:eek: I am simply in awe of how this thread is contrary to my expectations.
I was expecting guys (it was actually primarily a poll for guys) to come in here with “Moe, that’s ridiculous. Who the heck notices eyebrows?” or “Women have eyebrows?” or “Hey Moe, can I buy you a beer?”
But most of the responses were from women, all? of whom do engage in some sort of eyebrow maintenance, and some of whom have actually received compliments on them! What the heck is wrong with you people!!! :smack:
Actually, I just read it back and it does seem that the general consensus thus far among guys is “keep it natural” but some (Max e.g.) do indicate that they do actually notice eyebrows, and Ferrous, I will certainly keep my eye out for Brooke to see your point.
I just really feel oblivious. I’ve never even given this a thought.
Just want to make a note to exclude Green Bean and FairyChatMom (who just snuck in as I was posting) from that all.
BTW, my sister has requested that I specify here that we are not talking about the shave and pencil method which is, I agree, fairly noticeable. I think she just wants to know if that sort of casual plucking of strays here and there around her eyes makes any difference in his.
Hm. I guess I could pretend to be a guy to equalize the male/female response to this thread… nah.
I pluck in-between hairs, but I would never dream of shaving, seriously waxing, or otherwise changing my brows. I mentioned eyebrow plucking once to my SO, and he stared at me and said, “You pluck your eyebrows? Why?!”. He also actively objects to me wearing makeup.
I do the “keep 'em in line” maintenence. I have many friends who are more enthusiastic in their plucking, but I’m too lazy to do all the work to keep them that way.
Er, um, no . . . I don’t own mascara, which kind of explains that . . . No eye liner or eye shadow or lipstick, either.
For some reason, though, I’m really picky about my eyebrows. Without regular intervention, they tend toward a Bert-like monobrow, so I have to spend some time plucking. I figure I might as well do the whole sheebang.
I don’t shave my legs, but I pluck my eyebrows. Weird, I know. I wear glasses, too, so it’s not like anyone can really see my eyebrows anyway.
But–to play devil’s advocate a bit–I must disagree with all those guys saying they never even notice. You might not realize you notice, but the eyebrows have a way of framing the eyes and pulling the whole face together. Those well-maintained eyebrows that you don’t glance twice at might get an entirely different reaction were they left to grow unchecked. As a result, the state of a woman’s eyebrows can play a significant role in your assessment of her appearance, whether you intend for it to or not. They’re just part of the overall package.
Speaking as a guy, and speaking in grossly-simplified over-generalizations:
Anything a woman does that appears to portray natural, holistic beauty is a good thing.
Anything that either: a) does not appear natural; or b) stands out from her overall “look” is a bad thing.
So, within that context:
eyebrow modification (or lack thereof) that conforms to #1 above is a good thing - guys won’t notice the eyebrows, they will just take in the woman’s “natural” holistic beauty - that’s why modest plucking apparently works, and it is why Brooke Shield’s look is generally considered to work
eyebrow modifcation that conforms to #2 above is a bad thing - 99 times out of 100, if a guy notices a woman’s eyebrows, it is not for a good reason
In my experience, fewer women than I would like are able to judge what conforms with #1 above. (in talking with women, many, if not most, that I have spoken with agree with me about this. YMMV, and I apologize in advance if anybody is offended - that is not my intent)
I recently told a friend that I have a bit of an eyebrow fetish. I’m not a breast man at all, a woman could be as flat as a plate and if she has a pretty face that’s all I see. There have been times when I say to myself “she has perfect eyebrows.” And “perfect” eyebrows are natural, NOT THIN, and not too thick. If you want to see what I consider perfect eyebrows, look at Heather Langenkamp of A Nightmare on Elm Street fame. I just think that good eyebrows don’t attract attention to themselves, but to the eyes, and lend themselves to expressiveness as well.
I have plucked exactly one eyebrow hair in my entire life. It was, oddly enough, in preperation for a drag show where I would be appearing as a man. I was hoping for a sinister, “pointy eyebrow” look, and thought I’d do a little plucking. But I stopped after the first hair because it hurt like hell, and just did my best to change the appearance of my eyebrows with skillful use of makeup.
I personally find overplucked eyebrows intensely repulsive. I’m not sure why I have such a strong reaction, but I do. I even have a semi-secret theory that overplucked brows are a sign of an unbalanced mind. I shall leave it to you to determine what forming such theories is a sign of.
My sister has dubbed one popular look “the comet eyebrow”, where the outer portion of the brow has been plucked down to a single hair’s width. Tasteful plucking, by its very nature, is unnoticeable, but I’d rather see a unibrow than a comet brow or other overplucked brow.
I work with a woman who has her eyebrows “done” monthly, because her daughter pointed out that her eyes were uneven. (She was right – I’d never figured it out before, but her face had been unbalanced.)
Now she’s having the bottom of one eyebrow and the top of the other plucked. I am surprised at the difference it has made in her appearance!
I’ve plucked three eyebrow hairs in my life. They were weird and curly and pointed straight down so they had to go. Other than that I leave my eyebrows alone. When I was a dancer, I put dark eyeshadow on my eyebrows to darken them (it’s a much less harsh look than eyebrow pencils).
I don’t own an eyelash brush either, though I do have mascara. I so rarely wear makeup though…
