And what better way to re-enact the history of eyebrows than by doing it myself? Join me as I take you on a video journey through 100 years of eyebrow trends. But of course, that’s not what happened. Women often darkened their eyebrows if their hair was blonde (like Mary Pickford, pictured above), or lightened them if their hair was dark. Rather than lightening my own eyebrows with a period-appropriate DIY mixture, I opted to draw them in nice and full with a gray brow pencil. Because, in 1916 at least, I woke up like this. I have to be honest: I think I’m really working this look. But brow shapes weren’t the only thing that changed: commercial makeup was becoming way more available (and affordable). This meant that eyebrow pencils were something that most women could obtain, so practically everyone (rather than just the rich) was shaving, plucking, and re-drawing. Taking a cue from Joan Crawford (pictured above), eyebrows were drawn in bigger, bolder, and more dramatically than ever before. We’re talking end to end thick darkness. They were often plucked so that the arch was higher and placed right in the center, but my brows refused this indignity. I settled for majorly thick “Mommie Dearest” brows instead. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandrige provided the ’50s brow ideal: eyebrows were short, full, heavily arched, and wide-set. Brows were generally one to two shades lighter than hair, and set REALLY far apart to create the illusion of a slimmer nose and bigger, doll-like eyes. This long, thin, rounded eyebrow shape paired with the big-eyed aesthetic of models like Twiggy and Penelope Tree (pictured above) gave a distinctly alien vibe. Brow bleaching also entered the mainstream, which I do not recommend. That shit HURTS. Donna Summer, goddess pictured above that she is, actually made these eyebrows look seriously glam. Maybe that’s why so many people wanted them. Waxing — and the attendant permanent hair loss — was becoming popular in the ’70s, which is one of the reasons so many women of my mother’s generation still have these brows today. You’ll notice this is a pattern the repeats a lot: a period of brow-austerity followed by a decade of really big, bold eyebrows. As a programming note, do not be alarmed by my amazing ’80s beauty. I faked my furriness by drawing in individual hairs with a fine-tipped gray liquid liner. Along with this “thin is in” mentality, women were encouraged to get super-obsessive with their appearance, which inevitably led to overplucking and overwaxing. I definitely had these exact eyebrows in high school, btw. Social media has also turned eyebrows into a billion-dollar business. Anastasia Soare, who launched brow business Anastasia Beverly Hills in 1998 — became a superstar practically overnight as we all clamor to keep our eyebrows #onfleek.
title: “100 Years Of Eyebrow Trends” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-05” author: “Jerry Griffin”
And what better way to re-enact the history of eyebrows than by doing it myself? Join me as I take you on a video journey through 100 years of eyebrow trends. But of course, that’s not what happened. Women often darkened their eyebrows if their hair was blonde (like Mary Pickford, pictured above), or lightened them if their hair was dark. Rather than lightening my own eyebrows with a period-appropriate DIY mixture, I opted to draw them in nice and full with a gray brow pencil. Because, in 1916 at least, I woke up like this. I have to be honest: I think I’m really working this look. But brow shapes weren’t the only thing that changed: commercial makeup was becoming way more available (and affordable). This meant that eyebrow pencils were something that most women could obtain, so practically everyone (rather than just the rich) was shaving, plucking, and re-drawing. Taking a cue from Joan Crawford (pictured above), eyebrows were drawn in bigger, bolder, and more dramatically than ever before. We’re talking end to end thick darkness. They were often plucked so that the arch was higher and placed right in the center, but my brows refused this indignity. I settled for majorly thick “Mommie Dearest” brows instead. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandrige provided the ’50s brow ideal: eyebrows were short, full, heavily arched, and wide-set. Brows were generally one to two shades lighter than hair, and set REALLY far apart to create the illusion of a slimmer nose and bigger, doll-like eyes. This long, thin, rounded eyebrow shape paired with the big-eyed aesthetic of models like Twiggy and Penelope Tree (pictured above) gave a distinctly alien vibe. Brow bleaching also entered the mainstream, which I do not recommend. That shit HURTS. Donna Summer, goddess pictured above that she is, actually made these eyebrows look seriously glam. Maybe that’s why so many people wanted them. Waxing — and the attendant permanent hair loss — was becoming popular in the ’70s, which is one of the reasons so many women of my mother’s generation still have these brows today. You’ll notice this is a pattern the repeats a lot: a period of brow-austerity followed by a decade of really big, bold eyebrows. As a programming note, do not be alarmed by my amazing ’80s beauty. I faked my furriness by drawing in individual hairs with a fine-tipped gray liquid liner. Along with this “thin is in” mentality, women were encouraged to get super-obsessive with their appearance, which inevitably led to overplucking and overwaxing. I definitely had these exact eyebrows in high school, btw. Social media has also turned eyebrows into a billion-dollar business. Anastasia Soare, who launched brow business Anastasia Beverly Hills in 1998 — became a superstar practically overnight as we all clamor to keep our eyebrows #onfleek.
title: “100 Years Of Eyebrow Trends” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-02” author: “Tom Glud”
And what better way to re-enact the history of eyebrows than by doing it myself? Join me as I take you on a video journey through 100 years of eyebrow trends. But of course, that’s not what happened. Women often darkened their eyebrows if their hair was blonde (like Mary Pickford, pictured above), or lightened them if their hair was dark. Rather than lightening my own eyebrows with a period-appropriate DIY mixture, I opted to draw them in nice and full with a gray brow pencil. Because, in 1916 at least, I woke up like this. I have to be honest: I think I’m really working this look. But brow shapes weren’t the only thing that changed: commercial makeup was becoming way more available (and affordable). This meant that eyebrow pencils were something that most women could obtain, so practically everyone (rather than just the rich) was shaving, plucking, and re-drawing. Taking a cue from Joan Crawford (pictured above), eyebrows were drawn in bigger, bolder, and more dramatically than ever before. We’re talking end to end thick darkness. They were often plucked so that the arch was higher and placed right in the center, but my brows refused this indignity. I settled for majorly thick “Mommie Dearest” brows instead. Stars like Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandrige provided the ’50s brow ideal: eyebrows were short, full, heavily arched, and wide-set. Brows were generally one to two shades lighter than hair, and set REALLY far apart to create the illusion of a slimmer nose and bigger, doll-like eyes. This long, thin, rounded eyebrow shape paired with the big-eyed aesthetic of models like Twiggy and Penelope Tree (pictured above) gave a distinctly alien vibe. Brow bleaching also entered the mainstream, which I do not recommend. That shit HURTS. Donna Summer, goddess pictured above that she is, actually made these eyebrows look seriously glam. Maybe that’s why so many people wanted them. Waxing — and the attendant permanent hair loss — was becoming popular in the ’70s, which is one of the reasons so many women of my mother’s generation still have these brows today. You’ll notice this is a pattern the repeats a lot: a period of brow-austerity followed by a decade of really big, bold eyebrows. As a programming note, do not be alarmed by my amazing ’80s beauty. I faked my furriness by drawing in individual hairs with a fine-tipped gray liquid liner. Along with this “thin is in” mentality, women were encouraged to get super-obsessive with their appearance, which inevitably led to overplucking and overwaxing. I definitely had these exact eyebrows in high school, btw. Social media has also turned eyebrows into a billion-dollar business. Anastasia Soare, who launched brow business Anastasia Beverly Hills in 1998 — became a superstar practically overnight as we all clamor to keep our eyebrows #onfleek.
