Raising Eyebrows
Comments: 17
Recent observations on the male eyebrow plucking trend prompted me to do a little browsing at a local newsstand and, as expected, mens’ fashion magazines are full of insight into this most recent bout of cosmetic lemmingry.
The magazine from which the following photographs have been culled is called “Bidan” – a combination of the words “Bi” (beauty) and “Dansei” (man). Determination of whether the name “Beautiful Man” is apt or not is an exercise best left to the reader, so we’ll concern ourselves here with merely identifying the major thematic eyebrow groups and their variations. For those interested in experimenting, tips are provided below on the safe colouring of eyebrows, along with a brief discussion and price list of the removal of body hair in general.
Ladies and gentlemen, after much research and extensive field observation, Antipixel presents…
NOTES TOWARDS A TAXONOMY OF EYEBROW MORPHOLOGY IN ADOLESCENT JAPANESE MALES
Background
One trend gives rise to another. The last few years have seen a hair colouring explosion in Japan. Male and female, young and old – it seems that more people now dye their hair than not. This phenomenon is known as chapatsu – 
. “Cha” means tea, although its use here comes from “chairo” – tea-coloured, that is, brown. “Hatsu” means hair, and “tea-hair” or brown hair has come to mean dyed hair in general. While fascinating, chapatsu and its connection to issues of personal and national identity and longing is beyond the scope of these notes. We need only know that once this trend gained a certain critical mass it was only a matter of time before people became concerned with the discrepancy between their new hair colour and the natural, dark colour of their eyebrows.
The need for cosmetic individuation prompted innovators and early adopters to begin colouring their eyebrows to match their hair colour, and the shaping and contouring of eyebrows was thus a natural extension of this new area of attention. Women of course have been doing this for generations. We concern ourselves here with male manifestations of what we can call 
– mayu-kadõ or eyebrow flower arranging.
The Major Thematic Groups, With Common Variations
The Medial or Declined Half-snip
The most common of the major thematic groups probably due to its ease of
maintenance (second only to Nesting Badger) and the wide range of variations
it admits.
Note in the third example the deliberate trauma along the sagittal plane. These cuts have been observed only on the left eyebrow (the meaning is as yet unknown). In such cases we most commonly see one or two cuts; three and you start to run out of eyebrow.
The Fuji
Excessively caudate and angled Half-Snips constitute a separate thematic
group, The Fuji. Variations here are seasonal or meteorological.
The Superior Cupola Pluck
The basic arch whereby the eyebrow provides vaulting for the eye. Generally declined toward the medial line, although variations exist.
The Kabuki
The traditional theatrical art form, vibrant once again on the streets of Tokyo. The enduring appeal of this classic approach frequently overcomes concerns about limitations to the expressive range of the eyebrows.
The Katana
An increasingly popular thematic group expressing ancient Samurai power
wielded through the eyebrows. A single well-arched eyebrow or pointed frown
can kill.
Nesting Badger
Wild and relatively untamed, the Nesting Badger group retains a link with nature
in its refusal to surrender the basic masculinity of the wearer.
Colouring
Colouring is achieved through the use of bleach. Dyed eyebrows (i.e., where colour has been added rather than just removed) have yet to be observed, although we anticipate that this is just a matter of weeks away.
“Bidan” thoughtfully supplies several pages of “Eyebrow Zoom” close-ups and interviews with wearers in order that we can fully appreciate the mechanics involved. Here are three:
Those requiring more detailed information need only turn the page for step-by-step instructions. You will need: cotton buds, bleach, tissue paper, and a clock to time each application of bleach.
Step 1 (top right): Using a cotton bud, apply the bleach to the eyebrows.
Step 2 (top left): Cover each eyebrow with a piece of tissue paper to prevent the bleach evaporating. Also prevents any from dripping down into the eyes.
Step 3 (bottom right): Leave the bleach on for no more than 3 minutes and then wipe off. Check the colour to make sure it’s not becoming too light. Repeat previous steps until the desired lightness has been achieved or until you are blind from bleach contamination (whichever comes first).
Step 4 (bottom left): When an eyeball melts from its socket like an under-boiled egg, gently dab with tissue to remove dribbling vitreous humor.
