July 19, 2007
We Know Maths, Medicine AND Brows!Humor
Like all lal-blooded desi girls, I’m mildly obsessed with eyebrows.
Like all lal-blooded GIRLS, I’m mildly obsessed with celeb gossip.
Occasionally, the two, they meet.
It is possible that many of you saw photographs of Sienna Miller on the red carpet (there she is! on the right!), doing her damnedest to bring dark and furry back. Well, ABC News was inspired by her “caterpillars”; they have an entire article about what brows signify and the expert whom they quote is none other than Vaishaly Patel, “London’s eyebrow shaper to the stars”.
Vaishaly’s opinion on Sienna’s dark statement?
“Personally I think they look hideous…When you’ve got blond hair the number one rule is not to have black eyebrows. I think they’re a lovely shape but just on the wrong person.”
So, there is a right person.
Take heart, my brown sisters— YOU are that right person!
Bushy is back as far as eyebrows are concerned. So, poor Sienna was just trying to follow fashion. It’s just that not every fashion suits everyone.
Ah, for once, we (and by we, I mean you) win.
For this apparently lowbrow issue, there’s some highbrow analysis. Eyebrows tell a story of cultures, eras and politics. For example, in Iran “un-groomed” is a sign of virginity. The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sported a unibrow. It became her signature, an expression of independence and feminist strength.
No comment on what brows meant to Bert, and that’s unfortunate.
There is plenty of history-lite, however, including an exploration of whether certain decades inspired severe arches or fierce tufts. Here’s a summary:
-1940s-50s: Eyebrows are shaved off completely, lest a girl seem “masculine”. Owwww.
-1960s: Girls who are boys, who like boys to be girls, who do boys like they’re girls, who do girls like they’re boys— always should be someone you reeeeally love. Free love = furriness.
-1980s: Yuppies are mean and therefore, women over-tweeze. The end.
-Today: Sensitive and enlightened are we. Pluck we do not.
There’s a backlash against the over-plucked brow, according to Jaimineey Patel, manager of a Blink Eyebrow Bar in London. Patel and a phalanx of eyebrow “threaders” are in the trenches, persuading clients to grow back their brows before they gently shape them with twisted thread held between their teeth.
“We always do a thorough consultation,” explained Patel. “We ask them what they want out of their eyebrows.” What can you want from an eyebrow? More than function, apparently. More than a sponge effect to keep sweat out of your eyes.
We want to be as pretty as can be, DUH.
Apparently they frame your face. “To be honest,” confided Patel. “A lot of clients feel they’ve had a facelift because it opens your eyes out.”
I don’t know about a facelift, but I saw someone get their brows done for the first time this weekend, and suddenly, I was aware of the rare color of their irises AND their ridonkulous lashes. Yowza. Best $25 they ever spent, yindeed.
Eyebrows are the new window on the soul. So be careful Sienna, those caterpillars may reveal more than you want us to know.
New?! Not. Desis have known that truth all along. As for Sienna’s caterpillars, like Madonna and Gwen before her, the girl just wants to be down with the brown, obviously.
anna on July 19, 2007 07:21 PM in Beauty, Fashion, Humor · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
Women should never wear their hair back like that, ever. That's what they make servers in restaurants do.
It’s a sign of strength! Or is that just a guy thing?
She would like awesome even with a unibrow. But the lady has no business lecturing desis on global warming with the Big B
Most Indian don't have motorized transport and use the bus/trains...does she want them to walk? Will Big B carry the masses on his back. Dishoom !
Personally I like her look.
It's amazing to me the degree to which women need to "denature" themselves in order to look "naturally" beautiful.
Then again, I'm not sure the total "au naturel" look would really work for guys completely either; this is my bias, but I think semi-groomed facial and head hair actually looks good. Still, light work compared to what women are "expected" to do to themselves in the name of "beauty".
Sienna has naturally attractive facial features, with or without makeup or dyed hair.
I believe her brows are far more sienna than her hair. As for groomed guys
A N N A, shouldn't it be "I can Haz eyebrow??" I only says this because I haz high regard for your lolspell technique.
The Big B can definitely do his part by not being a puffed up windbag full of hot air.
