From the razor-thin brows of the ’90s to the bold look popularized by Cara Delevingne’s iconically thick brows and Kylie Jenner's well-trimmed arch in 2016, eyebrows have often been at the forefront of evolving beauty standards. Each era brought a distinctive style, influencing how brows were shaped and perceived.

But as old trends are dethroned by new fads, not all looks are remembered so fondly. If you’re reflecting on old selfies and questioning how you ever thought overlined or over-plucked eyebrows were fashionable, you may be a victim of a phenomenon coined by TikTok users as “eyebrow blindness.”

What is eyebrow blindness?

Eyebrow blindness doesn’t mean that you can’t see how your brows actually look on your face, but that you chase the next trend rather than thinking of what works for your own features, according to Cassandra Bankson, a medical esthetician and YouTube skin care personality.

Bankson describes eyebrow blindness as “being blind to something that is trendy," but "not necessarily good for long-term health or beauty.” TikTok users have gone viral for sharing that they were oblivious to how awful their eyebrows looked as they mindlessly followed arching, filling in and plucking trends. 

“Instead of defining beauty for ourselves or leaning into our diversity, it's wanting to become a cookie-cutter image of beauty,” Bankson says.

Do you have eyebrow blindness?

Rushing to follow microtrends without investigating your personal motives can be a telltale sign of eyebrow blindness. 

“Ask yourself, am I just doing what I see is popular on social media?” Bankson says. “Am I actually choosing beauty looks that make me feel good, or are you just looking at what the Kardashians are doing to their eyebrows and laminating them in the same way?”  

How to curb eyebrow blindness 

Bankson recommends always consulting with an expert before proceeding with a treatment, procedure, or drastic change. Alternatively, technology can help you “test” your look before committing to bleaching your brows or grabbing the tweezers. With increased accessibility to photo imaging tools, it’s easy to use photo editing to avoid beauty mishaps. 

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dina Strachan says eyebrow blindness may not be something you can identify at the moment. Instead, she advises people to weigh the pros and cons before making changes to their personal appearance, especially if they are considering permanent alterations like tattooing or laser hair removal. 

“You're always going to have a different opinion as you go through your trajectory of life,” Strachan says. “You don't want to necessarily commit yourself to (a trend) that might change.”

What does the ‘eyebrow blindness’ trend say about changing beauty standards? 

The constant shift in microtrends also signifies the inability of women to keep up with ideal beauty standards. Participation in the trend isn’t a symbol of blindness, but actually of a hypersensitivity to how well we fit into the ideal beauty standard. 

Other trends like “money-piece blindness,” “blush blindness” and “lip blindness” have since emerged, showing how easy it is to fall susceptible to ever-changing trends. 

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Bankson and Strachan have seen a recent increase in cosmetic procedures and treatments that may lead to negative health effects in the future – particularly with lip fillers, which Bankson calls “the eyebrow blindness of tomorrow.’ 

Strachan says it’s important to keep in mind that trends change. 

“We look at old hairstyles, shoulder pads and makeup trends, especially if they’re a little bit more to the extreme, and it always looks funny later,” Strachan adds. “That’s just human nature and the nature of fashion.”