A quick haircut, a shave, and maybe a splash of aftershave so strong it could double as a biohazard—that was the standard playbook. Eyebrows? They were as neglected as the Game of Thrones finale in a list of rewatch-worthy TV. But with the rise of social media and every face being one Instagram story away from scrutiny, more men are finding themselves at the salon, awkwardly muttering, “Can you just…make them look, like, normal?” Thanks to the influence of globally groomed icons like Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles—both of whom seem to have cracked the code for effortless, yet suspiciously perfect brows—brow taming has gone from taboo to trend. And honestly, it’s about time.
“I remember getting my brows done as a teenager,” recalls Shashwat Sankranti. The 22-year-old Delhi-based literature student shares how he first started grooming his brows. “I wanted to get rid of my unibrow, but I had terrible vision, and I couldn’t trust myself to tweeze my them properly.” Realising the risks of botched at-home attempts, Sankranti decided it was best to hand over the reins to a professional, even though it felt a little awkward at first.
“Letting someone else handle your brows felt weird because it’s such a private thing,” he explains. But what started as a practical choice quickly turned into a routine he came to appreciate. “It made life so much easier,” he admits. For Sankranti, the shift wasn’t just about appearance—it was about convenience and trusting experts with a task he couldn’t manage himself.
More men like Sankranti are now paying attention to their brows, realising just how much they can transform a face. And let’s face it: it was inevitable. Eyebrows play a huge role in shaping the face, and for decades they’ve been quietly doing their job—whether that job was making a man look brooding, surprised, or perpetually confused, like he’s trying to figure out the difference between a top sheet and a fitted sheet. But with the rise of celebrity grooming culture and the increasing availability of services specifically tailored for men, eyebrows are no longer taking a backseat.
Take Luigi Mangione, for example. During his high-profile courtroom appearance, his brows became the unexpected stars of the show. Social media wasn’t discussing legal intricacies—it was marvelling at the crisp arches that could have cut through the drama like a knife. If eyebrows can go viral, why wouldn’t you want yours to be in the spotlight too?
What makes browscaping so appealing is its subtlety. With just a few plucks and trims, it can give your face a more polished appearance. Like Mumbai-based hairdresser Elton Vessoaker puts it, it’s not about turning your face into an artwork—it’s about cleaning up the canvas. “[You’re] creating the illusion of the best shape for your face because eyebrows really frame and hold up the face. The goal isn’t for someone to say, ‘Wow, I love your eyebrows,’ but rather, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got amazing bone structure!’”
Vilma Chipang, a beauty and makeup education manager at Jean Claude Biguine Salons, has observed an interesting trend among her male clientele, “Brow grooming is often a gateway to better self-care routines.” One day you’re just cleaning up your unibrow, and the next, you’re debating the merits of retinol and asking your barber for a “mid fade with texture”. Amit Pawar, a Delhi-based salon manager, backs up Chipang’s observation, "A lot of my clients start with their eyebrows and gradually move on to services like cleanups, face waxing, and even skincare treatments.”
This trend isn’t just limited to younger men, either. Vessokaer points out that middle-aged men, and even those in their forties and fifties, are starting to jump on the browscaping bandwagon, although the process involves more coaxing.
The hairdresser now even sees the finance bros and corporate crew getting in on the game, but in true but in true suit-and-tie fashion, they’re keeping it low-key. They’re not waltzing into a salon proclaiming, “Give me the best brows in the business!” Instead, they’re hitting their barbers or trusted stylists with a casual, “So… what’s the deal with eyebrows these days?”
The impact is undeniable. It’s no longer unusual to see men casually discussing their grooming routines or sharing DIY tips on online platforms like Reddit’s FixedEyebrows community. In fact, the subreddit is filled with posts that are equal parts relatable and hilarious—like the guy desperately seeking advice after his barber took creative liberties with his brows. “Any ideas on fixing this godless barber’s mess-up on my brow? I didn’t even tell him to touch my eyebrows” he wrote, alongside a photo of his unfortunate one-sided arch.
Trishang Shetty, 28, started grooming his brows at just 17. He admits that back then, his peers didn’t really notice or care, but the adults had a different reaction. “My friend’s mom passed some shady comments when I did my brows. I ended up fighting with my friend over it,” he laughs. But despite the criticism, the content creator continued with his routine, and today, grooming has turned into a full-fledged career for him. His journey is a testament to how attitudes toward male grooming are shifting, paving the way for a new era of self-care.
This shift isn’t happening in isolation—it’s part of a larger movement fuelled by a booming male grooming industry. According to IMARC Group, the male grooming products market reached $2.1 billion in 2023, and it’s expected to grow to $4.1 billion by 2032. This explosive growth reflects a broader cultural shift where men are embracing grooming as an essential part of their routine.
While male grooming is steadily becoming more mainstream, Shetty acknowledges that the stigma hasn’t been completely eliminated. Negative comments and judgement still exist, especially on his content, like his brow-shaping videos. “I actually don’t do anything about it. I just let them be,” he shares. “Because it’s just a reflection of the other person. If you take out the time to deliberately type something hateful on someone else's video that has nothing to do with you, the problem is with you, not me.”