Hair Removal Revolution! A Price List
The mania for hair removal in Japan currently exceeds anything you’ll see on a box of Calvin Klein underwear, for example. Magazines are full of advertisements for creams, gels, home electrolysis kits and state of the art razors which promise a buffness unimpeded by the hirsute vagaries of nature.
For those truly committed to the arts of beauty, however, recent exciting developments hold great promise. Yes, the datsumõ kakumei (hair removal revolution) is here!
High-powered lasers recently made available under Pentagon declassification schemes ensure you need never be bothered by unsightly masculinity ever again. Number 1 Clinic Kanakuri presents its Datsumõ Kakumei Plan:
Two prices are given for each treatment: the first is for a one-time session, the second (in brackets) is for a one-year “Free Pass.” From top to bottom:
- Cheeks and sideburns
¥20,000 [¥100,000] - “Below the nose and around the mouth”
¥20,000 [¥100,000] - “From below the chin to the neck”
¥20,000 [¥100,000] - Chest
¥40,000 [¥200,000] - Forearms (between elbow and wrist)
¥30,000 [¥150,000] - Belly
¥40,000 [¥200,000] - Legs (shin and calf only)
¥40,000 [¥200,000]
Assuming a hypothetical rate of ¥100 to the dollar, you could be (mostly) hair free tomorrow (capri pants and short-sleeved shirt required) for only $2,100. For a mere $10,500 you could go largely unspoiled by nature for an entire year. Truly a revolution.
Conclusion
The mayu-kadõ trend is still in the upward phase of its trajectory and here at the Antipixel School for Social Research we see considerable room for further playing out of the phenomenon. Despite the establishment of some clear thematic groups along with vigorous varietal experimentation within those groups, the full creative potential has yet to be tapped. In fact, one could even expect the creation of additional thematic groups as experimentation solidifies into style: The Barcode, The Parallel Half-snip (where one eyebrow inclines to the medial plane while the other declines), and the minimalist Kojack (or Brynner Manoeuvre) all hold promise for those wanting to raise the bar in this exciting new means of self-expression.
Inevitably of course the backlash will come, although it’s too early to glimpse the form that this will take. We see possibilities in two major directions. The first would be the slow ascendancy of the Nesting Badger group with the styling moving from supine to rampant. Eventually the badgers would be returned to the wild and left to fend for themselves. The second direction may manifest as a backlash or, perhaps more likely, an extension of the existing trend. In this direction we see eyebrows cultivated for length and then teased into a variety of configurations or given permanent waves. The Gangster (tight punch-perm), The Rasta, The Tousled Columbo (declined or with a half-Fuji), and The Farrah Fawcett are all obvious thematic groupings that could arise out of this development.
Research continues, and further findings will be reported in subsequent installments.
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Posted to Oh, the Humanity • 2002.12.07 (Sat) • 15:25
Comments
Posted by Nicklas 2002.12.08, 08:31
Is the plucking a strictly adolescent trend? Do men over, lets say thirty, stop grooming their eybrows, the same way as they stop worrying about their waistline at about this time? (Or was that just me?)
Posted by pixelkitty 2002.12.08, 11:27
You have way too much time on your hands.
Or should I say, your brows?
Posted by nick 2002.12.08, 15:31
do me a favor and keep an eye out for the vanilla ice brows — you know, with the three lines cut out. that’s definitely worth the trouble…
Posted by jh 2002.12.08, 16:12
Nicklas — The weird thing is that although all the photos I’ve shown are of younger guys, it’s by no means limited to adolescents or twenty-somethings. I’m seeing more and more guys over thirty indulging. This is big, I’m telling you. Big.
PixelKitty — Develop this up into something more substantial, do a bit more field work, and I figure I can get at least a Master’s degree out of it.
Nick — Interesting! So the whole sagittal trauma thing comes from Vanilla Ice? Well, at least he left some legacy. Was it something you saw on the streets before he came along (i.e., he appropriated it along with every other facet of his persona)?
Posted by Chris 2002.12.09, 12:28
Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry started shaving his chest, and Kramer warned him of the oh-so-terrible consequences?
I think I’ve had the same thing happen. A few weeks ago I went to the barber’s for a haircut (and luckily didn’t accidentally ask for a perm or other such horror), and after the clippers had been put away, I was given a shave.
