Consider eyebrow standards throughout the past century: in the 1920s and 1930s, thin eyebrows were all the rage. They thickened back out throughout the '40s and until the '90s, when society reverted to the thin, rounded shape and stuck with that until the 2010s.
The 1990s. Ah, the '90s. Women of this decade put brow grooming companies back in business with their pencil-thin brows à la Gwen Stefani and Drew Barrymore. “The 1990s was the true 'walk of shame' for eyebrow style.
1990s: Thin and Light
Taking a hard turn away from the big and full brow look of the '80s, eyebrows in the '90s favored a low-arched look. Thin and natural brows that were not overly filled were seen on models and in magazines across the newsstands.
1970s. When it came to brows in the 70s, there were two camps; ultra-thin or naturally full. The former came with the birth of disco; preened and plucked into a high arch, Donna Summer's groomed brows match the high-octane spirit of disco's look and sound.
For the Mexican American cholas of the 90s, their iconic makeup style -- featuring, you guessed it, dark pencilled thin brows -- came to represent their feminine power in the face of a hostile society. Just like the flappers and club kids, cholas' eyebrows rejected the status quo.
Heavy Arched Brows
And so, began the trend for big brows in the 1940s. Long before Cara and Madonna, actress Joan Crawford set the wheel in motion for thicker, bolder brows. This went on to become her trademark look along with heavily blushed cheeks and red lips.
The Original Thin Brow
Benefit Cosmetics Global Brow Expert, Jared Bailey, says the original '90s skinny brow was a response to the big brows of the '80s — the full, dark, and dense look made popular by celebrities like Brooke Shields and Madonna.
Here's the good news: Like the resurgence of other '90s trends, the thin brow is getting a 2022 update. “The thin brows in the past weren't just thin—they were actually bad brows,” says celebrity eyebrow stylist Joey Healy.
To get the 20s look: take a dark brown or black and darken your eyebrow. Try to do just a really thin and arched eyebrow, by turning your eyebrows slightly downwards with the eyebrow pencil. Extend the ends to make them look extra long.
As the fashion world and then mainstream culture caught up with the grunge and minimalist movement, thin eyebrows became the look du jour, notably driven by pioneering makeup artist, Kevyn Aucoin. Cue the '90s 'It Girls' all sporting pencil-thin brows: Gwen Stefani, Naomi Campbell, Angelina Jolie – the list goes on.
Makeup trends in the 1970s ranged from all-natural to bright glam Disco styles. For most looks, the base consisted of sheer barely-there foundation with pink blush and lightly filled in eyebrows. Depending on the desired style, eye shadow and eyeliner left more room for expression, like in Disco and Punk looks.
The eyebrow was severely plucked or shaved and penciled into thin, straight, extended lines. With most films of the 1920s still silent, actresses created this overtly dramatic brow to help further express their emotions to audiences.
1920s: Thin and Downward Arched
To highlight facial expressions, this shape was often penciled-in to give a drooping effect that gave someone a softer and more dramatic look. As moving pictures grew in popularity, women everywhere wanted the celebrity eyebrow look and opted for their own thin and round-arched brows.
While many of us may shudder at the thought, according to Gen Z, thin eyebrows are back in style. The retro beauty trend that involves shaping your brows to be super skinny is making a comeback in 2022, thanks to Gen Z content creators and popular platforms such as TikTok.
As opposed to naturally bold brows, people with thin brows are more timid and modest. They also tend to overthink situations and doubt their decisions. As such, they often seek advice from their friends or peers before making big decisions.
In 2022, tweezers are back – and so is the skinny eyebrow, last seen in Gen Z's favourite Y2K era.
“Thin brows can tend to make you look older, and can give a harsh or unflattering look to any face,” says Ursula Cervellone from Feather Brow Couture. “Making sure your brows have more depth and thickness than a thin pencil line will help any face appear younger.
Minimal arch
The default shape for most eyebrows, everyone has a slight, barely-there arch to their natural eyebrows. If this is the shape you want to maintain, we recommend giving up your habit of plucking and just stick to cleaning up stray hair with a tweezer instead.
Dark brows were shown to make a person look younger in a study that was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology because humans appear to (subconsciously) correlate distinct contrasts in facial features with youth.
Just like your hair, brows can thin with age, making you look older than you are. To disguise this, use a brow powder to fill patchy spots, focusing on bringing the fullness back to your brows.
It's 2022, and thick eyebrows are more trendy and in demand than ever. While it appeared the thinner brows that became so popular in the 90s were making a comeback earlier this year, the thick brow trend remains the same–full, more dramatic brows appear to be here to stay for 2022 and beyond.
Like we mentioned earlier, the full and fluffy brow remains very popular this year and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, regardless of what shape you use. Try feathering your eyebrows with a spoolie brush by shaping them upward and applying a clear gel to provide structure and texture.
Fluffy brows have been building momentum and they are staying put for 2022. The trend has been spotted on Billie Eilish and involves brushing up brow hairs but still leaving them relaxed and natural, which means less time spent pencilling them in.
Maybe there's some science behind the dramatic eyebrow trend after all. A new study finds that facial features, like lips and eyebrows, tend to stand out less as people get older. Because of that, the authors say, people perceive faces with more contrast as younger.
Eyebrow hair loss causes. If one or both eyebrows are thinning, it could be due to infection, skin conditions, hormonal changes, or an overactive immune system. Nutritional deficiencies, physical trauma, or emotional stress can also cause diminishing brows .