Known as “the frame of the face”, eyebrows play a crucial role in facial harmony, in addition to influencing facial features.
Eyebrows have undergone a clear evolution over the years, paraded in different styles and width. Each period featured its own trend, its icons from the fashion world, and Hollywood stars.
Check out each decade’s trend:
1920s and 30s: Glamor and drama.
Brows were thin, arched and rounded, defining femininity and glamor for the time.
During the 1920s and 30s, it was common to have completely shaved eyebrows to then draw a perfect line with a pencil as if the brows were a singular strand.
Clara Bow and Greta Garbo were considered the “it girls” of the time and had extremely thin and striking eyebrows.
1940s: Practicality and Minimalist Makeup
Now brows have become a little thicker. The trend this time is to arch them.
They start out thick and end gradually thinner, being the big star of makeup.
The inspiring muse of this time was actress Grace Kelly.
1950s: Caret
A decade marked by full and dark eyebrows.
The "caret" format was desired and adhered by most women.
Marilyn Monroe colored hers in brown to bring her brows color closer to her blonde hair.
The beautiful Audrey Hepburn kept her eyebrows thick and black, intensifying the color with eyebrow pencils. The lashes were also worked on, allowing for a luxury doll type of look.
1960s: Freedom of style
We now have greater freedom of style and different brows’ styles start to pop in the fashion world.
Among all styles, certainly the most striking ones were Twiggy’s, a model, creator of the miniskirt, and the diva Diana Ross’. Twiggy had hers super arched and thin. The unforgettable Diana Ross maintained hers thin and oddly shaped (a shape nowadays called the sperm style :0).
The 70s: Balance
Neither too thin, nor too thick. The secret here was to look natural. So much so that the strands were combed upwards and rarely dyed. An example of the time was actress Farrah Fawcett.
1980s: Thick and messy
A period marked by thick and expressive eyebrows. The bigger the better! Without any regard for tweezers, Madonna and Brooke Shields set this trend for the 1980s.
The "Messy" eyebrow look was the most popular one, and it didn't matter what color the hair was dyed – whether blond or red, the eyebrows would still display their natural color.
90's: Natural and clean.
Actresses Kate Moss and Sheron Stone appear on movie screens with natural eyebrows, almost shapeless but clean, with no hair around them.
The tweezers that had been forgotten throughout the 80s, are now used with caution, just to soften the look.
2000s: The return of the thin and arched
We began a new millennium and witnessed the return of thin, arched eyebrows, but without ever overcoming the extremism of the 1920s.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are representatives of this style.
And it is at this time that getting your brows done in a beauty salon becomes fashionable, consequently originating the appropriate name for the practice we use today: eyebrows design.
Years 2010: Definition
The natural shape and thickness are respected, taking into account the limits of the face to obtain the ideal harmony for each person.
The goal now is to highlight the original design and correct possible flaws.
In this decade Dermopigmentation and Microblading enter the market.
Then stars like Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins appear who stand out for well-defined eyebrows that maintain their original shapes.
The 2020s: Almost a return to the 1980s
2020 brought us more natural and disconnected eyebrows.
The Brow Laminations procedure, (a type of permanent for your eyebrows) wins over the hearts of many people by making the eyebrow strands more combed and raised, favoring the more messy look.
The Brow Laminations procedure, (a type of permanent for your eyebrows) wins over the hearts of many people by making the eyebrow strands more combed and raised, favoring a messier look.
The truth is that every decade comes with changes in fashion.
However, in the real world, adaptations must be made, considering that we are not dressed up all the time or that not everyone has a fashionista style.
I think that above any trend, the most important thing is to find the balance between the natural physiognomy, personality, and each person’s style.
Let me know what you think of this time travel!
Kisses and hugs and until next time,
Priscilla Iwama