London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Eyebrows are the Runway Look Anyone Can Own

Eyebrows are the Runway Look Anyone Can Own

Designers have long experimented with eyebrows on the runway, but today’s hottest style can be traced back to hip hop culture and the Black community.

Similar to hairstyles, the ways in which we groom our eyebrows have changed dramatically throughout the years. Today, the intensely overplucked look which was once rocked by the likes of Y2K legends Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, and Angelina Jolie has been replaced by an affinity towards feathered statement brows. Moreover, dramatic eyebrow looks have debuted on a number of major fashion runways. From fully shaved off to bold cuts, like the ones recently spotted on Rihanna, designers have always been unafraid to use this prominent facial feature to cultivate an eccentric look.

The eyebrow manipulation fad began in the 1920s with the advent of silent movies. Notable actresses would over-pluck their brows to create a thin, downturned shape that would help them convey sentiments of happiness and melancholy via facial expressions, instead of dialogue. This stylistic trend unknowingly informed the way women styled their eyebrows for many years after, hence the Y2K era's dangerously thin brows. However, minimal brows can be dated as far back as the Mona Lisa.



Pioneers of the eyebrow editing movement in high fashion include Steven Meisel and Jean-Paul Gaultier, but almost every major designer has experimented with eyebrows as a way of enhancing styling at some point in their career. Valentino, Prada, Miu Miu, and Marc Jacobs are just a few that have hopped on the trend and made it their own by bleaching, shaving, dying, or plucking. Miu Miu's Spring/Summer 2021 runway showcased beautiful looks inspired by conceptions of the perfect party outfit. As an added touch, each model was given a daring edge with two prominent cuts in one of their eyebrows-a trend that owes its creation and cool-factor to the Black community.



ull eyebrows framed the face during the '80s, but by the early 2000s the pencil-thin eyebrow was back.



Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2021

These cuts are not new to popular culture. Their creation is deeply embedded within hip hop and Black culture altogether. In fact, the proper terminology for the style-eyebrow cuts, not slits-came from these communities. The look has been alluded to in a number of well-known songs and rocked by many influential hip hop artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Bow Wow. When considering eyebrow cuts as an installment of fashion, it is crucial to acknowledge how the trend originated from a subculture that is systemically overlooked before it was recognized as a larger phenomenon. As the trend continues to appear on designer runways and the faces of celebrities like Rihanna and Zayn Malik, we must remember to celebrate its cultural significance.



MC Big Daddy Kane.



Zayn Malik.

It is evident that eyebrows will always be subject to fun in fashion. Their continuous evolution acts as a reminder that good things happen once we step outside our comfort zone. Here, take a look at all the times the runways dared to redefine "perfect' brows."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×