“Bring back regular eyebrows” seems to be the words many people are chanting due to the overwhelming presence of caked on makeup. In reality, brows have never really been regular since, number 1: everybody’s are different and 2: styles of grooming change as fashion evolves. The eyebrows have been a part of beauty rituals since the ancient Egyptians who liked them plucked and darkened. Over the years, the way women wear their brows has drastically changed, let me show you all of the styles we’ve been through before becoming eyebrow obsessed.

The 1920’s- The Downturned Brow

Women like Josephine Baker loved a long and straight brow. In this era, it was common for them to extend downward making the eyes appear flat and long. Most used a black pencil to achieve this look. Today this style should be avoided because it can make you seem older.

The 1930’s- The Start of the Arch

The arch came into play as the next decade began causing the natural eye shape to become more noticeable. Most women still used black to fill in their entire brow but the extra lid space gave them a highlight. The arch is still a trend today, without it, the female would have a “harder” appearance.

The 1940’s- High Arches are in

Thank the women from the 40’s for the surprised brow. While some people are born with natural high arches (which look great), those who create them can make their brows float in midair. If you’re unsure where your arch should be placed, take a pencil and measure from the corner of your nose turning it to cross the pupil.

The 1950’s- Go Big or Go Home

Instead of making a single stroke of a pencil women began covering more surface area. The brows in the 50’s looked similar to how we wear ours today, but not as perfected. Many women in this era still liked them extended beyond the corners of the eye.

The 1960’s- Bold Brows Were Best

The eyebrows were a prominent feature in the 60’s, women made them heavy and black. Many steered away from the thick 50’s brows, but they weren’t as thin as those from the 20’s. There was a heavy emphasis around the eyes, doll lashes and heavy liner were quite common.

The 1970’s- Let your Natural Brow Shine Through

Finally a break from the black liner! In the 1970’s many women reverted to their natural born brow and focused on their hair and lips. Of course women still kept their brows groomed but they didn’t alter the original shape much. At this point brows shapes varied tremendously.

The 1980’s- The Bushier, The Better

Since many women had their natural brows on display, people started to notice those that were thick and natural. Not everyone can be blessed with “caterpillars” and those who weren’t used makeup to fake them. I believe this era that inspired today’s preference for a fuller eyebrow.

The 1990’s- Shave, Wax, Tweeze.

Now that the thick brow was in it was time to perfect it. In the 90’s the obsession with body hair removal grew and the brows were also being manipulated. Using razors, wax, or tweezers were common practices in the 90’s. Many women ended up with thin brows from over-tweezing.

The Present- Brows on Fleek

We have now reached brow nirvana! Women today love a perfected eyebrow to compliment a carefully made up face. Along with removing unwanted hair, women are using pencils that come in natural shades, adding faux hair and tattooing their brows for a more realistic look.

The way you groom your brows is crucial to how you appear to others; they are the frames for the face. When you over-tweeze, the eyelids appear big and puffy because they now include part of the brow bone. Leaving the brows too thick can cause the eyes to shrink.

How do you like your brows?

Did you know that Whoopi Goldberg is one of the only famous black women without eyebrows! Many people have never noticed because she wears the look so well!