False lashes, y’all, hold a massive place in today’s beauty world, right? I mean, there’s nothing more glamorous than those fluffy, flirty lashes that make your eyes pop on Insta or TikTok. But have you ever stopped for a sec and gone: “Wait… who came up with the idea to glue strips of hair to our eyelids?!”
Well, buckle up (oops, I said I wouldn’t say that but you get the point 😅), because we’re going back in time to figure out exactly who decided dramatic lashes were the thing. Spoiler alert: false lashes have been around way longer than you’d think. And lemme tell ya, their history is waaay more interesting than your average tutorial on mascara hacks.
The Early Days: Lashes in the Silent Film Era 🎥
Okay, so let’s kick this off by going back to the 1910s—a time where makeup was only starting to become a thing for women. Like, can you even imagine that? No Fenty, no Anastasia, not even a basic eyeshadow palette at Sephora. Makeup was like some backstage performer, just chillin’ in the shadows, mostly used for stage actors.
And this is when our lash queen (oh, you’ll hear me call her “queen”) steps on the scene. Her name was Seena Owen. You might not have heard of her unless you’re into old Hollywood films but trust me, she was a total it-girl of her time.
So here’s how it all starts: it’s 1916, and makeup artist Max Factor (any makeup history fam in the house?!) had this GENIUS idea for a movie, Intolerance. He’s working with Seena Owen, and he’s like, “Guuuurl, I need these lashes to be even more extra than extra.” He wanted them long enough to literally brush her cheeks!
Mindblown yet?! Owning the vibe of her character with those gorg lashes was SO important that an entire team was like, “Yeah, we gotta create something completely new for this.” And just like that (cue the drumroll), false lashes are born. 💥
But wait—it really wasn’t all that glamorous yet. They didn’t have Ardell Lash Glue back then, babes. They literally glued Human. Hair. strips to her eyelids with some questionable substance (okay, it was probably spirit gum, which is basically like the OG version of latex-based lash glue). I cannot even begin to imagine the allergic reactions or flakiness, uuugh.
Yup, false lashes were literally invented in the 1910s for an actress to get super extra lashes for silent film.
Now just think about this: Seena Owen had to act and blink and do dramatic silent movie expressions with lashes glued to her eyelids. And all of a sudden, those tricky magnetic lashes we complain about don’t seem so scary anymore, huh? 😉
The 1930s-1950s: Lashes Becoming a THING 💅🏼
Anyway, Max Factor (who, by the way, is SO foundational in glam makeup history I probably need another post for him) kinda just got the ball rolling. After the movie wrapped, however, false lashes didn’t immediately explode onto the scene. People weren’t quite ready to start glueing hair onto their eyeballs at home yet. Weird flex, right?
But then… the 1930s rolled around, and false lashes made a very low-key comeback as the secret weapon of screen sirens like Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. These actresses were out here in black and white films looking otherworldly glamorous, which wasn’t all genes, okay—these little enhancements were being snuck into their makeup looks!
By the time the 1950s hit, though, we start talking about false lashes becoming a thing that everyday women could actually use. The whole “glamorous Hollywood” look took off during these decades and lashes helped women everywhere just ooze starlet vibes—even if they weren’t about Hollywood life at all.
Think about it: at this point, brands like Revlon and Ardell (yass, can’t leave Ardell out) were starting to pop their first-ever lash products in stores. No longer were false eyelashes some DIY glue-your-own-human-hair project. You could walk into department stores and get premade lashes that—gasp!—were reusable!!
Twiggy and the Swingin’ Sixties 🕺
Ok, so few moments in the history of lashes were as ICONIQUE as the 1960s. This is when fashion and beauty kinda exploded, right?
And honestly, we owe the whole giant, extra fab lashes trend to one inspo point: Twiggy 🔥.
Twiggy’s whole aesthetic was built around these massive doll-like eyes, where her lashes basically looked like black-painted fans (which, TBH, I LIVE for!). Girl had her lashes drawn under her lower lash line for closer pics, but she also LOVED playing up her top lashes. Think volume, layers, and super-thick mascara while using fake strips to make them stand out even more.
