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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

COLUMN: Bleached eyebrows: an unwelcome blast from the past

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Bleached eyebrows are trending again. The 1990s trend resurfaced in 2021, but only recently reached the masses in 2022 due to TikTok. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Lizzo and the Hadid sisters have also participated in this trend, making it popular among young girls. Despite its popularity, the trend to bleach your eyebrows is not worth it.  

Throughout 2022 and now 2023, I’ve enjoyed seeing the more natural makeup look many now go for. However, I feel as though the trend of bleached eyebrows contradicts this natural look. I just don’t really see the point of bleaching one’s eyebrows. I don’t get why people who want to participate in this trend don’t just shave their eyebrows off. It practically looks the same and requires less maintenance. I understand people just want to experiment with their looks, but I feel as though bleached eyebrows are a trend that should stay on the runway. 

Bleached eyebrows come from the punk rock era of the ‘90s, and have slowly been making their way back into the spotlight. One celebrity that helped kickstart the trend is Kim Kardashian. She showed off her bleached eyebrows in a shoot for Interview Magazine in September 2022. Afterwards, according to Glamour Magazine, the number of times the trend was searched online doubled. 

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On the runway, bleached eyebrows are understood as an artistic vision from the designer. For everyday street style, however, I feel like it just looks strange. Obviously, people can express themselves any way they like, but I believe this trend should stay in the 1990s.  

Artistic expression is the only validation I would give towards bleached eyebrows. The trend can be seen as a complementary to high fashion clothing in shows from brands such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Versace and Balmain. Now that the trend is hitting celebrities and their followers, though, it’s used like any other makeup trend as a means of everyday expression. Although I encourage personal expression, I don’t love the look.  

Even though I don’t enjoy the look, bleached eyebrows are sure to continue trending. With no new brow trends on the horizon, bleached brows are sure to stick around given how many influential celebrities continue to bleach their brows for photoshoots, red carpets and everyday makeup looks.  

Although I am not a fan of this trend, everyone expresses themselves differently. If someone wants to bleach their eyebrows for fun or for a confidence boost, by all means people should do whatever makes them feel their best.

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