ABC News delves into the subject of eyebrow width. Ever since Sienna Miller appeared at Valentino's post haute couture show gala with very heavy, dark eyebrows, the eyebrow discussions are reaching a fever pitch. The nineties were a decade of skinny, stripper eyebrows, but lately models have been sporting a heavier brow which is reminiscent of the Brooke Shields look in the 1980s.
In Western celebrity culture we can trace the ebb and flow of the eyebrow. In the 1940s and 50s, female movie stars often removed their eyebrows completely.
"Eyebrows, any body hair, anything suggestive of masculinity had to be immediately erased," explained Zoe Williams, a zeitgeist columnist with The Guardian newspaper. "There was a real interest in ramming home the difference between the genders."
Why? Was it a conscious effort to redefine femininity after the austerity of the war years? Who knows. But check out Ronald Coleman's slugs and Marlene Dietrich's sliver in Kismet, and you're left in no doubt who's man, who's women and the gulf between.
"Then in the 60s, everything got a lot more androgynous," continued Williams. Hair grew everywhere for years. It sprouted all over men and women. The bushy brow's zenith was reached on Brooke Shields' face in The Blue Lagoon.
Society's evolution can be traced through the eyebrow. In the 80s eyebrows thinned again, reflecting the self-obsession and greed of the age. Power suits, shoulder pads, enormous cell phones and scary, mean, thin eyebrows. Watch Wall Street. You'll see. Women were groomed to within an inch of their lives.
We think the shape of Sienna's brows was fine; it was the color that was horrible. It was too dark for her blond hair and fair skin. We absolutely despise skinny, skanky stripper brows. Bring on the bolder brows, we say!
You can see an interesting look at eyebrow shapes over the years here.
