Unibrow
A unibrow, or monobrow, is the presence of abundant hair between the eyebrows, so that the eyebrows seem to join up above the nose to form one long eyebrow. In Western culture, the unibrow is often derided as being a throwback to a "primitive" state or as exhibiting a lack of self-grooming. Hence, especially among women, the region between the brows is often plucked or treated with electrolysis or other forms of depilation. Unibrow separation is often the only form of eyebrow grooming (a stereotypically feminine behavior) among men. However, in some countries this facial hair does not have the same stigma.
The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo often depicted herself with a prominent unibrow and a thin moustache, which was seen as unconventional and purposely unflattering by Western audiences.
There have been no serious scientific studies of the unibrow in culture or whether certain ethnic groups are more prone to developing a unibrow or not (or less likely to pluck them or not), though it is likely caused by an excess of testosterone, one of the major factors in the growth of body hair. The word is now in the Oxford English Dictionary but not the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Medical dictionaries such as Dorland's Medical Dictionary contain the word "synophrys", defined as "the condition in which the eyebrows grow together".
Unibrows have been the subject of various superstitions. Eugenicists identified unibrows as a symbol of criminality, and earlier they were also associated with werewolves.
Famous people with a unibrow
Many of these individuals are usually seen with their unibrows plucked.
- Jim Adkins, lead singer of Jimmy Eat World
- Erin Andrews, ESPN/ABC sideline reporter
- Jules Asner, a television personality and model[1]
- Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian soccer player
- Bill Berry, former drummer of R.E.M.
- Bonnie Bernstein, CBS sideline reporter
- Leonid Brezhnev, one-time leader of the Soviet Union
- Eric Cantona, French footballer
- Chris de Burgh, British singer
- Alistair Darling, UK politician
- Celine Dion, singer
- Ashanti Douglas, singer
- Liam Gallagher, singer of Oasis (band)
- Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster
- Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer
- Angie Harmon, actress [2] "Angie Harmon:"It would be shaping my eyebrows. Being half Greek and half American Indian, I have the unibrow. So once I started working on them, I really did see a change. You create another kind of beauty."
- Josh Hartnett, actor
- Salma Hayek, actress
- Denis Healey, UK politician
- Rudolf Hess, Deputy-Führer of Nazi Germany
- Bobby Holik, ice hockey star
- Tommy Lee Jones, actor
- Bob Lenzi, musical theater actor
- Frida Kahlo, artist
- Maria Kanellis WWE wrestler/diva
- Momčilo Krajišnik, Bosnian warlord
- Justin Langer, Australian cricketer
- Ricky Martin, Singer
- Constantine Maroulis, singer
- Mike Marshall, baseball outfielder
- Maria Menounos, actress/journalist/television presenter
- Ronnie O'Sullivan, UK snooker player
- Tyrone Power, Sr., British born American actor.
- Summer Sanders, sports broadcaster, actress and Olympic medalist
- Salizhan Sharipov, Russian Cosmonaut
- Melissa Stark, TV news reporter
- Richard Trethewey, plumber on TV's This Old House
- Pavel Vorobiev, Russian born hockey player for Chicago Blackhawks
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley, actress
- Tracy Wolfson, sideline reporter for CBS for college football, college basketball
Fictional characters with a unibrow
- Unibrau, Frau Farbissina's lover in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
- Bert on Sesame Street
- Ed, of the Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy (called a monobrow)
- Baby Gerald, Maggie's arch-nemesis on The Simpsons
- Count Olaf and Jacques Snicket from the A series of unfortunate events book series.
- Grungetta Grunge on Sesame Street
- Helga Pataki, Arnold's nemesis/love interest on the cartoon series Hey Arnold!
- Morgana Rothschild from the novel Brave New World
- Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street
- Squilliam Fancyson, Squidward's rival, Squid mentions it in the episode "Band Geeks"
- Unibrow, pseudonym for an early writer in the Church of the SubGenius.