Look away, millennials: Gen Z is bringing back thin eyebrows — and beauty experts are alarmed
Gen Z is eyeing a whole new look when it comes to their brows
Thin, barely-there eyebrows are coming back into fashion, with big bushy brows beloved by Cara Delevingne and Zoe Kravitz now on their way out of popularity.
“I’ve definitely noticed the return of the skinny brow, but today’s version focuses on sculpting and accentuating your features rather than tweezing them pencil thin,” British brow artist Hollie Parkes told CNN of the 90s-inspired trend.
The revival can be found everywhere from social media to the runway.
Earlier this year, models walking the runway at the Maison Margiela show at Paris Fashion Week concealed their natural brows to give an illusion of barely-there hair. Makeup artist Pat McGrath painted thin curved lines high up on the models’ foreheads and covered up the brow below.
A few months later at the Met Gala, Zendaya, FKA Twigs and Doja Cat went all-in on the trend as well, completing their looks with either razor-thin brows or bleached brows.
However, the looks loved by celebrities don’t always look as good on “normal” people.
“If you’re considering slimming your brow, I highly recommend booking an appointment with an expert,” Parkes advised.
Brow expert Kamini Vaghela — who has been threading the brows of A-list celebs and royals for over 35 years — also warned against copying beauty standards that work for other people, especially since eyebrows need to be suited for an individual’s face shape.
“I don’t believe in eyebrow trends at all. It’s about what suits the individual — no shape can suit everyone,” she explained.
Vaghela recalls looking at a photo of Twiggy in the 1960s and seeing her thin pale eyebrows, “which suited her.”
“I took one look at her — she had thin pale eyebrows which suited her — and I knew so many women were going to copy her and look completely ludicrous,” she said.
The London-based brow expert believes that a person’s brow shape should be based on bone structure, eye shape, skin tone and hair color.
When trying to go along with trends, people often over-pluck their eyebrows to the point of no return, making them grow up uneven or weirdly shaped.
Anyone who is hoping to grow and thicken their eyebrows should apply castor oil “or any oil, at night,” Vaghela suggested.
“Oil is good for stimulating eyebrow hair and it keeps them soft,” she added. “It’s magic.”
