My Brows
I constantly find myself looking in the mirror critiquing one thing—my eyebrows. I question “what made me choose this style”, but especially “who made me choose this style.” It never made sense to me how just two- or maybe one- piece of hair seemed to alter my appearance entirely. It also never made sense to me how my eyebrows had changed so much over such a short period of time.
I believe that with each new look I tried on it reflected who I appreciated at the time. In this page I am looking at the three eyebrows I have worn during different parts of my life including; the thin brows, the unibrow, and the eyebrow cut.
Photo Credit: Gettys Images
Art: Frida Kahlo “Self Portrait with Bonito”
Photo: @cholenorgaard Instagram
Types of Eyebrows
There are many different types of eyebrows so it can be hard to choose which ones to choose. There can be crazy ones like the ones featured in the hunger games, or none at all like Pat Matrass's recent runway show.
Thin Brows
The thin brows can be characterized just by the title. They have a slim shape which can either arch up or be straight on the face. To obtain this brow shape one must “over pluck” their brows to where there is only a thin strip of hair. One can also completely shave off their brows and redraw on new ones using a pencil for the desired look.
Attaining a small brow in today's society is usually frowned upon due to the negative impacts it causes to regrowth and the less it appears in popular society.
Photo Credit: Gettys Images and Xochitl Araiza via Canva
Photo Credit: Xochitl Araiza via Canva
Unibrow
The unibrow can be characterized as one single piece of hair along the brow bone. This is no break in this facial hair thus giving it the uni- or mono- prefix.
This brow shape can be obtained by simply doing nothing. That's right nothing. Most unibrows are formed from natural growth, so this look can only be achieved with certain growth patterns. People who might have a easier time obtaining a unibrow may be people of color.
Eyebrow Cut
The eyebrow cut can be characterized by one or multiple cuts on both or one of the eyebrows. There can be wide cuts or shallow cuts on the eyebrow. This look really has no rules and can be catered to a persons preferences.
This brow shape can be achieved by plucking or cutting the brow with a particular hand. A precise cut will be needed if this is to come out correctly.
Photo Credit: Xochitl Araiza via Canva
QUICK SURVEY!!
How do you do your brows?
I asked 20 Carondelet Students "How do you do your eyebrows?" Do you shave, wax, or tweeze? These are the results...
Photo Credit: Xochitl Araiza via Canva
Who Defined the Brow?
All these looks must have come from somewhere...
Clara Bow
Clara Bow : Gettys Images
The thin brow first came to popularity in the 1920s. This was an era where movies had become a household topic and the stars that made it onto the screen reflected the ideals of the time period.
There are some famous people who really defined this look, one of those people being Clara Bow. Clara Bow was a movie starlet who engulfed popular culture in the 20’s. She was in successful films like “Wine”, but the most impactful role she had was in the movie “It” where she became the first “it girl”. Her dark hair paired with her thin brows made a striking look great for film. Clara Bow’s depiction of these thin brows was all the rage and quickly became popular with her rising fame. One could see thin brows all across the street in the 20’s.
Frida Kahlo
Art: Frida Kahlo “Self Portrait with Bonito”
Another person who influenced an eyebrow trend was Frida Kahlo and her beloved unibrow. Frida was a Mexican Women's Rights activist and painter in the mid 20th century. She created many self portraits reflecting the suffering of her youth where she contracted polio as a child and was in a life altering bus accident.
In each self portrait Frida has a distinct look of traditional Mexican clothing and a beautifully unique unibrow. Frida wanted to be a symbol of her Mexican heritage so she adapted a Mexican style of expression. This unibrow not only symbolized who she was culturally, but also symbolized her thoughts as an activist for the Mexican people. Frida adopting this natural brow made embracing your natural state fashionable and acceptable for a whole community.
Hip-Hop
Photo: @cholenorgaard Instagram
Finally the eyebrow cut look was first created with the rise of hip hop, but was not a staple in fashion until the early 2000’s. This look can be credited to the black Americans who found it a great way of self expression in their music. Most of the time the credit is not given to these individuals, but instead to famous influencers on social media. Wrongfully applying this credit can be damaging to the trend's strengths.
Pick A Look
Eyebrows are not just a stylistic choice, but can also mean a lot about someone's heritage and ideas. The trends you support can directly reflect the people who created them. So, there should be some thought and consideration when deciding what to do with your brows. One should maybe ask the question “what does this say about me” when deciding to go bold with a new look.