Men are shaving off their eyelashes to appear 'more masculine' despite doctors' warnings
The internet is filled with bizarre trends which are rarely beneficial for our health but men shaving their eyelashes might be one of the weirdest yet.
You read that right, some blokes are fed up with their eyelashes and have decided to shave them off as a way of supposedly looking more 'masculine', because nothing screams masculine like the complete absence of hair.
Unfortunately, this sort of behaviour seems to be consistent with the sort of things you might have come to expect from men online, as Louis Theroux discovered in his Netflix documentary on the Manosphere earlier this year.
A viral TikTok video with over 36 million views showcases one man shaving off his eyelashes, claiming that they are feminine, but he clearly wasn't aware of the vital health function they provide.
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That was emphasised by Dr Paramdeep Bilkhu, clinical advisor at The College of Optometrists, who explained to LADbible why this latest toxic trend is such a bad idea.
He said: “Eyelashes serve several key functions to keep your eyes healthy - they help prevent dirt and debris, including dead skin cells and sweat, from entering the eyes to keep them comfortable and reduce the risk of infection; and help reduce exposure of the eye surfaces to harmful UV light."
Although the benefits that your eyelashes bring are a more than good enough reason to keep them on your eyes, there's also the added danger of putting a shaver or scissors near your eyes to remove them in the first place, which could obviously go wrong pretty quickly.
As BBC Science puts it 'one slip is all it would take to damage the cornea or tear film (the liquid layer that lubricates the soft tissue beneath)'.
Dr Bilkhu added: "As they are highly sensitive to touch, this helps to trigger the blink reflex which protects the eyes when an object or threat approaches the eyes. In addition, using shavers near the eyes can result in cuts and nicks to the sensitive skin, or even penetrating injuries where scissors are used. By removing, trimming or attempting to remove/trim your eyelashes, you are risking real harm to your eyes."
If you're reading this and you've already decided that shaving a slit in your eyebrow simply wasn't enough, then fear not, because the doctor also has some advice on what your next steps should look like.
He concluded: “If you have already removed or trimmed your eyelashes, the good news is they should grow back - but this may take many months. During this period, you should take extra care when washing, grooming or applying make-up to avoid products entering the eyes; and consider wearing eye protection when in dusty or outdoor environments.”
Although there are some elements of 'looksmaxxing' which might well be beneficial to young men, the concept of shaving eyelashes should probably be filed under the same category as something like bone-smashing, rather than more beneficial activities like going to the gym, reading or even speaking to people.
Topics: TikTok, Social Media
James Moorhouse