Extreme Eyebrow Plucking (& Your "Bad Habits"?)

[Velo]

Recently, in October, I decided it was time I dropped my "bad habit" (obsession, coping mechanism, addiction, I donno - call it what you want) of over-plucking my eyebrows.

I've had this "problem" for a long time now. Growing up in the 90's, it was already pretty fashionable to rip every piece of hair possible off your eyebrows if you were female. So that was definitely a factor (oh beauty ideals, how I loathe thee).
Another factor was my mom, who liked to convince me that having even one or two stray eyebrow hairs infringing upon my face would lead people to believe I had a uni-brow, and the boys would never like me.
So eyebrow plucking became a part of my every day (or every other day) life, and eventually evolved into this weird obsession/coping mechanism.

If I was cranky and needed a break - off to a mirror to rip some eyebrow hairs out; if I felt ugly - it was because of too much eyebrow; messed up at school and got a bad grade? Good bye eyebrow hairs.
I'm sure this was some sort of combination of control and pain (although I will say I truly did become completely immune to the sting of yanking a hair out) that made me feel the need to do it so often.
Media and mother whispering in my ear that it must be done if I wanted to be a pretty lady didn't help either.

This was years of my life that I whittled away my brows. I'm 23 now, and I started all of this around 13 or 14.

One day, I was looking at some pictures of myself and was just SHOCKED to see how little was left - I looked like I didn't even have eyebrows.
I had escaped the clutches of my controlling mother and no longer had someone around to tell me that my eyebrows (or hair or weight or teeth or skin or etc) weren't looking "good" constantly.
I was surprised that no one mentioned my eyebrows shrinking away... But perhaps that comes with being around people who *actually* believe you are beautiful.

Anyway, I decided this was an issue and I no longer wanted to continue down the road of obsessively ripping hair out of my face. I didn't like the way it looked, and I didn't like spending so much time tweezing (seriously, couldn't I find a better way to spend 5-10 minutes a day?)

So I quit!
I originally vowed to put down the tweezers for 6 weeks, but I ended up going a lot longer than that. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it, I was terrified that my eyebrows wouldn't even grow back. But either way, I was sick of it - sick of feeling like I had to remove something so trivial as eyebrow hairs because somebody told me that's what was right.
You may ask yourself, "Why in the world are you telling me this, Velo!??"
Well, that's because I picked up the tweezers for the first time since October yesterday. Oh, and I managed to only pluck off a few hairs.

I just wanted to share, because well, I don't really have anywhere else to do so.
I'm also curious to see if anyone else has had a problem like this, or maybe they do now.
What are your "bad habits"? Do you have something weird you turn to when you're feeling cruddy? (another one of mine is washing dishes when I'm mad - but that one isn't destructive hehe)
I guess it might seem trivial, but I'm happy to have finally "liberated" my brows. I feel more... expressive haha!

The day I decided to grow 'em back:

And now!

 

[Claireybell2477]

Lol, I used to overpluck mine too. But over plucking ages you quite dramatically. It's youthful to have fuller, healthier eyebrows. I tidy mine up with tweezers by plucking moderately underneath, and I fill the rest in with an expensive eyebrow pencil for blondes. I cringe at photos where my brows are stick thin. The theory was, having thin eyebrows opened up your eyes, but it just ages you terribly! Thick and healthy are youthful and give your eyes more definition.

 

[Godmother]

Good for you! It's really hard breaking a long-term habit. Your new brows look great! And you'll have more time to spend with the rats now.

 

[murphyrat]

That's awesome! Your brows are looking awesome. I have a bad habit of picking at all of the little "spots" on my face. It is something I remember seeing up my mother do as a child, and now a days it is something that I do when I am anxious or bored. It is quite unsightly at times, and although no one ever comments on the little red blotches on my face I am embarrassed by them. It's something that I should really try to tackle. Its awesome that you were able to conquer your bad habit!

 

[Joanne]

I think your eyebrows look great! You are nowhere near a unibrow. (And probably never were.)
I never got into plucking my eyebrows. But when you get older you start looking for those stray chin hairs! LOL

 

[Petunia]

oh good for you quitting a long time habit! your eyebrows are lovely

as it turns out, you lose eyebrow hair as you age, so you may want to keep that in mind if you get the urge to pluck again

i used to get bored at night when i was a kid/ early teen and i'd pull out my eye lashes, jsut gently to see which ones were loose, thinking it would keep from having eyelashes fall into my eyes, right? but once i started i kept going and one time i woke up the next day and discovered i had no eyelashes on one eye except a couple on the very edges, it looked so strange
lol
that scared me into being more careful and really only removing hte ones that were loose and about to fall out anyway

 

[jorats]

Gorgeous eyes! And brows. I never got into that habit. I'm just so lazy. lol I keep mine tidy, that's about it. I know of two ladies who pluck theirs to the point of non existent and I have to say, it looks absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Velo]

Aww, thank you everyone for the compliments - quite the confidence booster. :3

Lol, I used to overpluck mine too. But over plucking ages you quite dramatically. It's youthful to have fuller, healthier eyebrows. I tidy mine up with tweezers by plucking moderately underneath, and I fill the rest in with an expensive eyebrow pencil for blondes. I cringe at photos where my brows are stick thin. The theory was, having thin eyebrows opened up your eyes, but it just ages you terribly! Thick and healthy are youthful and give your eyes more definition.

