Don’t Let Hollywood Convince You That Your Hooded Eyelids Are A Flaw

Beauty trends lately have veered toward women preferring an upswept look with their eyebrow tails reaching to the heavens and wide plains of upper eyelid space, but let’s be honest with ourselves: How much of the female population worldwide even has that much upper eyelid space naturally?

Look, eyelids naturally come in many different anatomical variations, from single eyelids, double eyelids, mismatched eyelids, hooded eyelids, and monolids or epicanthic folds. None of these are inherently a flaw, but trends in cosmetic procedures may have impressionable, young women feeling otherwise. With the rise in plastic surgery procedures to “correct” hooded eyelids, it’s easy for a young woman to be misled into believing that the way her eyelid falls detracts from her natural beauty, but this simply isn’t the case. 

Let’s first take a look at some of the world’s most beautiful, familiar faces whom you may not have ever noticed have hooded eyelids, and then let’s chat about which plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic treatments the elite are undergoing to shift beauty narratives into yet another expensive, unnecessary standard. 

I Bet You Never Noticed She Had Hooded Eyelids…

Brigitte Bardot

French actress, model, and singer Brigitte Bardot is universally known as a sex symbol and major pop-culture icon. Bardot set beauty standards in the mid-20th century and continues to be an inspiration for classic beauty for many women today, hooded eyelids and all!

Kate Moss

Named one of Time’s most influential people in the world, supermodel and fashion designer Kate Moss is a beauty icon who has hooded eyelids. Moss has been dubbed a “modern muse,” and her modeling has earned her the rank of one of Britain’s richest women.

Cindy Crawford

Easily one of the ‘90s most recognizable supermodels, Cindy Crawford is one of the fashion industry’s most coveted beauties who also happens to have hooded eyelids. Crawford, with her sensual and feminine appeal, has appeared in hundreds of fashion and lifestyle magazine campaigns, been a leading cover girl, and walked almost every top runway.

Claudia Schiffer

International supermodel Claudia Schiffer has broken the Guinness World Record for the number of magazine covers she has been on. 1000+ covers later, and guess what? She has very distinct hooded eyelids!

Olivia Munn

Actress and model Olivia Munn has been in many Hollywood blockbusters like Magic Mike and various Marvel Cinematic Universe films as the X-Men character Psylocke. Munn has appeared in many advertising campaigns for top brands like Neutrogena and was even in the Italian Vanity Fair as one of their “Hot Young Hollywood” ladies – all with hooded eyelids.

Gisele Bündchen

As one of the world’s highest-paid models, Brazilian beauty Gisele Bündchen has graced the cover of almost every top fashion magazine and has been a staple on runways, all while having hooded eyelids.

Clearly, Hooded Eyelids Don’t Make a Woman Ugly, Yet Hiding Them Is Becoming the Norm

If it’s not already abundantly obvious, hooded eyelids are primarily an eye shape and not a condition that needs treatment. Your eyelid covers and protects your eyes, and the skin folding on your upper eyelids can either appear taut or looser, thanks to genetics and aging.

As you age, the soft tissue under your eyebrow may lose elasticity and look a bit more droopy. If that eyelid skin starts to fall too far to where you’re experiencing visual obstruction, then you’re probably dealing with a medical condition known as Dermatochalasis, which can be solved using surgical methods, but this is really only common among aging populations.

Additionally, there are some people who lack any eyelid space at all, which is sometimes called having monolids. The more pronounced “epicanthic fold” may have had an evolutionary function, and is similarly not a medical flaw that needs correction. Asian, African, and some European populations have epicanthic folds at higher frequencies than other ethnicities. Theories vary from needing a better level of insulation around the eyeball in extreme climates or extra protection from UV light.

Well, Hollywood has gotten really clever about how they hide hooded eyelids, so it’s worth pulling back the curtains on the various plastic surgery procedures and cosmetic treatments used to replace a celeb’s natural features with a trendy ideal. Thanks to their commercialization of these procedures, young women are left feeling more self-conscious about their “flawed” faces when influencers and celebs seem to have superior genes. It’s not just their chromosomes – it’s more often their cash.

It’s not just their chromosomes – it’s more often their cash.

Upper Blepharoplasty

One type of eyelid surgery is a blepharoplasty, which reduces excess eyelid skin, makes eyes look younger, and is sometimes done at the same time as other surgeries like brow lifts or face lifts. Some insurance coverage can actually be used for this surgery when it’s used to correct eyelid skin that’s partially blocking your peripheral vision, but not for cosmetic purposes.

