Beauty Makeup Face The Most Popular Eyebrow Trends Throughout the Decades From pencil-thin to bold and bushy — and everything in between. By Marianne Mychaskiw Marianne Mychaskiw Marianne Mychaskiw is a New York-based freelance writer and editor who covers everything from beauty and style, to wellness and entertainment. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on November 8, 2022 @ 09:17AM Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic What a long, strange trip it's been: Eyebrow trends have come and gone — and come back again. Back in the 1920s, silver screen stars like Anna May Wong and Clara Bow wore theirs pencil-thin with a severe downward-curving tail, and every decade that followed saw its share of brow-raising styles. Perhaps thanks to Audrey Hepburn's full set in the 1960s, arches began taking on a more natural appearance, until the '70s, when disco, shimmery shadow, and dramatic brow shapes came on the scene. As of late, thin arches are making a comeback, albeit with a more sculpted shape than their '90s predecessor — but we're jumping ahead. The Notorious Thin Eyebrows Trend Is Back — but with a Modern Twist We put together a retrospective look at the most-popular shapes by the decade, spanning from the 1920s to today. Click through our gallery to time-travel through the brow trends of years past. 01 of 33 1920s: Anna May Wong Otto Dyar/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images In the '20s, brows were worn uber thin, and the tails were given a downward curve like Anna May Wong's. 02 of 33 1920s: Clara Bow John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images Along with her defined Cupid's bow, women of the '20s mirrored the dramatic shape of Clara Bow's arches. 03 of 33 1930s: Merle Oberon Sasha/Getty Images In the 1930s, stars like Merle Oberon ditched the sloped look of the previous decade for a rounded upward bend. 04 of 33 1930s: Billie Holiday Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Women like Billie Holiday, with her trademark red lip and floral hairpiece, filled their brows in with a darker hue to play up the bend. Looking to Dye Your Brows? Here's What You Need to Know 05 of 33 1930s: Norma Shearer George Hurrell/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images Others, like Norma Shearer, grew their brows into a completely straight line, save for the down-turned tails on the far edges. 06 of 33 1940s: Marlene Dietrich A. L. Whitey Schafer/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images Dietrich's skinny set walked the line between the trends of the '30s and '40s, though her arch was less severe than those of the previous decade. 07 of 33 1940s: Joan Crawford John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images By contrast, Joan Crawford's heavier brows became her trademark look. To keep them from looking too severe, she opted for soft, rounded arches. The 12 Best Eyebrow Products—Gels, Pencils, and More 08 of 33 1950s: Lena Horne Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Leaving the rounded curve in the '40s, the shape of choice in the '50s mirrored that of Lena Horne's, which had a pointed arch and shorter tail. 09 of 33 1950s: Marilyn Monroe Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images In the era of the bombshell, women in the '50s followed Marilyn's lead with bold red lips, lush lashes, and angled arches. 10 of 33 1950s: Elizabeth Taylor Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images If you've got 'em, flaunt 'em! Elizabeth Taylor played up her already-ample brows with a generous amount of matte shadow. The 6 Best Eyebrow Pencils of 2024, Tested and Reviewed 11 of 33 1950s: Eartha Kitt Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Kitt's graphic arch followed the aesthetic of the decade, and added a slightly sensual feline vibe to her look. 12 of 33 1960s: Audrey Hepburn Hulton Archive/Getty Images The Hepburn effect, sparked by the star's thick, natural set, inspired the women of the '60s to fill in their own with well-placed strokes of the brow pencil. 13 of 33 1960s: Nina Simone Hulton Archive/Getty Images Like Hepburn, Nina Simone also wore her brows full, but with a rounded, emphasized arch. 14 of 33 1960s: Twiggy Popperfoto/Getty Images With graphic eye makeup and lengthy lashes the focus of the look, those who followed the mod trend like Twiggy kept their brows groomed into an arch, but opted for thin, rounded tails to complement the statement liner. 