Her eyebrows are not cute. The color clashes and they are too thick. Oh well, it could be worse
ooh, ANNA, lovely topic. wwhen i moved to boston, rhere were no desi ladies near me for threading. i finally caved in and went to this russian lady near school - she did an amazing job! i was more than reluctant to pay $18 for a threading session but i was desperate. so glad i did - this woman was amazing - she even busted out her ruler! after that, i found a desi lady who did the upkeep for much, much less. but that shape the first lady gave me was the best i've ever had from any threader - completely worth it.
btw, bushy has been 'in' intermittently for brows in the last decade or so. i definitely prefer them to that once-popular trend of ultra-skinny brows.
A dumb question - I presume that if one is blonde the eye brows too have to be blonde unless you have put artifical color right ? Can somebody please enlighten me since I don't know anything about brows.
The one on the right looks like a Bratz doll! Wow.
Kris (11): the answer is "ash." Think Gwen Stefani.
Kris, maybe this is a case where the drapes don't match the trimming? As for the carpet, I think it's just worn down from too much use.
She looks just fine to me. I am not sure what the fuss is all about. What is next? Non brown women doesn't look good in Saris?
Sienna Miller looks different in every photo. I'm convinced she's actually more than one person.
Nice to see you back Tamasha. Stateside?
tamasha - i agree, i really have no concept of what her 'true' face looks like.
I honestly thought this was some Indian who went blonde and that's what this article was about. Thought to be honest, I was more taken with the LOLCATS reference.
As for getting consulted, I find that most of my consultation with eyebrown threaders involves a somewhat grunt-noise that indicates I should sit down, the words "eyebrows? upper lip" and then the sweet pain of a twisted thread. Also, I totally feel that getting my eyebrows done is like a facelift: i feel like a female again. When my eyebrows are NOT done, people tell me how much I resemble my (handsome-but-male) dad. When they are done, they say I look like my pretty mom. Much preferred.
She does look different...I didn't even recognize her.
And yes what a difference shaped eyebrows make. A huge difference. I've seen before & after shots (mine included) & I am amazed. It pays to be careful though...you'd not want to over tweeze them. My FIL once said to my MIL, "Oh you women & your eyebrows, you pluck & pluck until there's none left only to pencil it in...."
mmm--she does look different in every pic. btw...anyone have any recommendations for threading or waxing aunties in houston?
What is a natural blonde
This
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/slc/content/image/301517.html
or is a unibrow
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/slc/content/image/299415.html
Speaking of fashion- is that eskimo-boots-over-your-jeans-look over yet? Gag.
Really? I associate the 80s with Madonna's furry brow look.
Zen,
I don't mind thick brows on anyone as long as they are groomed and not trying to climb over the top of their head or around the corner of their nose. What I generally dislike is otherwise well dressed and especially with groomed eyebrows, articulate, modern women allowing fuss all over their faces, mustaches, sideburns. Do you not see it in the mirror everyday?
The blond hair brown thick brows don't do it for me. Too harsh. The shape and thickness is fine, she just needs to lighten them. Maybe she learnt a lesson from Bollywood. Read somewhere she was recently partying it up with Sallu in Mumbai. :-)
more like doing her damnedest to channel my girl, Audrey
There's nothing like threading!!I look completely different after a good eyebrow grooming.
ak: I just moved to Boston, do you mind giving me info on your threading salon?
Sienna's brows are fine. It's her fake dyed hair that looks weird.
I can see those things from outer space!
She reminds of me of Karishma Kapoor (pre-makeover) channeling Bert (of Bert and Ernie fame).
Check it out: http://mypyar.com/pictures/karismakapoor.htm
oh no, you stole the obvious jokes i was gonna make. Ah well, great minds think alike.
[less flattering, but perhaps more truthful: On Fridays, humans succumb to the obvious :) Although at least you're prolific Rahul; I (being nowhere close to being the Energizer bunny you are w.r.t the commenting) have no excuse].
This is a very dangerous development for men I'd say.
what about men who do not have thick bushy eyebrows. now women around them would have bushier eyebrows. in addition to all their little rules, women would now have an eyebrow rule: the man must have at least three mm taller eyebrows.
Wont somebody think of the men!
