebrows. Let’s take a look at some of those eyebrow trends throughout history. 

History of Eyebrow Trends 

It’s time we delve into that. After taking a look at it, you’ll realize how eyebrow trends from the past have become fashionable once again. 

  1. The 1920s Eyebrow Trends

Thin, drawn-on and slightly curved eyebrows took centre stage. Overplucking the eyebrows can damage the hair follicles and cause inflammation. This can result in premature hair fall. The resultant hair might also be weaker. When it comes to overplucking, you should know that sometimes it can lead to irreversible damage to your hair follicles. 

The thin eyebrow trend may have to do with the production of silent films at that time. Thin eyebrows better conveyed the expressions of the stars. Marlene Dietrich and Clara Bow’s eyebrows certainly inspired many to hop onto this eyebrows trend in the 1920s. 

  1. The 1930s

Even after a decade, thin eyebrows were still in fashion. However, they got more curved and rounded around this time. Jean Harlow was the icon of this era of eyebrows. 

  1. The 1940s

Arched, defined, and more natural-looking eyebrows were very much in vogue in this era. Grace Kelly and Katherine Hepburn popularly symbolized the natural eyebrows of this era. One iconic figure of this era was none other than Frida Kahlo. The thick, natural unibrow is a statement in itself. A rejection of the stereotypical beauty ideals. 

  1. The 1950s

Full, luscious, and high-arched eyebrows marked this era. The classic Hollywood beauty Marilyn Monroe had them. 

  1. The 1960s

Thicker, fuller and more defined eyebrows became popular in this era. Audrey Hepburn’s eyebrows will forever be the symbol of this era. However, thick brows were not solely popular in the 60s. Thin eyebrows were getting back in fashion, although they were a bit thicker than the super-thin drawn-on eyebrows that were popular in the 1920s. Mia Farrow’s thin yet natural-looking eyebrows were quite popular in that. 

  1. The 1970s

The thin eyebrows were back in fashion again, and Liza Minelli is the hallmark of this era. 

  1. The 1980s

When it comes to the 1980s eyebrows, there’s only one woman that comes to the minds of most people – Brooke Shields. Thick, bushy, and bold eyebrows were back. 

  1. The 1990s

Here, the clock turned back, and the thin, rounded eyebrows became the fashion again. Drew Barrymore and Mariah Carrey were some of the popular celebs that pulled off these eyebrows. 

  1. The 2000s

This era took eyebrow plucking to a new height. Super-thin eyebrows, almost like a line drawn by a pencil became the trend. Gwen Stefani popularly had pencil-thin eyebrows.

  1.  Back to the Current Eyebrow Trends

Fortunately, it’s about keeping it natural these days and finally letting the eyebrows grow as much as they can! Thick, bushy, full brows are all everyone wants these days. Cara Delevingne, Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke, and Lily Collins have eyebrows that are absolutely on fleek. 

These days it’s popular to comb the eyebrows upwards and outwards towards the hairline. This makes them look higher and more arched. Many brow products are used these days. These include eyebrow soaps, brow pencil, eyebrow mascaras, and brow gels so that the combed brows maintain their shape. 

What Are Some Treatments That You Can Undergo for the “Perfect” Eyebrow Trends? 

By now, you must have figured that the idea of “perfection” keeps changing when it comes to beauty standards. Once those thin, pencil-drawn eyebrows that were so in fashion have been replaced by thick, natural brows. There are some procedures that women undergo to have their eyebrows look the way they want. Sometimes, as a result of overplucking, eyebrow hair does not grow back. Eyebrow transplant offers a solution for such a problem. However, let’s learn about some other popular eyebrow procedures. 

Eyebrow Lamination 

An eyebrow lamination ends up making your eyebrows look smooth and shiny. Eyebrow lamination involves perming the hair of the eyebrows. A cream is applied to the eyebrows. The hairs are lifted in the upwards outward direction. A neutralizer applied to the brows seals them in their place. After the procedure, you’ll notice that your eyebrows look uniform, even and fuller. 

The procedure takes an hour, and the results are, of course, temporary. You will have to get the procedure again every 2 months in order to maintain the results. 

Eyebrow Lifting

Eyebrow lifting is another procedure that helps women achieve a cat-eye look. People with sagging, asymmetrical brows usually choose to have this procedure. The drooping of the eyebrows can happen as a result of ageing as the skin loses its elasticity. The cosmetic procedure also changes the appearance of the forehead and the area around the eyes. 

The sagging of the eyebrows can make people look angry and tired all the time. Finding this undesirable, many people seek to rejuvenate and freshen up their look through a brow lift procedure. 

Microblading & Microshading 

In microblading, small cuts into the skin beneath the brows get drawn. These allow for the entry of the pigments into the skin, giving the brows a fuller look. Similar to microblading, in microshading, pigments are inserted into the skin through small dots. Both these procedures don’t produce permanent results. 

Tattooing  

You can get permanent results by getting your eyebrows tattooed. However, the procedure hurts more and comes with greater risks. You should also expect the colour of the pigment to lighten with time. Therefore, it might not be the best procedure for getting thicker brows. 

Eyebrow Tinting 

In this procedure, a semi-permanent dye is applied to the eyebrows. It gives the eyebrows a thicker, fuller, and bolder appearance. Once you’ve gotten your eyebrows tinted, you don’t need to spend a lot of time sitting in front of the mirror filling up your eyebrows. Eyebrow tinting can also add more depth and dimension to your brows. The results of the procedure can last up to two months. However, factors such as sun exposure, the colour of the dye, the pressure with which you clean your face can affect the longevity of the results. 

Choose the Eyebrow Trend You Want 

Even though thick eyebrows are the latest beauty trend, you don’t have to necessarily follow it. Beauty trends are ever-changing. You do what you think is the best for your body and makes you feel good about yourself. Frida Kahlo is a woman who has inspired legions of women to defy what’s conventionally seen and defined as being beautiful. Her untamed unibrow and facial hair challenges the status quo and encourages many other women to be the way they want to be rather than have someone else tell them what’ll make them beautiful. 

The ever-beautiful Mona Lisa’s eyebrows have been a subject of intense debate, for instance. Some argue that she never had any eyebrows and eyelashes. The painting is unfinished. However, some believed that she simply didn’t have any eyebrows and eyelashes. 

It was only in 2007 that the whole matter was put to rest after it was found that Mona Lisa did have eyebrows. Years of restoration work caused them to fade. Regardless, she has countless admirers around the globe. So, when it comes to beauty, you don’t have to hop onto every latest fad. If you believe that thick or thin eyebrows would look good on you, get them. You do you! 

End Note 

In conclusion, many times, women feel pressurized to look a certain way in order to feel good about themselves. The coming and going beauty trends certainly don’t help. Something that looks good and is admired for a few weeks gets replaced by something else. 

In other words, it’s hard to keep up, which is why you shouldn’t rely on these trends. Moreover, eyebrow trends keep oscillating between thick and thin brows (although social media has made things much weirder). So, you grow the kind of eyebrows that you think will look good on you. 

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