Should I trim my eyelashes? This sounds like a question posed by someone experimenting with potent halucinogens, but sadly, it refers to a social media trend.
According to reports in several countries, men are cutting their eyelashes in the belief that it makes them look more masculine.
Long, fluttery eyelashes are associated with femininity and because that simply won’t do, these alpha males are reaffirming their manliness… by making cosmetic changes to their appearances and posting about it on social media.
Look, it doesn’t make sense to me and it doesn’t make sense to ophthalmologists, either. The trend for trimmed eyelashes usually involves scissors or hair clippers deployed perilously close to the eyeballs.
The videos are genuinely uncomfortable to watch (there has been some suggestion that the whole trend is rage-bait content rather than something that many people are actually doing).
According to the multiple experts who have commented on the trend, one slip is all it would take to damage the cornea or tear film (the liquid layer that lubricates the soft tissue beneath).
Even if you have a steady hand, your eyes will still be exposed to unnecessary harm. That’s because eyelashes – to give them a masculine spin – are the eyes’ mightiest heroes.
A last line of defence against everything from dust and grit to damaging UV rays. Lions have them. Silverback gorillas, too. They evolved in most warm-blooded animals to protect the eyes.
In humans, the length and density of eyelashes are determined by genetic factors, not by sex. So, the idea that women have long lashes and men have stubby ones is rooted in culture, not science.
All you do by removing them is leave yourself open to dry eyes, increased discomfort, a decent chance of infection and a level of ridicule that you have frankly brought on yourself.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Frankie Bond, via email) 'Should I trim my eyelashes?'
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