The latest viral TikTok trend has viewers baffled—and worried. Videos of men shaving their eyelashes to appear "more masculine" are racking up millions of views. Critics, however, call it a dangerous and pointless display of toxic masculinity. Health experts warn that eyelashes serve a vital biological function—and shaving them could damage the eyes more than any gender norm ever could.
Why are men shaving their eyelashes on TikTok?
The trend of men shaving their eyelashes is exactly that—men using electric shavers to shave down their (often long) eyelashes. Sometimes in these videos, a barber is doing the shaving. Mostly, however, the TikToker themselves slowly shave their eyelashes down, as close to the eyelid as possible.
Men participate in this trend because supposedly, long, dark eyelashes are considered a sign of feminine beauty. Shaving one's eyelashes is a perceived act of resistance against the ascribed femininity of this facial feature across many cultures. The result of shaving one's eyelashes is interpreted by some as appearing more "masculine."
The masculinity myth
Though the origin of the trend is unknown, videos began to appear in early 2025. On Jan. 16, 2025, user @billybeebaddestbitch posted a video commenting negatively on the trend. The video showed a man shaving his long, dark eyelashes with the text overlay that said, "A new trend for toxic masculine men where they shave their eyelashes because they look too feminine."
Additionally, caption of the video read, "eyelashes are not their to show masculine or femininity, they are needed to protect your eyes! This is a whole new level of stupid."
The video received 19.8 million views, nearly 900,000 likes and almost 13,000 comments. The comments overwhelmingly communicated shock that men would actually participate in the trend. "Is intelligence a crime on this app?" One comment read. "This hurts my brain," read another.
Is the eyelash-shaving trend for real?
Whether men shaving their eyelashes is a genuine trend, elaborate trolling, or rage bait designed to spark outrage and engagement farm remains unclear. Some TikTok users speculate that the videos are exaggerated or staged purely for shock value, gaming the algorithm's tendency to amplify bizarre content. Still, the fact that so many viewers believe it’s real (and feel compelled to react) highlights how blurred the line between genuine trends and performative internet pranks has become.
"They can't be serious," read one comment. "Are we deadass?" Read many other comments, unsure what to make of the video.
Other comments pointed out the obvious biological need for eyelashes. "Do they know that eyelashes are for protecting their eyeballs...?" One commenter wondered.
Videos critical of the trend began popping up in February and March. Eventually, these reaction videos gained more traction than the original eyelash-shaving videos themselves. Like the comments on @billybeebaddestbitch's video, these reaction videos questioned the validity of the trend and mocked its seriousness.
"Since when is having no eyelashes more masculine?" One video's text overlay read. "What timeline are y'all on?" Another video communicated. "Is this a thing?"
What eyelashes actually do—and why shaving them is a bad idea
According to Optometrists.org, eyelashes have an important biological function, serving to protect the eye from foreign particles, including dust, pollen, and debris. "The eyelashes are sensitive to touch and send signals to the eyelids to close when a foreign object comes too close to the eye," the website stated.
Eyelashes fall out on their own, and take approximately six to eight weeks to grow back. The site discouraged pulling eyelashes out of one's eyelid, as that can cause damage to the lash follicles under the skin.
Additionally, the website states that under no circumstances do eyelashes ever need to be trimmed—not for health, not for sight, and certainly not for "masculinity."
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