Unibrow


A unibrow is a single eyebrow created when the two eyebrows meet in the middle above the bridge of the nose. The hair above the bridge of the nose is often of the same color and thickness as the eyebrows, giving the appearance that they converge to form one uninterrupted line of hair.

History

The first known use of the word unibrow was in 1988.

Culture and beauty

Oman

A unibrow is considered as a sign of beauty in Oman. Its popularity causes women to draw a black line joining the brows as a part of their routine makeup to fake a unibrow. A study found the prevalence of synophrys to be at 11.87% in the Omani population.

Tajikistan

In Tajikistan, a unibrow is viewed as an attractive quality in both men and women. For women, it is associated with virginity and purity and, in men, virility. If there is no unibrow present, or if it is weak, it is commonplace for women to use a kohl liner or a modern kajal pen to simulate a unibrow.

Elsewhere

The unibrow has largely been seen as undesirable in the Americas and Europe, with the hairs often plucked, shaved, or waxed away.
The artist Frida Kahlo was famous for her unibrow, which she often depicted in self-portraits. Model Sophia Hadjipanteli is also known for her unibrow.
It is also the trademark of NBA player Anthony Davis and YouTuber ElectroBOOM.

Medicine

Genetics

The unibrow is a recessive genetic trait. It is associated with the PAX3 gene.

Medical conditions

A unibrow is part of normal human variation, but can also stem from developmental disorders. A unibrow is a recognized feature of Cornelia De Lange syndrome, a genetic disorder whose main features include moderate to severe learning difficulties, limb abnormalities such as oligodactyly and phocomelia, and facial abnormalities including a long philtrum.
Other medical conditions associated with a unibrow include: