As a female who tries to stay on trend with fashion and beauty-related topics, I have noticed eyebrows have recently taken an exponential amount of attention. But why eyebrows?

Eyebrows have recently not just defined themselves as the strips of hair that grow above the eyes, but rather as a fashion and makeup cult that can make or break one’s face. But why? Why is it so important that the eyebrows be on fleek? What makes them so important that people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars waxing, threading and plucking them at specific salons and strive for a “perfect” look?

Frida Kahlo, a famous Latina painter, is well known for her eyebrow. “Eyebrow” as in not plural because she rocked the unibrow look. But why is she so well known for this aspect of her face? Because it is so completely different from what society expected from her, which was to constantly be well groomed. Yet to the surprise of many, her work continued to be magnificent without perfect eyebrows. Shocking, right?

If this were to happen in today’s world, a woman who painted such extravagant artwork on her eyebrows would be judged. And not just her eyebrows but anything about her. People seem to find ways to bring others down based on the tiniest of imperfections that are absolutely irrelevant to their form of work.

It seems every season there is a new makeup trend. But celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West and Cara Delevingne have brought this makeup trend up unintentionally. As people begin to devote more time to their personal appearances, they look up to celebrities as inspiration for their personal looks. Companies that see this trend continue to make products to achieve these looks that have been outlined by given celebrities. Brands such as Anastasia Beverly Hills have come out with products such as the “dip brow pomade” and the “brow whiz,” while Gerard Cosmetics have come out with the “brow bar to go” to invest into this trend. Is this eyebrow movement completely bad?

That depends on who you ask. For someone who has a passion for beauty, then this is wonderful. There’s finally a trend that will stay around for a while, and even if the look of it may change, the products sold for it may still be used in a different way. But for others, this is a nuisance and another way for people to shame themselves for their personal appearance.

But what is the perfect eyebrow? What is the perfect anything? Everyone’s face shape and structure is different, meaning the perfect look for one is not the perfect look for all. Just because a trend looks good on one doesn’t mean it will look good on all. So we shouldn’t have to stress about making them look “on fleek.” But for people who are into beauty then this is another way being able to express oneself without words, but with makeup or a pair of tweezers.