When did false lashes even become a thing? Like, they feel SO iconic now, but at some point, somebody legit had to look at their eyelashes and be like, “Hmm, what if I could just… add more?” Honestly, that person deserves a lot of love because what would our makeup routines even BE without false lashes? Girl, we wouldn’t know drama or glam on this level at all.
But if you’ve ever just sat there blinking into your bathroom mirror, wondering, “Who do I owe for this lash life I’m living?”—I got you! Let’s take a trip through time and see When False Lashes Were Invented and find out who started this whole thing! You’re going to be a PRO at lash history by the end of this. And trust me, it’s more wild than you’d expect.
The Early 1900’s: Let’s Keep It Real, It All Started With Silent Films 🎥
All right, prepare yourself because we’re zooming back to 1911. This is when things started coming together, and the first official false lashes were born!
A director literally invented them because of film! He was like, “I want my lead actress to have lashes so long they scrape her cheeks.” Pls, what a lewk. Anyway, it was a silent movie (not even kidding), and the director was none other than… drumroll please… D.W. Griffith. Basically, he made the actress Seena Owen wear lashes in the 1916 film Intolerance.
The fake lashes were big and bold and glued onto her lids—ouch—but they were a thing! And just think about it; silent films are all about gestures and expressions because hello, no talking. So, those lashes needed to be extra dramatic.
But here’s the best part: some sources say the lashes were made of HUMAN hair. WHAT. like actual hair!? Who was doing this wig-level nonsense on eyes back in the day?
Iconic much? D.W. Griffith wanted lashes to “make the actress’ eyes shine bigger” and basically, lash life as we know it was born.
Honestly, that dude was setting trends long before strict makeup standards in Hollywood even existed. Absolute visionary. If they’d had IG back then, Griffith would’ve been serving lash inspo by the boatload.
Swinging into the ’20s: The Roaring Twenties Get Bold 🖤
Jump into the 1920s when everyone was living their best flapper life. Bold makeup was starting to become hotter and hotter—especially eye makeup. Like, think about the bob haircuts, winged liner, and dark lips. What a TIME.
False lashes started getting way more noticeable because everyone was on that glam wave thanks to the rise of movie stars. People were like, “OMG I want to look like the MOVIES.” Hollywood actresses like Clara Bow (you know, the OG “it girl”) were out here repping the ‘vamp’ look. While mascara was doing its thing then, false lashes made everything so much bigger and chic-er.
Plus, for movie stars, being on camera meant people could basically count each hair follicle on their faces, so makeup needed to be that extra. It was getting super trendy to have that “wide-eyed” look because bigger eyes = instant glam.
The 1930s to 1950s: Hollywood Glammms It UP 🎬
By now, the film industry was popping off, and guess what? False lashes came right along with it! By the 1930s, lashes were all over the place in makeup routines. One of the OG lash queens of the time? Marlene Dietrich. Sis was slaying her movies hard with those swooshy lashes. I mean, she’d purposefully create shadows on her eyes because of how long her lashes were.
Also, shout out to Joan Crawford whose big Bambi eyes were an after-effect of those gorgeous lashes.
This era was also the time when Max Factor, the makeup artist (he’s like the father of modern makeup), started spreading that lash love. He was working on the beauty formula of longer = glam. Basically, Max Factor brought out the DRAMA in makeup, whether we’re talking shadows, lips, or—you guessed it—lashes.
So, if you ever find yourself feeling like a 1950s screen queen in your lashes, you better thank Max Factor for making it a “thing”.
The 1960s: Twiggy Made Lashes Cool AF 🌀
Y’all. The 1960s. Ummmm…. yes, hello to BIG LASH ENERGY. The whole beauty culture of the sixties was honestly hyper-focused on the eyes. And that was mainly thanks to British icon Twiggy. Ever heard of her? (If not, rush to your parents’ attic, because that’s where some bomb 60’s nostalgia lives.)
