Eyebrows are an intriguing part of our appearance, dramatically affecting everything from facial contours to the impressions we give off. Their evolution over time has transformed them from a mere beauty fad to being attributed with substantial symbolic connotations. The past decade has witnessed the rise and fall of various eyebrow styles such as the boy brow, soap brows and the striking Instagram ombré. In recent times, skinny brows, a trend prevalent in the 1990s and early 2000s, have resurfaced on high-profile models and celebrities like Bella Hadid, Gabbriette, and Doja Cat.
Those who experienced the 90s and early 2000s first-hand and possessed a pair of tweezers likely encapsulated the skinny brow trend. This thin, highly defined look was ubiquitous, adorning the faces of famous personalities like Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss, and notably, Drew Barrymore. Its roots, however, isn’t attributable to just any Hollywood star. Instead, skinny brows are rooted in Chicana beauty standards, primarily originating from the Chola culture, tying them intrinsically to the Mexican-American community in Southern California.
The creation of skinny brows dates back to the “Golden Age of Hollywood,” generally associated with the movie industry’s golden era in the 1920s and 1930s. Renowned stars from this period such as Clara Bow, Marlene Dietrich, Anna Mae Wong, Carole Lombard, and Jean Harlow epitomise glamour with their sharply groomed, pencil-thin brows. Skinny brows accentuated the emotive quality of these silent film stars. The style became synonymous with femininity and sophistication, influencing beauty trends of the era. However, as pointed out by beauty experts, the trend of thin brows has reappeared and disappeared across different periods, including during the Middle Ages.
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a phase where Chicanas in Southern California started buzzing a fresh-off-the-runway fashion style, known today as the “chola style.” This style incorporated sharp, thin brows, dark lip liner, gold hoop earrings, and nameplate necklaces. The ‘chola style’ wasn’t purely aesthetic nor always associated with a gang lifestyle. Much of its inspiration came from the Pachuca movement in the 1940s and 1950s, often described as a potently self-expressive dress style formulated by young Mexicans as a reaction to racial discrimination. Skinny brows and the boldness they represented helped these women rebel against societal beauty norms that marginalized them.
In the 1990s, skinny brows and other signifiers of Chicana beauty like dark lip liner, acrylic nails, and winged eyeliner infiltrated popular culture. When celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin started giving models sleek brows, he transformed this look into high fashion. The trend persisted into the early 2000s with celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, and Paris Hilton adopting the same.
Many modern-day celebrities like Zendaya, Rihanna, and Doja Cat have embraced skinny brows, triggering a resurgence of this trend. Today’s iteration of the skinny brow is viewed as a modern approach, with fuller brows compared to the extreme thinness observed in the ’90s. Whether skinny brows become a beauty staple or not depends on people’s willingness to wholly embrace this look as it is quite striking and requires commitment.
Regardless of the future, skinny brows have a deep connection to Chicana women, symbolizing identity, resilience, and power. From the early chola culture to influencing celebrities and the fashion industry, these women have immeasurably molded this iconic look, transforming it into a compelling symbol of self-expression, communal bonding, and cultural pride across generations.
