Eyebrows probably aren't something you give much thought to. You've always had the same ones. The only time you're paying any attention to them is when you're doing your daily makeup routine or your weekly grooming. Eyebrows have gained a lot of attention in the beauty industry these past few years.
Believe it or not, our eyebrows don't just serve the purpose of serving looks; they are on our faces for a reason; some of the reasons are actually quite fascinating. Aside from looking great, our eyebrows have a multitude of purposes. At TatBrow, we love eyebrows so much, so we thought we should share some of these intriguing eyebrow facts.
Why Do We Have Eyebrows?
The eyebrow serves two main purposes — to help keep moisture and sweat out of the eye and communication. Suppose you never realized how closely our eyebrow movement correlates with our other facial expressions and emotions. We think you'll start to pay closer attention to it now.
How Eyebrows Protect the Eye From moisture
The eyebrow's most important duty is to keep moisture out of the eye. Imagine not having eyebrows; you would constantly have sweat in your eyes, especially during physical activities. During these warm summer months, you should give extra thanks to those bushy brows!
If you examine your eyebrows closely, you'll notice the hair grows out, down, and away from your eyes. Think of them like a damn. They block and protect the eye from water, dirt, and light. One of our most important senses is our sight. If that gets compromised, it could lead to an accident or injury.
As humans have evolved, we've lost most of the hair on our bodies. At the beginning of time, humans are said to have so much hair on their bodies that they resemble any other mammal walking the earth. We've lost almost all of it through evolution, but that thick stripe above our eyes was an exception. They must be pretty important, right?
It can be weird to imagine what humans looked like all those years ago. Why did we lose our hair anyways? There is a popular theory that the drastic hair loss was due to the migration from cool shaded forests to the savannah. Our fur coats were far too hot to hunt or gather during the day, so throughout evolution, our bodies realized this and began shedding and growing less hair. Humans have always been very adaptable creatures.
Expressing Emotions and Communication
When you're skeptical or confused by someone or something, you may raise one eyebrow while the other lays flat, but when you're greeted with a group of friends that have organized a surprise party for you, both shoot up with surprise.
Eyebrows play a crucial part in humans communicating with each other and showing their true emotions. Sit across from a friend and have a conversation with a bandana wrapped around your eyebrows. Chances are you'll find it very weird and more challenging to get a read on what they're saying.
Facial Recognition
Eyebrows serve a purpose other than expressing emotions and communicating. In an older study, scientists discovered that humans used eyebrows as a way to recognize others. In the study, famous people's faces were used, but the photos were manipulated.
Either their eyes were covered or their eyebrows. 60% of the subjects were able to identify the people in the photos by their eyebrows. In contrast, only 40% were able to identify them by their eyes. Scientists believe that after this study, eyebrows are just as important (or even more important) as eyes when trying to recognize or identify someone.
Eyebrows and Genetics: What Role Do They Play?
Like everything about ourselves, we've inherited it from our parents, who inherited it from their parents. If you've never put much thought into what role genetics play in our eyebrows, it's seriously interesting stuff!
The shape, color, and thickness of your eyebrows are inherited from your genetics. The motion is developed by what you grew up around. Children tend to pick up the same traits as their parents, and that's because they are around them so often from such a young age.
Say someone is adopted, and their biological mother can raise one eyebrow while leaving the other straight. The chances are the child won't inherit that trait unless their adopted parents can also do it around the child since they were young. This concept is the same with facial expressions, speaking, or nervous ticks/habits.
While the look, color, and feel of your eyebrows are inherited, they can also be easily manipulated. If you spent your teenage years over-plucking and waxing your eyebrows, but your mother did not, chances are your eyebrows won't look very similar ever again.
Why We Love Eyebrows
Obviously, TatBrow loves eyebrows. We love them mostly for their aesthetics and the fun things we get to do with them, but knowing they serve a bigger purpose is super cool too!
Before the bushy natural brow was in us, ladies were left with one eyebrow look — thin and over-plucked. Nowadays, the options are endless, and boy, do people do the most (we mean that in the best way possible).
You may be familiar with the more basic eyebrow trends, like combing the hairs up slightly or coloring them in a funky color, but those are really just the beginning.
Eyebrow Art
If you look at the runways in NYC, you'll find a multitude of models rocking eyebrow art. Glitter painted onto their arches and jewels glued to the inner and outer corners. It's new and fresh, and we're totally here for it. Imagine what our ancestors would say if they saw such interesting trends!
90s Inspo
If you thought the years of thin brows were behind us, think again! Models like Gigi Hadid have been seen rocking pencil-thin brows, and honestly, we aren't mad about it. While we love the natural brow look and think it's totally versatile, we think if you wanna try out this reinvented trend, then go for it!
No matter how bad we thought the trend was at the time, or years later, fashion will always repeat itself—look at lowrise jeans. Everyone and the mother (literally) swore lowrise jeans would never come back, and now they're scattered across every city in the U.S.
What We Like To Do With Brows
Call us old fashion, but what we like to do with brows may be considered a bit basic —in comparison to eyebrow glitter, anyways.
We appreciate a natural-looking brow, and we think this is best accomplished by using a few specific tools. Our Microblade Pen is known for giving you that salon look from the comfort of your own home. Plus, it isn't permanent and is totally cost-effective. Our Ultra Hold Brow Gel is perfect for keeping brows in place.
When you're filling in your own brows, you have the freedom to do whatever you want. You can start off with something basic by filling them in with a solid color, then finish with a fun flare. Glue those jewels to your forehead!
Who's going to stop you? Of course, it may make a little more sense if the purpose of the look was for a music festival or concert, but even if you did it just to walk around Target, so be it. It's all about romanticizing your life and finding joy in the little things.
In Conclusion
If you didn't realize how important your eyebrows were until now, don't feel bad, we were in the same boat as you. We've always appreciated brows because they’re gorgeous and always make us look and feel like a million bucks, but their purpose goes beyond that.
Not only do they protect our eyes from the harsh elements, but they also help us communicate with our friends and family. Eyebrow genetics is a very real thing, so if you're known for your bomb brows, then you owe your parents a thank you (especially if your mom saved you from plucking your brows to death in high school).
It's always fun to learn new things. Who would've thought our eyebrows have such a big impact on our day-to-day lives? That's the fun thing about the internet, you learn surprising and interesting facts every day.
Sources:
Why Do We Have Eyebrows: Functions, Thick, Thin, and More | Healthline