Anyone considering bleaching their brows? Once an esoteric look relegated to subcultures and high fashion, going bare-brow may finally be on the cusp of mainstream popularity. We look at the history of brows synonymous with beauty trends and how going sans brow bold has been perfectly pulled off by 6 beauty influencers.
The history of brows sealed into iconic time capsules
Each era has they define time capsule sealed into an “it brow moment” of the period. From the 2000s thinly tweezed brows to the full-on bush trend, to the neatly cleaned crisp edges. Beauty influencer, MUA and IG’s resident beauty historian, Erin Parsons, mentioned to fashion’s favorite social critique page, Diet Prada, that “I think we’re quite bored of the bushy brows.”
“We’ve had these over-perfected ‘Instagram brows’ for over a decade now. Think Cara Delevingne’s game-changing brows of the 2010s, the launch of Glossier’s “Boy Brow” in 2015, the acceleration of the Anastasia brand into a household name, and the coining of “eyebrows on fleek.”
Erin Parsons’s statement to Diet Prada
Bleached brows are nothing new in the world of beauty. Throughout the 90s blonde colored brows were popular amongst counter-culture icons like the skinhead movement and drag queens who have been blazing brow-free trails for quite some time.
We’ve seen the upspring of the bleached brows slowly trickle up the beauty ladder as many influencers have been spotted over the course of this year at events looking like CGI characters. Bleached brows require a specific influential persona to be able to pull the risky beauty trend off and make it look desirable.
6 Beauty influencers convincing us that the bleached brows beauty trend is here to stay
Bella Hadid
As the main protagonist over the course of fashion week, Bella Hadid’s beauty choice for the season seemed to have been her bleached brows. MUA influencer Erin Parsons again mentioned to Diet Prada that according to her Bella is an amazing example because she naturally has thin brows and doesn’t try to enlarge them. When Bella rose to prominence her delicate brows were a sharp contrast from the pervading full arches at the time when everyone was after the “Cara Delevingne” or “Huda Beauty” bushy look. Bella’s weird-girl style, which often counters mainstream beauty looks, makes her a perfect fit for nude brows as she’s known to embrace her fragility and make it beautiful rather than be masked by overdrawn arches.
Doja Cat
Doja Cat can be defined as the new Lady Gaga of our time, as the singer and genius style trendsetter has become renowned for pushing the boundaries of obscure beauty trends into mass markets. From her daring costumes to her unusual accessories and outfit compilations, one of the most prominent aspects that heighten her unique persona even further is her choice of makeup. At the Balenciaga show during PFW, the singer donned pencil-thin brows with bruised makeup; a creative nod to the grueling strain of her first fashion week appearance.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall was most probably one of the first influencers who kick-started the bleached brow trend by rocking up to the Met Gala in a stunning over-the-top Prada gown which was contrasted by her futuristic makeup. The dress was a showstopper in and of itself, but what made it out of the ordinary was the choice of erasing something so defining as eyebrows, to create a completely blank canvas that elongated the viewer’s attention towards her eyes. Giving the illusion that it’s bigger and fuller. The classic connotation of the gown for galas with the brave play on futuristic bleached brows created balance and elevated the look’s modernity.
Kim Kardashian
Kim graced the cover of Interview Magazine with a stunning backdrop of the American flag. The showstopper that pulled the whole look together was of course her bleached eyebrows. With her dewy make-up look, the absence of brows allows for the editorial to become a complex storyline that alludes to the feeling of bareness.
Julia Fox
From her signature “fox eyes” to her denim collection, every move Julia Fox makes seems to be a DIY beauty shock that we’re all eager to try. Julia took to TikTok to showcase her brow-bleaching process to her fans. Renowned for inventing obscure looks that look ugly at first but avant-garde at the same time, Julia shares that she loves the look as it acts a “repellant to men.”
Rosalia
Cyborg freak, mixed with motomami couture, singer Rosalia is renowned to make Spanish “tacky culture” into desirable fashion statements, especially when it comes to makeup.
Though there’s a multitude of other beauty trendsetters adopting the trend, from the likes of Jodie Turner-Smith, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Kylie Jenner, and Amelia Gray; bleached brows enable creatives to create aesthetics that allow them to stand out on their own, by allowing for a multitude of possibilities of expression. And as the “yassification” of beauty continues to render humans more like CGI characters, doing bleached brows is a bold rejection of homogenization and artificiality of beauty norms.
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