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July 08, 2008
Notable Hollywood Eyebrows
Screening old Hollywood films I've noticed an interesting trend—in eyebrows.
During the early days of silent films, female stars appeared pretty normal. Which is to say, the eyebrows were lightly plucked, but retained a recognizably human configuration.
But the Flapper Age, a time of huge social upheaval in America, ushered in severely plucked, thinner brows, eventually morphing into Baroque loops and harsh anorexic gashes.
Narrow eyebrows seem to have come into fashion as Hollywood, and society in general, turned away from the 19th century ideal of the full-figured woman to the rail thin female of the modern age.
Plucked eyebrows reached their apotheosis in the 30's when the thin, elegant lines of Art Deco design were all the rage. Eyebrows in Hollywood evolved into extra fine lines in endless variations which seemed drawn by industrial designers.
Studio stylists regularly shaved the eyebrows of the vulnerable young actresses being groomed for stardom, but after a few shavings the eyebrows of the various Pygmalions failed to grow back. Thus, several generations of Hollywood stars lacked eyebrows and their faces became living canvasses for endless variations of eyebrow art.
Jean Harlow had narrow, deep-set eyes, and so the studio inscribed eyebrows, like soaring roman arches, to create the illusion of rounder, wider eyes.
Jean Harlow
Carole Lombard had a lovely forehead and her eyebrows—low, feline slashes—were etched in order to draw attention to that patrician feature.
Carole Lombard
Below, more examples of notable Hollywood eyebrows.
Clara Bow
Marlene Dietrich
Marion Davies
Greta Garbo
Bette Davis
Joan Crawford
Anna May Wong
Dolores Costello
And finally, the best eyebrows evuh:
Julie Newmar as Catwoman, the “purrfect” villainess,
from the Batman TV series
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at July 8, 2008 09:26 AM
Comments
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" ... female stars appeared pretty normal. Which is to say, the eyebrows were lightly plucked, but retained a recognizably human configuration. ... "
well, ;-)
there is something to be said for Vulcan eyebrows too...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T'Pol
and Klingon eyebrows:
http://chaddiez.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/klingon-2.jpg
and Borg eyebrows:
http://larvatusprodeo.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/250px-seven_of_nine.jpg
and Minbari eyebrows:
http://www.midwinter.com/b5/Pictures/Characters/delenn3.jpg
and half-Human - half-Minbari eyebrows:
http://www.joffrehorlor.com/Gallery/Images/Fandom/800/Delenn.jpg
and Elven eyebrows:
http://www.3elvenrealms.4t.com/images/arwen_galadriel_rotk.jpg
Posted by: exdemexlib at July 8, 2008 12:42 PM
Vivien Leigh had amazing control over her right eyebrow, so often raised in that perfect, intimidating arch.
She looked very different when they were plucked 20s style. And when they were bleached she looked like a weakling.
Here she's looking sideways to her left and it makes her look like she's going to kill someone, somehow...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2t5gdljW9jg/R03RjBEIGOI/AAAAAAAAAEk/I_8w8SEyZKA/s2.jpg
Posted by: Alice at July 8, 2008 12:52 PM
Wow, these people look pretty brow-beaten.
Posted by: kishke at July 8, 2008 01:57 PM
Kishke, your comment made me smile. Good one.
One has to admit that all these female actresses shown were rather plucky women!
Robert, at the time of these pictured faces, Mr. Max Factor, Sr., and then Jr., were doing their part to help "make up" Hollywood.
Posted by: Pearl at July 8, 2008 02:45 PM
Thanks, Pearl.
What this post is lacking are some pictures of beetle-browed actors. So here:
http://bp0.blogger.com/_cMdbfkl3Rz4/SC-XcyictMI/AAAAAAAACcI/LYVC2hwmAlw/s1600-h/fritzlab.jpg
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/11/30/empire_narrowweb__300x395,0.jpg
Posted by: kishke at July 8, 2008 03:08 PM
Ali MacGraw did a lot for the "natural look" of eyebrows in the late '60's, early '70's. Robert, I never would have taken you for a Batman fan (or is it just the wonderful Julie Newmar that you love?)
