TikTok Is Warning Us About 'Brow Blindness' & It's So Real
When older generations look back at past beauty trends, they often ask themselves the same question: What in the world was I thinking? Now, it's time for millennials and older members of Gen Z to look back at old photos and wonder how they ever thought certain trends were a good look — specifically, the 2016 block brows. The TikTok beauty community has labeled this phenomenon "brow blindness" — and we've all been guilty of it at one point or another.
@jamescharles Worst part is that my old tutorials definitely caused this... I'm so sorry 💔
♬ Gnarls Barkley Crazy Stephen Kramer Glickman – Gustavo Rocque
The TikTok trend is quickly gaining steam and already sits at over 158 million views. What's more, makeup artist James Charles shared a video with over 4 million views to take accountability for some of the hype around 2016's block brows. "Worst part is that my old tutorials definitely caused this ... I'm so sorry," the YouTuber wrote in the caption. Fans responded in good fun with comments such as, "Eyebrow blindness was a disease and this is how I caught it," and, "The brows that inspired my eyebrow blindness."
It's a riot to think about now, but in 2016, bold and overly defined eyebrows were the height of beauty, despite requiring harsh rectangular shaping and ungodly amounts of concealer. That said, this misguided makeup technique lies in stark contrast to 2024's subtle, soft eyebrow trend. This year, believable, natural brows are the new norm in lieu of defined eyebrows, but that hasn't stopped anyone from contributing their throwback looks.
Brow blindness transcends all eras
As ghastly as 2016's brick brows or "caterpillar brows" turned out to be, this wasn't the only era known for its unfortunate brow trends. Barely there brows were all the rage in the '90s and, to this day, people are still trying to regrow their eyebrows after years of over-tweezing, if that's any consolation to millennials. What's more, many people have taken to TikTok to share similar instances of brow blindness. For instance, one TikTok video with over 1.5 million views shows a similar version of the block eyebrows look but with sharper borders. The creator captioned the post with, "I can't even believe I walked around like that." In another video, a user dubbed this look "angry bird brows" and punctuated the comment with a crying-face emoji.
@raisinghonor I can't even believe I walked around like that 😆🫠 #eyebrows #irememberwhen #mom #foryoupage #foryou #fyp
♬ Gnarls Barkley Crazy Stephen Kramer Glickman – Gustavo Rocque
Brow blindness also applies to more recent trends, including the feathery soap-brow look that gained traction in 2022. In fact, one TikTok user shared photos of her soap-brow days and captioned the video, "When fluffy soap brows became a trend and I genuinely thought it looked good on me." This only proves that even the most runway-worthy beauty trends have the capacity to make you cringe down the line.
How to avoid brow blindness for good
Not everyone is blessed with full brows — and that's perfectly normal. Thankfully, we have several tips to help you avoid brow blindness and achieve natural yet uniform brows. You can learn how to draw your own eyebrows with brow pomades and pencils or you can consider microblading for a semi-permanent alternative. The latter is recommended if you want to shave off precious minutes while going through your daily makeup routine.
On the other hand, if all your brows need is a bit of shaping to fill in the gaps, mastering the art of eyebrows is the easiest and most affordable solution. As a rule, starting products in the middle of your brow is key to a realistic look. Additionally, it helps to first determine the best eyebrow shape for you based on your face shape, rather than following along with the first tutorial you come across online. Your eyebrows should frame your face without taking away from your features. If your brows are the only part that stand out when you apply your makeup, you're at risk of falling back into the brow blindness trap. In this case, it's time to take off the rose-colored glasses and rein in your penciling technique.