THE POWER OF BROWS.

some of my favorite eyebrows: Arlenis Sosa, Hilary Rhoda, and Audrey Hepburn.

In many ways the eyebrow is a direct reflection of the soul. Those two masses of hair resting mysteriously above our eyes are a key part of our face, which is cemented into the memories of our friends and family. They are also an extension of the many idiosyncrasies that makes us who we are.

I didn't know the value of eyebrows when I was younger. I just saw mine as thick unruly blocks of hair that didn't match the thin and unnaturally arched brows of my middle school peers. So I waxed them, I even let my mom "shape" them with a razor.  I'd do anything to get rid of my "undesirable" brows. But now when I look back at those pictures from middle school I barely recognize myself. I can only see a girl whose generic eyebrows fail to reflect the ideas, passions, and emotions that make her an individual.

Today I celebrate my thick eyebrows. I brush and darken them with pride.  I don't try to change their shape to match someone else's ideal of beauty because my eyebrows are me. They're not perfect, but they're real, natural, and never afraid to stand out.