Rumors have it that celebs like Renee Zellweger have had this upper-lid surgery, and based on the fact that it’s one of the most common plastic surgery operations in general, I wouldn’t be shocked if many more of the celebs who used to have hooded eyelids got a bleph. 

Fox Eye Lift

The “Fox Eye” look is achieved through a surgical brow lift with a lateral canthopexy. What this means is that through outer eye corner slices, stretches and sutures, your eyes would be altered to look more upswept and almond-shaped. Recovery time on this surgery can actually be pretty short and with scars healing quickly, it’s easy for celebrities and influencers to get fox eye lifts without having to be out of the public sphere for very long. The average cost for this one is anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000.

Brow Lift

Also called the forehead lift, a brow lift is performed with an incision either along your hairline (endoscopic incision) or further back in your crown (coronal incision), and once tissue and muscles are readjusted, you’re sutured up and ready to go back in public after about two weeks of recovery. This procedure to rejuvenate your forehead area and smooth out any fallen soft tissue costs $3,900 on average.

Ponytail Facelift

Similar to the fox eye lift, the “Ponytail Facelift” was coined by plastic surgeon Dr. Chia Chi Kao who specializes in a windblown look that, among other things, removed the appearance of hooded eyes. He achieves it through a “non-excisional eyelid lift,” “facial rejuvenation” from regenerative cell procedures, and a jowl and neck lift – all with incisions hidden behind the hairline. Since this procedure boasts easily disguised scars, more celebs now are opting for this technique to quietly sweep up their faces.

Two celebrities rumored to have undergone the Ponytail Facelift are Bella Hadid and Ariana Grande. If you wanted this look to reduce hooded eyelids, you’d be set back about $20,000 to $30,000.

Thread Lift

Called the “real-life version of FaceTune” by Cosmopolitan, a thread lift is the non-surgical route to brow lifts that may reduce the appearance of hooded eyes. The sutures are actually temporary and are meant to direct collagen into the treated areas. Recovery is quick, the procedure is noninvasive, and it’s actually not as expensive as other options, with average self-reported costs being $2,050.

Influencers who might not have the same plastic surgery budget as a top celeb are rumored to get thread lifts to hop onto the cat-eye trend. Even Gwyneth Paltrow has promoted the idea of women getting thread lifts, leading some to believe she may have had the procedure herself.

Other Non-Surgical Methods

There are a few other non-surgical ways women (and men) will reduce the appearance of hooded eyelids. Some choose Botox injections which only give temporary results and cost about $379 a session, others use plasma technology at roughly $600 a session for upper eyelid skin tightening, and others on a budget might use eyelid tape as a very temporary fix. 

What Will Cosmetic Procedures Accomplish for You in the Long Run Though?

Look back at magazine spreads of the past, and even many in the present, and you’ll see beautiful women worldwide who have hooded eyelids. This lower brow placement doesn’t detract from their stunning looks, and some even consider this feature to be sexy, calling them “come-to-bed eyes.”

I’m learning to embrace the characteristically unique features that my ancestors passed down to me. 

I can empathize with women who are frustrated with their hooded eyelids when it comes to makeup. Because I don’t have a ton of upper eyelid space, I tend to forgo intricate eyeshadow and eyeliner. On the bright side, this has also led me to realize just how much more I prefer my eyes with a subtle “no-makeup makeup” look. Not only am I saving boatloads of money on eyeshadow primer, eyeshadow palettes (though I do often feel tempted by their glitzy packaging), and eyeliner, but I’m also learning how to feel more comfortable in my own skin and embrace the characteristically unique features that my ancestors passed down to me. 

That said, it’s definitely a myth that gals with hooded eyelids can’t wear eye makeup, there are just different application techniques and endless supplies of online tutorials that can teach you how to master your desired looks. Instead of trying to alter your face to fit someone else’s ideals, perhaps it’s worth creating your own unique makeup look that suits your natural beauty traits.

Closing Thoughts

I’m not aiming to shame any individuals who opt to go under the knife or try cutting-edge non-surgical methods of shaping their face in whatever way they please. It’s your own body, so if you really want to change something about it, then you’re well within your right to do so.

Yet, with the rise in plastic surgery procedures to “correct” hooded eyelids, it’s easy for a young woman to be misled into believing that the way her eyelid falls makes her any less beautiful. Some of the world’s most stunning supermodels, actresses, and It Girls of the past and present have had hooded eyelids.

Just because some of the entertainment industry’s trendiest ladies right now are rocking windswept eyebrow tails, catlike eyelid corners, and expansive eyelid space, it doesn’t mean that differing facial “looks” are suddenly a flaw that needs fixing.

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