The Arches Have Fallen in the Latest Eyebrow Trends

Do you pluck and tweeze your eyebrows to achieve that “high-arched” look? You might be interested to hear that full, expressive eyebrows – unplucked and untamed – are coming increasingly into vogue. That was the conclusion of a recent report in the journal Clinical Plastic Surgery. Based on an analysis of Western print media from 1945 and 2011, it appears that arched eyebrows have been on a downward decline for the past 60 years.

RealSelf.com’s Melissa Rudy points out that this trend can easily be seen in the young generation of female starlets. Emma Watson, Camilla Belle, and Anne Hathaway – they all have straight, flat eyebrows. It’s hard to imagine them with the razor-thin brows of their Hollywood predecessors.

“Upward curvature of the eyebrows was considered to be an attractive feminine feature in the past. We are finding that more and more women are looking for a flatter, straighter, more masculine look. I think it has to do with the increasing equality of the sexes. Women are subconsciously favouring a masculine brow.”

— Mark Soldin, MD (from an interview with the UK Independent)

This leads to an interesting question – what about Hollywood celebrities who bucked the pluck decades in advance? Actress Brooke Shields, a popular icon during the 1980s (with an infamously scandalous Calvin Klein commercial), stands out for her full eyebrows. Of course, that was the 1980s, the era of hair bands and shoulder pads – androgyny was often a popular fashion statement. This form of expression seem to be making a resurgence in the 21st century.

So how can you achieve the lowbrow look? Brow lift surgery can alter the shape and position of your eyebrows to enhance the overall appearance of your face. But a non-surgical approach may be better. Botox can help by relaxing the muscles that lift your eyebrows. Of course, if you like your arched eyebrows, there’s no need to be dismayed. The best look for your unique face will depend more on your bone structure and skin type than any comparative media study!