Lately when I look in the mirror I am sad about my brows. Boo. The shape and total lack of actual brow. I have too few brow hairs for all the arching and shaping that reads as sophisticated and well-groomed in our society.

Early in my twenties when a friend’s wedding was such an exciting and wondrous event that we all would make appointments together at salons and giggle and laugh our way through makeup lessons and facials, I visited a prominent Asian-American makeup artist, Christine. She touted her client list as including Madonna and Winona Ryder. She turned out to be a mean and critical woman, who I suspected had completely bought into the idea that beautiful was blond, with big eyes and a strong nose (or at least a nose that had a bridge).

I remember that she stood behind me while we both looked at the mirror and she said, “You have no cheekbones, you have no brow. Your eyes are too small. Your face is too round. You need lots of work.” Had she not added, grudgingly, that my lips were “okay,” I’m sure I would not have been able to reach the doorknob to leave.

She proceeded to pluck my brows to such a degree that I had only a quarter-inch of actual, shaped brow. She recommended that I use a brown pencil and draw the rest upon my bald skin. This, I figured she was saying, I should do for the rest of my life!

Thinking about Christine and the Brow Incident today, I realized that we live in a society where the idea of what is beautiful in magazines and media (but not necessarily for individuals) favors some races over others. Now that I recognize this, I feel better able to deal with my brows. Okay, they are not ever going to be the feature that marks me as chic and well-groomed. Let’s move on.

On a related note. This also made me think about sunglasses and how they simply do not fit on my face because I don’t have a prominent bridge on my nose. All of you who have a bridge: You have no idea what it’s like to wear glasses so close to your face that your eyelashes leave streak marks on the lenses!

This is an open call. Someone, please make sunglasses that suit the faces of the 3 billion or so people like me!