Posted by: cruisin-mom at July 8, 2008 09:13 PM
How can you not love Adam West as Batman. Campy, cheesy and so much fun. POW!
Posted by: Jack at July 8, 2008 11:01 PM
Exdem:
Some of those Vulcans look more human than some humans I know:-)
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 8, 2008 11:45 PM
Alice:
Yes, Vivien Leigh definitely has many eyebrow looks and I've saved her for Part II, coming sometime next week.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 8, 2008 11:49 PM
Kishke:
Good one:-)
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 8, 2008 11:51 PM
Pearl:
Hollywood make-up is a fascinating topic. Dolores Costello, one of Hollywood's all time great beauties, developed an horrendous skin condition later in life from the astringent make-up she used early in her career in silent films. Her skin was so damaged that she became something of a recluse, reluctant to be seen in public.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 8, 2008 11:57 PM
Cruisin Mom:
Ali McGraw's talent was pretty much confined to her eyebrows.
I fell in love with Julie Newmar when I saw her in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."
I loved Batman, of course, I'm a red-blooded American boy.
Julie Newmar appeared in 13 episodes of that brilliant series and I dreamed of her encased in her skin tight cat suit.
Again: I'm a red-blooded American boy.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 9, 2008 12:08 AM
I loved Batman too. (I'm a red-blooded American girl, what can I say).
Posted by: cruisin-mom at July 9, 2008 07:22 AM
Boy, I tell you - I'm a silent film man, but that picture of Lombard makes me weak in the knees!
Speaking of makeup (I didn't know that about Costello, BTW, Robert), the 1976 book "The Westmores Of Hollywood" is a wonderful history of that makeup dynasty, written by Frank Westmore and Muriel Davidson.
Posted by: Christopher at July 9, 2008 07:57 AM
People do underestimate the power of the eyebrow. For instance, I couldn't help but think that Cate Blanchett's brows were among the better aspects of the latest "Indiana Jones" installment.
Posted by: Michal at July 9, 2008 08:22 AM
Cruisin Mom:
You are deeply all-America, and you proved it when I took you shooting and you murdered that unfortunate target.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 9, 2008 08:31 AM
Christopher:
Carole Lombard's career started in silent films. Under her real name, Jane Peters, she was cast as a tomboy in Allan Dwan's "A Perfect Crime" 1921, she was 12-years old. She worked in quite a few silent films through the 20's in the movies of Mack Sennett and Pathe Pictures.
But as we know, she excelled in rapid fire comedic dialog.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 9, 2008 08:37 AM
My grandmother got caught up in this craze back in the 20's and shaved her eyebrows too. She is now 97 years old and still no eyebrows. If only ear hair would go away forever too.
Posted by: Jake at July 9, 2008 08:39 AM
Robert,
It's interesting how many makeup/cosmetics pioneers were Jewish. Max Factor not only invented movie makeup (theatrical greasepaint was hard to apply and not very subtle) in 1914, the coining of the word "makeup" to refer to cosmetics is attributed to him. Estee Lauder, Helena Rubenstein, and Revlon (the Revson family) are other cosmetics firms founded by Jews.
Posted by: Johan Amedeus Metesky at July 9, 2008 11:45 AM
Jake:
Quick, send pic of your grandma back in the day!
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 9, 2008 01:53 PM
Johan Amedeus Metesky:
Revson is a play on the words Rav's son or Son of the Rabbi.
Yes, it is fascinating that so many Jews pioneered beauty products. I suppose, like the early film industry, it was a wide open field ready for the genius of free market enterprise.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 9, 2008 01:58 PM
Julie Newmar had the best everything evuh.
Posted by: psychotoddler at July 18, 2008 08:38 AM
Psychotoddler:
Delighted to meet another Julie Newmar fan. As a youngster I had a very serious thing for Julie and Elizabeth Montgomery.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at July 18, 2008 04:47 PM