Twiggy was like, “Cool, I’m going to take this lash trend and make them be my thing.” Seriously, her eyes were HUUUGE—and so were her lashes. Some girls were layering like, three to four sets of false lashes on top of each other. And not just on the top lashes but on the bottom lash line too! You saw it on magazine covers, and before you knew it, EVERYONE was like, “I want eyes like Twiggy.”
Her look became so iconic for that mod aesthetic. Yup, the Mod girls were all in on lashes. They were so essential at that point that wearing false lashes was basically your whole makeup routine.
Fun fact: You can say hello to brands like Ardell during the ’60s—coming in clutch with some of the first mass-produced falsies, making the lash game accessible for all the Twiggy wannabes out there wanting that droopy eye effect.
“You can’t achieve that oversized, smoldering eye look without great lashes!” – Twiggy was probably thinking this 24/7 in the ’60s.
1970s to 1980s: Lashes Stick Around and STRUT 💅
Okay, so the 1970s were definitely a chill decade compared to the insanity of the ‘60s mod craze. By this point, sixties-style thick falsies were a little more… toned down. But, lashes didn’t totally disappear.
Enter the disco vibe 💃! When you think 70s disco, you BETTER be imagining tons of shimmer, sparkles, and dramatic makeup. Lashes definitely got their glitzy moment under those disco lights.
Fast forward to the 1980s though, girl, drama was BACK. I’m talking electric blue shadows, shimmery blush, and ultra-thick lashes that defied gravity. You weren’t putting on subtle lashes during this decade–LIKE EVER. Bigger was better.
Supermodels like Cindy Crawford were not about that natural lash life, and magazine covers ruled the day in teaching people how to slay false lashes.
The 1990s: Subtle But Still There ✨
Uh oh, we’re on to the ‘90s—aka the era of less is more. Spice Girls, grunge, minimalist makeup—this decade was super into soft makeup looks.
Now sure, the lashes weren’t as dramatic as in the previous eras, but that doesn’t mean they were gone. People brought the natural and dainty falsies back in style. And if you wanted a bit of glam, you kept it simple but elevated with falsies like strip lashes or single ones.
Pamela Anderson may have been the queen of ‘90s lashes tbh—she (and her glam squad) kept the lashes looking dramatic without them being too heavy.
The ‘90s were all about slapping on falsies and keeping them low-key cute but YOU-KNOW glam.
The 2000s: Y2K Glam Hits Falsies HARD 💖
Oh, hello to the early 2000s, where lip gloss ruled the day, and Paris Hilton and Britney Spears wore about a thousand lashes stacked on top of one another.
Lashes had another revival, but THIS time it was all thanks to… you guessed it: celebrity culture. I mean, whenever there was a red carpet event or a new album promo shoot, lashes were a part of the look. Lashes defined those oversized Diva Eyes, and you had celebs making it their main go-to look. Lashes had to show up loud and proud to match that insane amount of lip gloss.
Kim Kardashian, a little later on, reinvented the falsie trend in her way by making them softer but fuller—and always perfect for a full-beat glam.
False Lashes Now: All Day, Everydayyyyyy 💕
Sooo here we are in 2023, and guess what? False lashes never really left—they just evolved into something even more versatile! From subtle, barely-there falsies to full-on drama, today everyone can get lash magic… anytime… anywhere.
We’ve got individual lashes for that natural girl-next-door vibe, strip lashes for a killer night-out, and even magnetic lashes (OMG, no more glue drama?!). Brands like Lilly Lashes, Huda Beauty, Velour Lashes, and House of Lashes are so big right now, giving all of us life with their perfect lashes for any look.
So, if you’re wondering, “Wait, which decade do I have to thank for my falsies?” I guess… all of them. Falsies have been in, out, revamped, and re-invented for literally over a century. Iconic much?
Lashes outshining all other makeup trends for over 100 years? That’s pretty legit. And who knows, maybe years from now we’ll have lashes-on-demand or whatever (I mean, technology is insane), but at least we know lashes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Now, which pair are YOU feeling like for today?