20 '60s Makeup Ideas to Inspire Your Modern Look 15 of 33 1970s: Donna Summer Fotos International/Getty Images Chalk it up to the sparkly disco feeling that took over the nation, but in the '70s, a thin, curved brow like Donna Summer's allowed the shimmery eye shadow to extend even further. 16 of 33 1970s: Diana Ross Terry O'Neill/Getty Images The sharp arch of Diana Ross's eyebrows gave her lengthy lashes an even longer appearance — well, that and tons of mascara. 17 of 33 1970s: Pam Grier Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images Pam Grier's brows followed a more natural shape, but stayed in line with the thinner trend of the decade. 18 of 33 1970s: Aretha Franklin Anthony Barboza/Getty Images Talk about feeling like a natural woman! Franklin's expertly groomed set seemed to be untouched by the tweezers, perfectly framing her purple eye shadow. Disco Beauty Is Bringing Glamour Back to 2022 19 of 33 1980s: Brooke Shields Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage Thanks to stars like Brooke Shields, who flawlessly worked a full set, the women of the '80s got their grow on, with ample brows completing any good power-dressing ensemble. 20 of 33 1980s: Whitney Houston Chris Walter/WireImage Celebrities like Whitney Houston set the trend of brushing individual hairs upward for an exaggerated look. And it perfectly complemented the rest of her'80s aesthetic. 21 of 33 1980s: Madonna Julian Wasser/Liaison Following in the footsteps of her Madgesty, many women left out the tweezers entirely, allowing their arches to completely grow in. 22 of 33 1980s: Grace Jones Anthony Barboza/Getty Images The fashion-forward crowd, including supermodel Grace Jones, emulated the look of a real-life Patrick Nagel painting by opting for graphic brows with a severe upward slant. 23 of 33 1990s: Kate Moss Ron Galella/WireImage In contrast to the overgrown look of the previous decade, the '90s saw an abundance in pencil-thin brows, à la Kate Moss. 24 of 33 1990s: Mariah Carey Barry King/WireImage Not unlike the skilled vocalist herself, Carey's curved brows hit all the right notes in terms of the mid-90s trends. How to Pluck Your Eyebrows, According to the Pros 25 of 33 1990s: Sherilyn Fenn CBS Photo Archive In addition to "Who killed Laura Palmer?" another question we had while watching the '90s-era cult TV show Twin Peaks was "Who does Audrey Horne's brows?" thanks to Sherilyn Fenn's trademark arches. 26 of 33 1990s: Tyra Banks Ron Galella/WireImage No brow powder here! Banks's light natural set was groomed into a narrow silhouette. But to give this look a little something extra, she went with shimmery shadow and lipstick because it was the '90s, after all. 27 of 33 1990s: Drew Barrymore Jim Smeal/WireImage The grunge era also saw some interesting shapes, similar to Drew Barrymore's skinny, ultra-dark arches. These 13 Celebrities Show How Eyebrows Can Change Your Entire Face 28 of 33 2000s: Cameron Diaz SGranitz/WireImage Recovering from the tweeze-fest that was the '90s, eyebrow shapes remained thin but followed a more natural path like Cameron Diaz's. 29 of 33 2000s: Victoria Beckham Tony Barson/WireImage Instead of lining the beginning portion of the brow with the bridge of the nose, stars like Victoria Beckham had their arches start along the outer area of the nostril. 30 of 33 2000s: Mandy Moore KMazur/WireImage With frosty, early aughts shadow as the hottest trend of the moment, light brows like Mandy Moore's provided a subtle frame for the sparkly effect. 26 Questionable '00s Trends That Have Unfortunately Returned 31 of 33 2010s: Kim Kardashian Noam Galai/WireImage Perhaps in an attempt to keep up with the Kardashians, or our natural hair growth cycle, the 2010s were marked by a more natural shape with a vibe that suggested bigger was better, at least in terms of our brows. 32 of 33 2010s: Cara Delevingne Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The supermodel (and her ample arches) inspired us to step away from the tweezers and embrace a fuller brow shape. To add a tinge of softness, she went with a subtle smoky eye that we are still fawning over. The Best Eyebrow Shaping Techniques, Straight from Experts 33 of 33 2020s: Bella Hadid Getty Images Today's brows seem to favor a thinner silhouette — just look to Bella Hadid as proof. And although they bear some resemblance to the narrow styles that dominated the '90s, their shape and definition make a name for themself. Looking to add a wow factor? Reach for the bleach.