Decembrow: Women Grow Unibrows for Charity

Dec. 10, 2010— -- Ladies, if you're tired of plucking those brows, just give up all together and grow a unibrow for charity this month.

The feminist website Feministing has dubbed December "Decembrow" and is encouraging women to grow their eyebrows a la Frida Kahlo and raise money for a cause of their choice.

Inspired in part by "Movember," a moustache-growing event each November that raises money and awareness for prostate cancer and other men's health issues, Feministing contributor Lori Adelmen wrote post earlier this month rallying women to take part in their own facial hair campaign.

"Decembrow is, of course, all about the brow. Specifically, the unibrow," she said. "While women in the U.S. generally rock two groomed brows, I say let's be inspired by Movember and take this opportunity to let our facial hair grow…for a cause."

Much as men who took part in Movember asked for pledges and donations for their causes, Adelman said that Decembrow activists are asking for the same. Money she raises will reportedly go to the International Women's Health Coalition, which focuses on women's health and reproductive rights.

Adelman said the idea for Decembrow also came after she read an article submitted by a Feministing reader on the popularity if the unibrow in Tajikistan.

Women in Tajikistan Think the Unibrow Is Beautiful

The article said that the former Soviet republic is the "Land of Unibrow," where women think the singular brow is so beautiful that those not blessed genetically to have one use a dried herb to draw one on.

But not all women are as interested.

Penny Nance, the CEO of Concerned Women for America, told The Daily Caller that while she supported the charitable mission of the effort, she didn't quite understand the facial hair connection.

"While I applaud the effort to raise awareness and funds to stop prostate cancer, I find it curious that feminists would choose to embrace facial hair and mostly wonder how that is different than any other month of the year," Nance reportedly said in an e-mail.

Women Discuss Unibrow Campaign Online

As news of the campaign spread online, one Twitter user wrote, "You'll get my wax/tweezers fromm y cold dead hands!"

Other women tweeted not only support for the effort, but relief. As one said, "Finally, I can grow out my unibrow in peace."

Adelman said the campaign has also been criticized by men.

"Decembrow was met with a lot of anti-woman hatred that is tied up in misogynistic attempts to control women's behavior by reinforcing outdated and meaningless cultural beauty norms. I actually have had guys respond to Decembrow by saying, 'This is sexism, this is man-bashing.' All because I stopped tweezing or waxing my eyebrows for a few weeks!!," she told ABCNews.com in an e-mail. "If anything, that should demonstrate that there is still much progress to be made around women's issues, and people's comfort levels with women's liberation and empowerment."

She said the campaign challenges entrenched cultural standards regarding women's beauty and etiquette, while encouraging people to support causes that are important to them.

"It's a basic and fun way to show people that you care about the world around you, and have an entry point to discuss why they should, too," she said.