I agree, it definitely ages the face!
Ah, I recently discovered the joys of eyebrow filling too (though I use powder) - it sure makes a difference.
Whoever decided it was "cool" to have essentially no eyebrows was not very savvy in my book. @_@'

Good for you! It's really hard breaking a long-term habit. Your new brows look great! And you'll have more time to spend with the rats now.

Thank you! I guess 2014 was a year for dropping bad habits - with this one and smoking.
And absolutely, time is better spent with ratties! :heart:

That's awesome! Your brows are looking awesome. I have a bad habit of picking at all of the little "spots" on my face. It is something I remember seeing up my mother do as a child, and now a days it is something that I do when I am anxious or bored. It is quite unsightly at times, and although no one ever comments on the little red blotches on my face I am embarrassed by them. It's something that I should really try to tackle. Its awesome that you were able to conquer your bad habit!

Aw, that sounds like a rough one. I used to peel off a lot of my skin when I had a zit, and I know it can be quite painful and frustrating to have that skin off of your face. >; If you put your mind to it, I'm sure you can overcome your habit too! C:

I think your eyebrows look great! You are nowhere near a unibrow. (And probably never were.)
I never got into plucking my eyebrows. But when you get older you start looking for those stray chin hairs! LOL

I was so terrified of the dreaded unibrow that I just created this silly looking mega-gap. I was surprised when the shape of an actual eyebrow started growing in haha!
Haha don't get me started now! I'll be searching around for chin hairs!

oh good for you quitting a long time habit! your eyebrows are lovely

as it turns out, you lose eyebrow hair as you age, so you may want to keep that in mind if you get the urge to pluck again

i used to get bored at night when i was a kid/ early teen and i'd pull out my eye lashes, jsut gently to see which ones were loose, thinking it would keep from having eyelashes fall into my eyes, right? but once i started i kept going and one time i woke up the next day and discovered i had no eyelashes on one eye except a couple on the very edges, it looked so strange
lol
that scared me into being more careful and really only removing hte ones that were loose and about to fall out anyway

Ya, that was part of helping me to decide to quit... I didn't want to wind up with no hair growing back ever (and was weary it would already).
Omg! That sounds rough! I could see why though, I got an eyelash in my eye for like the first time the other day and I was flipping out about getting it out. XD
I had a friend who "trimmed" her super long eyelashes when she was a young teen, because someone told her they looked freakishly long... I know she seriously regrets that because they never fully grew back. :[

Gorgeous eyes! And brows. I never got into that habit. I'm just so lazy. lol I keep mine tidy, that's about it. I know of two ladies who pluck theirs to the point of non existent and I have to say, it looks absolutely ridiculous.

Ha! I'm enjoying the lazy aspect of not plucking. So much time wasted with a pair of tweezers -_-;
I guess it's hard for some people to see in themselves too.. And some people (mostly women) are dead set in thinking they need to have minimal body hair EVERYWHERE besides their heads.

 

[SterlingRats0408]

First off...you have lovely eyes Velo!
I am/was a spot picker as well. I picked those little bumpies you get on the back of your arms, thighs,/bum, pimples and worst of all anything that scabbed.
I am prone to unconscious itching like at night I will scratch bug bites absolutely raw. And then the next day continue the destruction by picking the scabs constantly. Thus creating little white pock marks all over my body. I finally, with the assistance of a good skin clearing regimen and self control and allergy meds have stopped (for the most part) I cannot help still "helping" my white heads along when they do pop up.
I used to use anything from my fingernails to tweezer to the pointy end of a safetypin. Leaving little scabbies which of course led to more picking. Even if they hurt I'd keep pulling at them. Making myself bleed and scab and scar...
It was worse and I sought it out as a coping mechanism when I felt out of control or anxious. But was also something I did when bored.
It took a summer of horrid bug bites from a flea infestation that my legs looked so gross I had to start wrapping them with medication and bandage and was unable to pick and prod them. Then when they finally healed I left them be for the first time. I have now been able to control myself better and not touch bumps all the time. Still from time to time. I have found better outlets which include grooming my animals in place of picking at myself. Whether it be cutting toenails, bathing, just giving rubs....its much more enjoyable for all.