2 min read
Anyone who lived through the skinny-brow movement of the ’90s knows: you can’t always bounce back from overplucking, even decades later. So seeing Olivia Rodrigo walk the same path as her elders, with noticeably thinner brows on the 2026 Oscars red carpet, was both nostalgic and nerve-racking. Her brows look incredible, but just make sure you keep the tweezers far, far away from any impressionable Gen Z Livies in your life.
We wouldn’t consider the star’s eyebrows considerably bushier before, but it’s clear their overall shape has changed—especially at the inner corner. Just a few years ago, Rodrigo’s brows were fluffy enough to front a Glossier Boy Brow campaign. Now, they appear sharper, angular, and less feathered, and in favor of the razor-thin trend of the ’90s. Rodrigo’s new brows complemented the fresh-faced makeup look for the Oscars, created by celebrity artist Melissa Hernandez for Lancôme (the singer is a face of the brand).
Courtesy of Lancôme / Melissa Hernandez
A close-up of Olivia Rodrigo’s glam before she hit the Vanity Fair red carpet
After seeing Rodrigo’s new brows at the after-party, we can’t help but wonder: Is her retro look a prelude to the release of her third album? The singer is reportedly set to release OR3 sometime in 2026, and as most eagle-eyed music fans know, an aesthetic change is often the first sign of newness to come. “I had the title of Guts and Sour at the beginning of the album-making process, but for this album, I’m kind of still finding it right now,” Rodrigo previously told Bazaar of her upcoming album. “I have a few options that are twirling around in my brain. I have one that I’m feeling good about, and I think that’ll be the title, but I am not 100 percent positive yet. I’m not writing it in stone quite yet.”
Amy Sussman//Getty Images
Olivia Rodrigo’s full Vanity Fair Oscars Party look
We’ve been tracking the return of ’90s brows since last spring, so maybe the singer’s latest beauty look is just confirmation that the trend is still alive and well. “The skinny brow of today isn’t an exact reenactment of the ’90s era—mostly because today’s version has a less one-size-fits-all mentality and doesn’t require you to participate in the trend if you’re not comfortable with it,” beauty founder and CEO Anastasia Soare explained to Bazaar. In other words, wear whatever brows look best on you.
Whether the skinny style indicates new music on the horizon or is just a personal choice, we’ll continue keeping tabs on the status of Rodrigo’s brows, along with news on the upcoming OR3 drop.
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