Maybe you’re in the middle of an expense report and can’t stay focused. Perhaps you’re on a bathroom break. You might even be taking a mental vacation behind your laptop. Whatever the reason, you’ve begun to wonder about your eyewear and whether or not it should cover your eyebrows.
At Stoggles, we consider this an admirable question — and one worthy of a detailed expositive response. We’re also just really into anything eye-related, so we’re jumping at the chance to discuss your brows and whether your glasses should cover them or allow them free reign on your forehead.
We’ll explain the purpose and function of your brows and explain different types of eyewear and whether it should cover them or not.
Do Eyebrows Actually Serve a Purpose?
For such small little patches of hair, eyebrows make a huge statement. Too big, and they can make your forehead look heavy or draw your face into a permanent scowl. Too thin or too highly arched, and you might find yourself looking surprised in every picture you take.
These mini brow bone lawns have big purposes.
The Purpose of the Mighty Brow
Eyebrows basically have three purposes:
- To protect your eyes
- To give you more freedom in facial expression
- To drive you crazy because the left one won’t ever look identical to the right one
The third reason is anecdotal, but if you spend any amount of time in eyebrow maintenance, you can testify to this truth. The main purpose of the eyebrow is to serve as one of the first lines of defense to protect your eyes.
Eyebrows collect sweat, rain, and other debris from entering your eye area, much like your eyelashes. They also help you express yourself in the form of surprise, frowns, scowls, and even fear.
What Determines Your Brow Shape?
Your genetics determines the shape of the eyebrows you are born with, your brow artist determines the shape you live with. Just like the hair on your head, you can style your brows in numerous different ways, creating arches where they don’t naturally exist or using them to bring balance to your face.
Are We Brow Obsessed?
Short answer: yes. Long answer: From 2012-2018, the brow maintenance and enhancement services industry grew exponentially, peaking at over $150 million in 2018. The economic crisis of 2020 cut expansion for a time, but it’s on an uphill trend and projected to reach the same numbers as it did in 2018 in the near future.
Bottom line: Eyebrows are important. We notice them, we value them, and we’ll spend practically any amount of money to get them to look aesthetically uniform and complimentary to our faces.
One thing we might be overlooking, however, is how our eyewear enhances or detracts from them.
Should Your Glasses Cover Your Brows?
No. Your eyewear should never cover your brows. That said, it can sometimes be hard to find frames that fit, especially if you have a smaller face shape. Your eyebrows are expressive, and as we just concluded, a really important part of your face. Concealing your brows behind glasses is never a good idea unless, of course, you’re dealing with an eyebrow wax mishap.
Measure Your Eyewear
The easiest way to find out if your eyewear covers your eyebrows is to try it on in front of a mirror or take a picture of yourself (if you are measuring dark shades). If you can’t see your eyebrows in the mirror or the picture, your frames are too big.
Finding frames that fit takes a little finesse, and the team at Stoggles has you covered (but not your eyebrows).
How To Find Frames That Fit
Finding the perfect frames can make or break your look. We’ll make it easy for you to shop for frames that look great and don’t conceal the guardians of your brow bone.
Keep in mind that these tips help you find eyewear that fits your brows, but more detailed frame measurement advice may come in handy.
1. Keep It Parallel
Ideally, the top of your eyewear should be parallel to your eyebrows. In other words, if you have a high arch, you’ll probably want to avoid frames that have a straight top rim, like rectangular frames or square frames.
Instead, you can opt for styles like aviator and cat-eye.
2. Opposites Attract
Your frame width should be the opposite of your brow width. If you have thick, brushed-up brows, opt for a thinner frame or consider going rimless. If you have thin or sparse brows, you’ll want to choose thicker frames.
3. Consider the Color
The color of your brows should play nicely with the color of your frames. If you have dark brown eyebrows, choosing black frames may create a heavier look on your brow than you want. If you have light-colored brows, choosing rimless or nude-colored frames may make you look washed out.
Once you’ve honed in on the frame style that best suits your brows, consider some other features that will give your eyewear more street cred.
How To Get More Bang for Your Buck (and Your Brows)
How’s your current pair of protective eyewear? You don’t have any? That’s unfortunate, especially considering that there are nearly 300,000 occurring annually in the U.S. alone, and about half of those happen at home.
The good news is, about 90% of all eye-related injuries are preventable simply by wearing proper protective eyewear. The even better news is that safety eyewear, which has traditionally taken on a hyper-masculine look, is now stylish, provocative, and effortlessly eyebrow friendly. That means you can grab safety eyewear that doesn’t cover half your forehead (including your eyebrows).
Stoggles: Where Safety Meets Style
Stoggles was created to offer an alternative to bulky, bargain bin safety glasses. Our eyewear is unlike any other category on the market. Our frames and lenses are available in numerous different colors and frame styles (including iconic cat-eye and aviator), but with the essential safety features you need.
Shatter Resistance
It only takes one rock from the lawnmower, one dart from a Nerf gun, or one rogue ball during a racquetball game to damage your vision. Keeping your eyes protected requires durable eyewear, and the ANSI Z87.1-2020 seal ensures your eyewear can take a hit without shattering into your eyes. Stoggles all come with ANSI Z87.1+ certification, so you can trust that your eyes are protected under all circumstances.
Protection from Damaging Light
UV rays can damage your eyes like they damage the skin, causing your eyes to age prematurely. UV exposure can lead to early-onset macular degeneration and even cataracts. Donning a pair of dark shades might make it easier for you to see, but unless they have UV protection (which is separate), your eyes are still vulnerable.
Blue light is another light form that comes from the sun, but it also comes from tablets, computers, smartphones, and LED televisions. Blue light can penetrate the cornea and reach the retina, just like UV light.
Stoggles are made from polycarbonate material, which is naturally UV-blocking. We also inject blue-light-blocking compounds into our lenses at the time of manufacture to ensure your eyes are fully protected from harmful light rays — and it won’t wear off like other blue light-blocking glasses which are coated with the tech.
Side and Top Shields
Your eyewear shouldn’t cover your brows, but it should protect your eyes. The area between the top of your eyewear and your brow is left unprotected with regular glasses, just like the area across each temple.
Top and side shields are the Stoggles solution, keeping your eyes safe in a manner that is low-profile, comfortable, and doesn’t detract from your style.
Anti-fog
We like it when things get steamy… but not our eyewear. Keeping your eyewear fog free is essential to keeping your eyes safe (and saving you a ton of frustration). Stoggles are all dual-coated with a state of the art anti-fog formula so no matter how hot and heavy the situation, your eyewear will be crystal clear.
Options
You want options? We’ve got them. You can grab a pair of eyebrow-enhancing, powerfully protective Stoggles with:
- Polarized, shaded lenses
- Reading magnification
- Your own custom corrective lens prescription
- Stoggles Dimmers®
Whatever you need, we can help. You’ll get eyewear that looks great, feels lightweight and comfortable, and keeps your eyes safe. We also make prescriptions easy. Just upload your prescription to our website, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Brow Game Forward
Your brows deserve all the attention they have coming to them, and covering them with glasses is just bad form. Stoggles creates eyewear that would never cover your brows like standard safety glasses. Our frames look and wear like your favorite specs while still offering you some of the highest levels of protection in the industry.
Let your brows remain unhindered while still keeping your eyes safe. Stoggles is the eyewear that is understated, safe, and always stylish.
Sources:
Dr. Universe: Why do we have eyebrows? | College of Arts and Sciences
Here's exactly how to find the best eyebrow shape to suit your face | Glamour
Eyebrow Services in the US - Market Size | IBISWorld
ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020: Current Standard for Safety Glasses | ANSI