We're not discussing domestic violence, so obviously no one will. ;)
Man, Tamil people have the crazy eye brows going.
To add to my prev. comment, I mean the poor fella takes a job at IBM and Infy and big-brand-name company to enhance his prospects, and bam, it turns out the req. was not cushy job but bushy brow. Louiecypher might have further insights on its implications.
hypertree, i would be glad to do away with this rule - do you know how much work it takes for women to groom the hair - and not just eyebrows. i don't know, why, or when this dichotomy amongst the genders developed - this concept of female beauty = hairlessness (except scalp), while men are seemingly emasculated if the same formula would apply to them. frankly, i despise it for many reasons. but as we all know, both men and women stick to this view, and might even support your rule! though, i once knew this guy who had the most immaculately shaped eyebrows i had ever seen, as a result of various methods (threading, plucking and waxing). all his friends teased him, but i found it very fascinating, and not at all unattractive.
Here's an opportunity to market Browgraine For Men with the Fair 'n Lovely, in one fell marriage assurance package.
Although, ak, more and more guys are having different body parts waxed as well these days :)
I think she just needs to lighten her brows and give them a bit more shape. Bushy isn't a problem if it doesn't close down your face; you can have well-defined but not too thin eyebrows and look great. It's really the mismatching hair that makes her look bizarre.
I can never tell who Sienna Miller is.
It actually took me a second to realize that the woman in the photo was Sienna Miller. I think she prepares a different face to meet the faces that she meets. (Floridian, I miss your presence so!)
Rahul,
As I was writing my Friday 55 "Ode to Rahul's Brows", I noticed your last comment.
You always come up with the most clever links....but that last one was searing. My eyes are still hurting, I need some mega-sunglasses to block out all the hate. Please, no more haterade links. Let's talk about your eyebrows instead.
So, are you a metrodesisexual?
As for my ode it goes like this,
"How I envy you, oh hirsute twins, so close to the brillance just under your perch...."
Especially if it improves their chances to expand their horizons.
No, I'm not a metrodesisexual. (What! Where are your sunglasses now?) But you're right about my, er, hirsute twins.
I'm so superficial compared to y'all. When it comes to sponge-worthiness, I never consider intellectual brilliance. Because there is little more to life other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. That's why I'm exclusively into mermen.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have an after-funeral party to attend.
Do not double dip.
I am not in favor of the double standard. When men expect their women to be well "maintained" there is nothing wrong with men maintaining themselves.
This does not go as far as personal hygiene, but still, I think it has to be a two way street. Thoughts?
Wow, I thought that was a picture of Tanya Harding at first.
Fukijama, your reason is not in favor of the double standard but your instincts very much are.
what's more, what you label as reason, is actually a product of emotional influences fuelled by instincts. Sugar-dressed with rationalizations.
Buffeted by instincts and influenced by them, the only authentic course is hedonism. Shame on you.
You can see that even Sienna Miller is seeking authenticity. She changes so much from day to day, that she herself could not recognize herself in the mirror each morning. How to be authentic to oneself in the face of such odds. By her brow. Now you know.
Have you seen the new Sephora windows? All the models have those eyebrows. It's not for me, but that's her self expression. I guess the con, or maybe pro, to being a celebrity is there will always be someone there to tell you you look like hell and crush your dreams of individuality. Commoners, like me, get the "double head nod" and a "you look fine!" and we usually have to ask for that too.
agreed with louicie..more interesting news
$25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
am i the only one perplexed by this?? did she get it threaded with 24kt gold string?
Hypertree, nowadays men are also getting their brows done, nothing wrong with that.
In fact, it looks really nice to see a man with long, dark, thick but nicely shaped brows. It really frames the face and gives them a classic look.
Vaat is with this new fangled threading-shredding? Vy did good old fashioned tweezing squeezing go away?
J/k, it's not even that expensive in the Bay, but maybe it depends on how shi-shi the place you go to is, yes?
That is such a remarkable description (and so true).portmanteau, thanks for the giggle :)
Rahul, I'm pretty sure that threading is older (as a tradition), but also, it is faster and -- when done well -- does a great job of defining shape. Tweezing sometimes takes a while to sort it all out.
Also, I could not open the picture you linked to =/
Hmm, works for me. How about this?
