The human face owes its expressiveness to muscles and features. Eyebrows certainly have their share in the mix. Raising one or two eyebrows can indicate surprise, shock, superiority, doubt or disapproval. Some people can raise a single eyebrow, and this skill allows them to increase both the strength and range of emotions. A prime example of the use of eyebrows is Mr. Spock on Star Trek, who was indeed played by a human actor although he was supposed to be an alien. He often accompanied his raised eyebrow(s) with the label “fascinating.”
Even my two-year-old grandson knows the value of this feature. He awoke from a nap to announce proudly to me, “I got eyebloows.”
Somehow we always seem to be able to assign the correct interpretation to the eyebrows’ action. But all these abilities depend upon having eyebrows to raise. I’ve lost most of mine due to a little-known side effect of menopause, which not all women get. On the plus side, I’ve also lost most of the hair all over my body (except my head, thankfully). But losing my eyebrows isn’t a picnic because I haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement both for purposes of appearances and emotions.
Why do we even have eyebrows? According to Mental Floss, “Eyebrows are the Swiss Army Knife of the human body — they do everything!” Brow and ridge help keep sweat, rain, and assorted other liquids away from eyes so vision is clear. They’re important, too, for nonverbal communication.
I know I’m dwelling on a relatively minor drawback to my overall appearance. I placidly accepted my aging face and figured eyebrows aren’t that important. After all, my mother-in-law didn’t have any, having been a vigorous plucker in her youth; and I have friends who are losing theirs.
Then one day an eight-year-old girl was looking at me and my older sister. She decided I was older than my sister, partly because I have gray hair, while my sister tints hers. But also because, “You don’t have any eyebrows.”
Well! If eyebrows make a difference to a child, I figured I’d better start drawing some on. So began my quest for eyebrow color. Brown, black, blonde, taupe, applied with hard pencil, soft pencil, eyeshadow powder, smeared with a tiny brush, blotted with a tissue, tapped with my pinky finger. Arched, drawn at a straight slant, thick, thin, blended colors. Nothing looked natural. I finally decided the fault lies in the hue. Makeup experts evidently figure all women want dark brows, for that’s all they sell.
To me, dark eyebrows look threatening. They certainly overwhelm the rest of my face. I don’t want to scare children with a glowering dense substitute for regular eyebrows on my forehead. But I DO need eyebrows. After all, how else can I condescend to snippy eight-year-olds? So now I’m waiting patiently for someone to create eyebrow pencils in a range of grays to match the rest of my hair.
Coloradan Bonnie McCune’s been a writer since childhood. After retirement, she’s published several novels as well as short pieces. She believes people are interesting on their own, without foul language or flashy clothes, flamboyance or wealth, aggression or media appearances. www.BonnieMcCune.com.