Why bleaching my brows felt like a middle finger to beauty standards

“So much of beauty is about conforming to standards, so it was fun to do something that was deliberately subversive and abrasive.”

I was born in the nineties, meaning I came of age as the era of the skinny brow ended and the bushy brow renaissance began. Lily Collins was #browgoals, microblading boomed and Pear’s bar soap became an unexpected beauty staple for fluffed up brows.

I lusted after my sister’s naturally full brows and felt a stab of envy when people drew comparisons between her and the queen of bushy brows herself, Cara Delevingne.

Want to stay in the loop with the latest in beauty? Head to our Beauty section for more. 

Over the years, I have had my brows waxed, threaded, tweezed, tinted and hennaed. I’ve applied castor oil and beard dye, and I’ve filled them in with anything from pencils to pomades, powders and gels. I’ve scrolled Instagram and perused Into The Gloss, eagerly searching for the miracle product that would give me the brows of my dreams.

So, when bleached brows first started circulating online, you best believe I was curious. The trend has been made popular by fashion girlies such as Bella Hadid and Alex Consani, and debuted on the red carpet by icons Lady Gaga and Jenna Ortega.

The bleached brow appealed to me not only aesthetically (because who doesn’t want to look like a slightly sickly but sexy punk-rock-ghost-alien?), but also as someone who has long resented having to fill my brows in. Finally, there was a trend that seemed to embrace a lack of eyebrow hair.

Certified It girl and meme queen Julia Fox has also been vocal about man-repelling powers of the bleached brow and its symbolism as a middle finger to heteronormative beauty standards and the male gaze. A beauty trend that pisses off the patriarchy? Sign me up.

@juliafoxLet’s bleach our brows together! Ps I could give two shits If you don’t like them so if that’s the case keep scrolling This is not for you♬ original sound – Julia fox

The process

Having never bleached anything before, and terrified of accidentally melting my brows or, worse, getting bleach in my eyes and winding up in the emergency room, I decided to seek professional help. I put my faith in Madison Fin, the founder of hair and beauty studio, Madison’s World, who happens to offer a bleaching service.

Admittedly, I did feel a little bit crazy as I lay back with a thick paste and glad wrap on my eyebrows. I also felt a slight tingle but nothing close to any burning. Post-bleach, you can expect the skin around your brows to be a little red, irritated and dry, all of which can be helped with some moisturiser.

The result

In all honestly, the bleached brow is definitely abrasive – I sent a photo to my mum, whose first response was “Ok !!!”. It also drew some raised eyebrows (pardon the pun) from a few of my older colleagues. Either that or they said, “You look like that girl, that one that dated Kanye West”. So, in a way, mission achieved. But my friends and colleagues closer to my own age described them as “c**nty” and “badass”.

Personally, I loved the look. It felt like a fresh manicure or haircut, and unlocked a newfound sense of confidence. I felt like a badass and my brows acted as a symbol of rebellion against what women are supposed to look like. So much of beauty is about conforming to standards, so it was fun to do something that was deliberately subversive and abrasive.

In terms of maintenance, all I had to do was comb them with a spoolie each morning to brush them into place. I have quite dry, sensitive skin, but didn’t notice any additional redness or flakiness post-bleach.

However, within about a week of having them bleached, fresh dark hairs began to sprout, creating of kind of stripey, salt-and-pepper look that I wasn’t fond of. After about three weeks, the bleached and natural hairs were fighting for space on my forehead. I found myself at an aesthetic crossroads – either re-bleach them or dye them back to their natural colour.

As much as I loved the look, I opted for the latter and my brows are now back to their natural state (much to my mum’s delight). I love a statement but I’m a lazy girl at heart and couldn’t handle the upkeep required to keep them that stark white I wanted. I also didn’t want to subject my sensitive little caterpillars to too much chemical onslaught.

Key takeaways

Looking back, I loved my bleached brow moment. It was surprisingly liberating and helped me challenge perspectives of beauty in a completely new way. Maybe we don’t need to fit into a mould of conventional beauty – instead, we can alter our appearance to subversive and interesting and challenging.

Looking around, it feels like more and more people are getting on board the counter-beauty movement. Skinny brows à la Gabriette and tired-girl makeup have become popular – we’re even being told to embrace our under-eye bags!

As ideals of beauty shift and change, I’m a firm believer that its fun to jump on board the trends that speak to us and expand our perceptions of what is ‘beautiful’.

For more on bleached brows, head here.