And not just around the usual bearded area either. This was xtreme shaving - my forehead, the edges of my ears, even around my eyebrows.
You’ve probably guessed it. By shaving just above my eyes, under the eyebrows, I’m sure they’ve encouraged the hair to grow back even thicker than before. If I’m right, this might mean a lifetime of eyebrow shaving and plucking to ensure I don’t one day go blind.
Posted by Ummmm 2002.12.13, 07:33
I hope that entry was satirical. If not, consider psychiatric help.
Posted by jh 2002.12.13, 12:33
Chris — Funny you mention the forehead shaving thing. I had to train my barber not to do this, and he hasn’t attempted any overzealous shaving for 8 years now.
As for hair growing back thicker, I think this is an optical illusion. Hair is a tapered filament. If you cut or shave it, you remove the tapered part. The new growth comes out without the taper and thus appears thicker or darker than the ‘original.’
But what do I know? I didn’t see that Seinfeld episode!
Ummmm — Is it still satire if I meant every word of it? ;-)
I could probably use that psychological help nonetheless.
Posted by Ed 2003.02.21, 05:38
Cool article. I was looking for a link on male eyebrow-plucking, and this is perfect! :P E
Posted by JAMES WILLIAMS III 2003.03.11, 01:54
YO THIS ARTICLE IS HOT I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THE PICTURES OF ALL THE VARIOUS EYEBROW STYLES THE KATANA APPROACH IS VERRY INTRIGUING TO ME VERRY WITH 2 R’S
Posted by claude 2003.09.08, 13:21
Are guys currently getting cosmetic eyebrow tattoos to make a fashion statement? How many are liking the deliberate “Sagittal Taurua” look? Anyone else out there think it looks really kewl?
Posted by jh 2003.09.09, 11:28
Claude —-
Are guys currently getting cosmetic eyebrow tattoos to make a fashion statement?
Not that I know of. I haven’t seen or heard of this.
How many are liking the deliberate “Sagittal Taurua” look?
Fewer and fewer, it seems. I’m not seeing this so much these days.
Anyone else out there think it looks really kewl?
Well, it may look ‘kewl’ but I don’t think it looks cool, if you know what I mean (I may be splitting hairs here —- no pun intended). It may have been one of those things people adopt a little too easily, and I don’t think I’ve seen an example where I’ve thought, “Oh yeah — that works.” But that’s just grumpy old me.
Posted by matt 2004.11.30, 09:22
I am a 24 year old white guy, and have had all my body hair, (except on my head and my eyebrows) removed by laser over a one year period. It’s very liberating. the ladies love it. i also pluck my eyebrows into a fine arch, and wear powder. i tell you, the chicks really dig it. don’t you remember the hair bands in the 80’s? women couldn’t stay away from them. same thing here.
Posted by rodolpho 2006.01.18, 13:13
Re. deliberate sagittal trauma on left eyebrow. Two words: Marlon Brando.
Posted by myra 2006.04.13, 02:10
this is going too far with men being beautiful. so far, it’s scary. men are different from women and the gap between us should remain separated a lot and not get any closer
Posted by Sarah 2006.05.22, 06:42
Myra, don’t worry. Plucking your eyebrows, bleaching your hair or wearing makeup doesn’t affect the genitals at all (er, unless you’re targeting the pubic area, but that’s another story). The gap between men and women doesn’t need our help. Nature has taken care of it for centuries.
Posted by david 2006.08.14, 17:38
ive been pucking my brows for years and i suppose they are kabuki style i can pencil in a cool shape from there.
Posted by Gg Nk 2006.10.21, 10:16
re Vanilla Ice:
Ice (mal-)appropriated the grooming. Shaving two to three cuts in an eyebrow is an old street style; Big Daddy Kane was the first MC to popularize it. Jay-Z namechecks the old school icon when comparing the rappers who “jack” (rip.burn) his crew’s slang to earlier ones who imitated Kane’s fashion sense (e.g., Vanilla Ice):
“Fck the flow y’all jacking our slang / I seen the same sht happen to Kane / Three cuts in your eyebrow trying to wild out” — Jay-Z in “Do It Again” from “Vol.3 - Life And Times Of S. Carter”
Take Care!
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