Any Auntie can thread your brows from their home for 5 - 10 bucks.
No need to spend 25 just for Zen-style fanczy shmancy decor in a "spa".
Thanks, it worked this time, but now I'm not so sure I wanted to see it =/
Wait, why does it bother people if she spent $25 on their brows? That IS the going rate for the last three salons I called...and that was for WAXING. As for New York, look at this.
Why don't you judge me, next. I don't want an Auntie touching my eyebrows, I don't like threading and I prefer a cleaner/more relaxing/special experience. If people wish to get their hair removed in the grimiest part of Jackson Heights, good for them, but I enjoy going to this place I found in Allure's directory. That is what I am comfortable with...so who are any of us to judge what someone else's comfort zone should be? And when did it become a bad thing to treat ourselves to something nice and "zen-like"?
I'm telling you eyebrows are ancillary. Dudes rarely notice them. It's the eskimo boots I tell ya, the eskimo boots!
which means all that tweezing worked aint it?
look at a picture of Frida Kahlo and you'll rarely not notice it.
but i concur on the eskimo boots.
Eskimo boots? You mean mukluks??
See someone with a uni-brow and tell me you didn't notice.
well i'm sure whoever is doing your brows is an "Auntie" as well to someone ... maybe just not you ... this post is mainly about threading ... and that price for threading is a bit ludicrous
stereotype, much?
Oh, my. Some clarifying is in order: I just wanted to put up another eyebrow post, since that image of Sienna Miller has haunted me ever since I first saw it AND there were TWO desi women quoted in the news article (go us!). I didn't mean for it to only or mainly be about threading. :) I just look for and celebrate ANY excuse to post beauty-related blogginess on SM. :D
I don't know what threading costs in DC, especially since my friend didn't get that done to her uber-sensitive skin. She got some really neat cream-wax thing that apparently didn't hurt or irritate her skin. I support her decision to go somewhere nice, just like I support anyone else's decision to go somewhere ridiculously inexpensive. I'm all about the deal. Or pampering yourself. Or both. You know what I mean.
Forgot to add-- ITA with this. ;) Who wants to date Bert? Not even Ernie, I wager. :D
re spas etc - i like them for other things - manicures, pedicures, facials etc - where they take time and it makes sense (to me) to be in a relaxing atmosphere. but eye-brow grooming seems to straight-forward, all i want to do is get it done within 10 minutes.
Anna, so you're saying have super-thin brows and eskimo boots?
I'd swoon if there wasn't a double standard against men swooning.
;)
About $6 to the few places I've tried. I pay dearly though, in unnecessary chitchat ("are you married? do you have a boyfriend? what do you do for a living? you should come here more often...") I got the full face treatment (and left with my pride intact!) in Chicago for $22. Highly satisfying, not to mention highly necessary.
See, I agree with my friend about $25 being worth the absolute lack of prying/judgment. That's not to say that I'm anti-Auntie, but I do understand not wanting to put up with the tenacious interrogation one might experience, especially wrt one's love life/career.
I also got emails from men, who said that they paid similarly at "non-brown" establishments because their eyebrows were their business and they liked the privacy. Oh, the tribulations of the metrosexual. ;)
OK, so I showed my friend Pablo this post and the 'mango pickle' one after he was telling me how sick he was of waxing. He shapes his brows himself and is generally a very high maintenance beauty queen so he was really curious about threading.
We went and got threaded for the first time at a desi salon on Saturday. A very tidy muslim lady from Ahmedabad did it-his brows-12$, my upper lip and brows-17$. She said she'd been in the states about two years. When she mixed-up our names, it sent us into hysterics.
His came out terrific looking. He was very good at explaining how he wanted to stay with his current shape. (I didn't.)
There was zero irritation and the brows didn't hurt but the lip was a damned stinger. I'm not crazy about the thin-ness she gave my brows. She gave me a very thin, fifties era, high arched sex-kitten brow. Think Rita Moreno but much thinner.
I should have specified my style better and been more communicative but I have to say, it's a clean finished look, which I like.
Oh, and there were zero comments on Pablo, or me. We did talk with the ladies there about the possibility of a female U.S. president.
They all liked Hilary.