Drew Barrymore has taken fans back to one of the most recognisable beauty trends of the 1990s, when heavily plucked eyebrows were everywhere. The actress shared a series of throwback photos on Instagram that highlighted just how dramatically brow trends have changed over the decades.
The nostalgic post quickly had fans remembering the days when ultra-thin arches were considered the beauty ideal. Barrymore was one of the celebrities strongly associated with the look, and her latest throwback has prompted plenty of admiration for the way she wore the trend.
Drew Barrymore Brings Back Her Skinny Brows
Barrymore appeared to poke fun at her former beauty look with text reading: 'Mom, where did your eyebrows go?' alongside several old photos showing her barely-there eyebrows.
In one of the images, the actress wears a plush, textured pink hat finished with a matching satin band, giving the photo a distinctly 1990s feel. The statement accessory is paired with the era's unmistakable beauty styling, including her dramatically slim brows.
Another photo shows Barrymore with a short blonde pixie cut, pencil-plucked eyebrows and a colourful beaded choker necklace. In another throwback, Barrymore is seen twirling pasta onto a fork while dining at a restaurant. Her blonde hair frames her face, while her ultra-thin brows provide another reminder of just how far eyebrow trends have shifted since the 1990s.
Fans were quick to celebrate the throwback. 'She was the blueprint!' one person wrote, while another said Barrymore had 'that classic golden age Hollywood look to her face'.
'I will say, you may have been the only human to have ever pulled this off though 👏,' another fan commented. Someone else joked that Barrymore had influenced an entire generation to do the same.
When Did Thin Brows Become Trendy?
The over-plucked eyebrow was a defining beauty detail of the 1990s. After the fuller brows associated with stars such as Brooke Shields in the 1980s, the decade moved towards slimmer, more carefully shaped arches. Historical accounts of beauty trends identify the 1990s as a period when tweezing became particularly popular.
Barrymore became one of the most recognisable faces of the trend. Her thin brows were especially noticeable during the decade, including around the release of films such as Mad Love in 1995.
She was not alone, either. Gwyneth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss and Pamela Anderson were among the other famous faces associated with thin or heavily shaped eyebrows during the era.
The Switch From Skinny Brows to Full Arches
The beauty industry's approach to eyebrows changed considerably in the following decades. By the 2010s, fuller and more defined brows had become a major beauty trend, with Cara Delevingne often cited as one of the faces associated with the bold-brow movement.
The shift also came with a warning for those who had repeatedly plucked their eyebrows in the 1990s and early 2000s. Excessive tweezing can damage hair follicles, and some people found that their brows did not completely return to their former fullness.
That has not stopped the skinny-brow look from resurfacing. Bella Hadid and other modern celebrities have experimented with slimmer brows, helping fuel renewed interest in the look.
Barrymore's throwback is more than a trip down memory lane. It shows just how much beauty standards can change, especially when it comes to something as small as eyebrows. Today, fuller and softer brows may be more familiar, but her photos prove that the pencil-thin look had its own undeniable moment.
