rogue

'Dear Gen Z: I'm a millennial and we need to talk about the thin eyebrow trend.'

Listen to this story being read by Erin Docherty, here.


JUST CHILL FOR A MINUTE.

Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. 

Jokes, I totally am.

Sorry.

Because if you're a person in your early 20s who frequents TikTok, chances are you've seen the thin eyebrow trend getting around, yes? Pretty sure there's some viral filter doing the rounds and everyone's talking about it?

You've maybe tried it for yourself. Had a wee play and... gasp!... thin brows kinda suit you, no? 

Plus, this style of brows is new and trendy and totally IN right now. Like, you know at least six people who have plucked and waxed their brows into that pencil-thin, rounded shape. 

And it kinda looks... good? 

Watch: Amy Clark tries brow lamination. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia

In case you haven't seen it, here is the viral filter I'm talking about. 

And for reference, here is me trying said filter:

Hurts my soul. 

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I... I just..

Pls. 

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W-wa-wait, are they tweezers in your hand?

PUT DOWN THE TWEEZERS, JESSICA.

Don't roll your eyes at me like that!

What, you think your eyebrow hairs are just going to magically shimmy back onto your face after you pluck them out? Yes??

Because they won't. They really won't.

Trust me on this. If you're going to go in willy-nilly with your tweezers and pluck away at your brows until there's squat all hair left, just to get a trendy brow shape that almost certainly will be off-trend in a year or so - you're going to have a bad time. 

No, seriously, ask any expert and they'll tell you that constantly plucking the same brow hairs messes with your follicles and increases the chance of those hairs staying gone for good. 

Not only that, but you can also risk things like inflammation and scarring.

What do I know?

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Well, I'm one of the poor lambs who butchered her brows in the early 2000s. When pretty much every celebrity had brows that looked like this:

Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, and Tyra Banks. Images: Getty 

Not only did I pluck and wax them, but I'm fairly certain I used a razor once or twice to get the job done quicker.

(ʘ‿ʘ)

I distinctly remember having, like, a four-finger space in the middle of my brows and zero eyebrow tail - a short back and sides, if you will.

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See this:

so. little. brow. 

And this:

Missing: Entire eyebrow tail. 

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I... no words. 

Thanks to the fact I seemingly have the genes of Bart Cummings, my brow hairs did grow back. Sorta. Albeit sparsely. 

But I'm one of the luckier ones. Because pretty much every millennial I know is still kicking around, waiting for their brow hairs to grow back. 

That's why you'll hear them complain about having to tint, fill in, and micro-blade their brows on the reg. 

You'll see them giving each other eyebrow serum recommendations. Telling each other what pomade is the absolute s**t. What new treatments and procedures are coming out. (Oh, hey Chrissy Teigen and your newly transplanted eyebrows, we didn't see you there! Pls join).

While trends come and go - your over-plucked brows will literally just... pack their bags, book an Uber, and not come back. Ever.

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Just look at what happened the last time we switched brow shapes.

It was around 2010, and Cara Delevingne popped on the scene, and all of a sudden thin brows weren't cool anymore. Big, bushy, natural-looking brows were in. And everyone was hella confused because DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL US TO PLUCK THEM ALL OUT?

Then, everyone tried everything in their power to grow those hairs back. Those poor, sad little hairs.

And now it's 2022. And there's this whole Y2k movement going on and a very real and very sudden obsession with all trends from the late 90s/early 2000s - fashion, beauty, you name it. And the exact same thing is happening. 

Just look at the red carpets. The runways. Popular shows we're all watching, like Pam & Tommy.

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Thin brows are everywhere right now - and it's just another case of us being told we should have the exact opposite of what we have. 

WHY IS THIS A THING.

And just for the record - I'm not saying thin eyebrows are bad. Nah. Brows are an extremely personal thing and have the power to *literally* change your whole face - so if it's the shape that works for you, you do you, friend.

What I am saying is that it's impossible - like, BIOLOGICALLY impossible - for us to keep following brow trends every time someone decides there's a new beauty standard we have to adhere to.

It just ain't it.

So, if you think thin brows suit you and you wanna do it - by all means, go for it! 

But if you're not a hundred per cent and feel like you have to follow the trend just because some snazzy filter on TikTok is telling you to, save your brow hairs. You'll thank me in a few years. Or at least send me a fruit basket or something.

What do you think of the thin brow trend? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty

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