Twiggy wasn’t just serving #lashgoals—she WAS lashes throughout the 1960s.
And here’s the truth: basically anyone in the Baby Boomer Gen? They totally remember when Twiggy made everyone lash-obsessed. By this point, false lashes had cemented themselves as a major beauty staple, and companies everywhere jumped on this trend. Late-night flick of the TV (before Netflix people) or teen mags would scream: “Get the Twiggy look—shop for lashes now!” Sound familiar in today’s terms? 😱
The Disco Queens of the 1970s💃🏼✨
After Twiggy owned the 60s lash game, we went big into the 1970s, where a new vibe was rolling in. Picture it: disco queens, platforms, glitter, BIG HAIR, and of course, long wispy lashes.
In the 70s, lashes took on a different look with almost this fluffier, softer aesthetic—think like feather lashes that gave movement at the disco instead of the super-dark mod look from Twiggy. People in the disco scene went WILD over expressing themselves through makeup (exactly how we love experimenting with graphic liner or neon colors now) which meant fake lashes got longer, wilder, and even more colorful!
**Cue Cher.*** Man, Cher was such a huge moment for fashion and beauty in this era. You could spot her rocking long, curled lashes that framed those big iconic eyes under her black, mane-like hair, giving disco realness in every performance.
Cher and disco took the idea of lashes beyond day-to-day use and into full-on self-expression
False Lashes in the 2000s and Lash Extensions 👁👁
Now I know, especially if you’re a millennial-Gen-Z mix babe like me, you’ve probably heard everyone talking about lash extensions. Oh, honey, lashes in the early 2000s went through some trends. Some of them cute, others a bit…well, looking at them now, let’s just say it’s not for us in 2023. 🤔
But shout out to the start of all those super dramatic lashes that took over YouTube-haul content like crazy. Thanks to early makeup influencers (Hey, OG Michelle Phan), people were fully stocked with tips about lash glue, how to apply lashes like a pro at home, and how to achieve a doll-like look.
Enter 2006, and that’s around the time lash extensions burst onto the scene, and it was a real game-changer. Instead of sticking on strips, busy bees could just book an appointment with a lash technician, get faux individual lashes applied by hand, and get the drama without lifting a finger every. Single. DAY. (Where’s the angel music insert here??)
Extensions changed the beauty game for people who don’t always luurrve the hassle of placing strip lashes. And don’t @ me, but I still love a good natural lash lift and extension for an everyday flirty look—makes my morning Snapchat filter look complete instantly.
Where We’re At Now: Fluffy, Faux, Sustainable 💚
Fast-forward to today’s lashes, and it’s like the wild west, y’all. There’s SO many lash options! Synthetic, mink (personal nope for me), human hair, faux mink, and most brands are getting all about cruelty-free and vegan lashes. Shoutout to brands realizing we all wanna look cute without having to hurt at anything—thank u, next to anything that wasn’t sustainable. ♻️✨
The coolest part is lashes are for literally everyone now: no matter your style, you can find lashes that fit your exact vibe. Whether you’re into Insta-worthy dramatic looks, soft glam, or very natural-looking lashes (hey, girl—I see you!), there’s SO many to play around with. Maybe you wanna hit the club with bold lashes OR just pop some on for a mid-day Starbucks run.
No shame in your lash game ever!
Final Lash Out
That’s the story, pals—false lashes were born in 1916, grew up on silent film stages, partied with flappers and disco divas, played with 60s mod queens…and now they’re our ultimate go-to accessory for literally everything. I mean, could we even go to brunch in 2023 without our lashes saying hello first?
Sometimes, when you’re putting on your falsies before a big night out or even just chilling at home playing with makeup looks, give a little shoutout to Seena Owen, Max Factor, and all the queens who kept making lash history happen.
Trust me, you’re out here LEGIT continuing the legacy of glamorous, bold, bigger-than-life lashes every time you pop those bad boys on.
tiny mic drop
See ya and keep those lashes fluffy, besties! 🖤
