The Brow Makes the Woman

Grazia is in a tizzy today over Cheryl Cole’s eyebrow trim job. They compared a recent picture of the British pop singer to a picture from last year, where she has more going on above the eyes, and held up the older picture to be far more appealing. I think Cheryl looks pretty in both pictures, but definitely in different ways.

It’s amazing the difference removing less than an inch of hair can do for a face. My natural eyebrows are very thick. Even my tweezed brows are heavy. I once had them waxed even thinner, and was devastated. I saw a whole different person in the mirror. I underwent a similar transformation to Cheryl’s, and felt I was verging on plastic - like I had lost some part of my personality.

It’s one thing to admire a certain eyebrow icon: the thick-browed Brooke Shields and Audrey Hepburn, or the thin-browed Marlene Dietrich and Gwen Stefani (here enters the further matching brow and hair debate), but another to copy.

Brows are a truly individual endeavor. It seems more women want to go for the less is more theory, but the super thin look only works on a select few ladies. And if you feel self-conscious about thicker brows, remember that some of the most beautiful and fashionable women, Audrey and Brooke as well as Carine, prefer fuller brows.

Luckily, eyebrows can grow back faster than a bad haircut.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

posted by Peter

Jul 07, 2009 2:16PM

I love women with bold eyebrows... it makes them look strong and in control, as opposed to the thin Marlene Dietrich style brows, which look more temptress-y (depending on the shape) to me.

posted by k1mb3rly

Jul 07, 2009 2:22PM

I agree... I tend to find the Brooke Shields/Hilary Rhoda types to be more classically beautiful to be honest. Super thin eyebrows tend to look trashy.

posted by guest

Jul 07, 2009 3:02PM

YAY for thick brows. I fell into the whole thin brows is in look and overplucked my brows. But once i realied your brows should match your face, I knew thicker was in for me and now I try to keep them as thick as possible with tips groomed. I went to a russian eyebrow threader to clean my brows and she took them half off and styled them ala an 1980's porn star...I was not happy even though tons of women were complementing me on my eyebrows....superstylized brows working for some not all.

posted by mpw

Jul 07, 2009 3:10PM

I think that sticking close to your natural brow shape looks best. If you have naturally thick brows, you'll look odd if you wax them into little strips. Likewise, if they're natural thinner, you'll look odd if you fill them in with lots of pencil.

posted by nuhh429

Jul 07, 2009 6:03PM

I agree with all the statements about bold and/or thick eyebrows. I got my eyebrows done once and I left crying because it looked so weird. It taught me how much I actually do love my thick eyebrows.

Jul 08, 2009 7:27AM

Always I find the thickerthe brow, themore powerful and sexy-looking thewoman. Cherylstill looks beautiful, but in a much morevulnerable way, which I dont find appealing.

posted by Hannah A

Jul 08, 2009 8:40AM

Bushy brows are the shit. 'Nuff said. I have mild ones. lol.

posted by calvinshowblogspotdotcom

Jul 08, 2009 11:08AM

The more recent pic looks like something a contestant would do from Popstars: The Rivals. Oh, she was on it? Well...she made the band years ago so someone should have told her to not over pluck!!