Noel Gallagher of Oasis arrives at the Brit Awards in London, February 14, 2007. British men are becoming increasingly interested in having their eyebrows professionally groomed, according to Debenhams department store which plans to hold men-only "guybrow" nights.

British men are becoming increasingly interested in having their eyebrows professionally groomed, according to Debenhams department store which plans to hold men-only "guybrow" nights.

Men, it said, now make up 40 percent of the visitors to its brow bars, double the proportion of a year ago.

They are going for a treatment called "threading," an ancient method of hair removal which originated in India in which a thin twine of cotton thread is rolled over the offending area, plucking the hair from the follicle level.

Unlike plucking, threading removes an entire row of hair at a time so it is quicker, more accurate and less painful, the store says, although the treatment still smarts.

Debenhams said its consumer research showed many men initially came for threading either in a bid to look good for a job interview, or at the behest of their fiancees as part of the wedding preparations.

Most later return for regular appointments, the store added.

"As with self-tanning and facials, the taboo around eyebrow shaping is quickly disappearing," said Sara Stern, Director of Cosmetic Merchandising at Debenhams.

She added in a statement: "Men are recognizing the power of a groomed brow to frame the face and create a sexy James Bond-style arch when raised.

"The Neanderthal monobrow, famously displayed by Noel Gallagher, will soon be ancient history as alpha males look to cultivate dark, strong brows with the help of threading and dying.

"The over-plucked feminine look favored by Sylvester Stallone however is a serious no-no. A quick tidy-up in the style of Jude Law is all that's needed."

英国德本汉姆百货公司日前称，如今英国男性越来越热衷专业修眉。德本汉姆百货公司计划举行只限男士参加的“男眉之夜”活动。

该公司称，现在光顾其修眉吧的顾客中有40%为男士，较一年前翻了一番。

男顾客们大多接受一种名叫“绞眉”的修眉服务。“绞眉”是起源于印度的一种古代去毛发的方法，即用合股细棉线在需要去毛的部位滚动，从而将毛发从毛囊中拔出。

该公司称，和普通拔眉不同，绞眉能一次清除一整排的毛发，所以更快更准，痛感更轻，不过疼痛还是在所难免。

德本汉姆百货公司称消费者调查显示，很多男士一开始来修眉是为了应付求职面试，或是未婚妻之命做婚礼前的准备。

但大多数人后来就成了回头客。

德本汉姆百货公司化妆品部经理萨拉•斯特恩说：“与自助美黑和面部美容一样，有关男性修眉的社会禁忌正在迅速消失。”

她在一份声明中说：“男士们开始意识到整洁的眉毛对于提升面部轮廓的重要性，而且在扬起眉毛时，还能产生一种性感的詹姆斯•邦德式的造型。”

像诺埃尔•加拉格尔（译者注：英国“绿洲乐队”成员）那样很像原始人的一字眉很快将成为历史，男人们开始希望通过绞眉或染眉打造出又浓又粗的眉毛。

“然而，像西尔维斯特•史泰隆所青睐的那种过分修饰、有些女气的眉毛绝对不可取。像裘德•洛那样差不多收拾一下就足够了。”

Vocabulary:

follicle: 小囊（hair follicle 毛囊）

smart: to cause a sharp, usually superficial, stinging pain 引起剧痛（The incision on my leg smarts. 我腿上手术的伤口很痛。）

at the behest of : 奉…之命

Noel Gallagher: 诺埃尔•加拉格尔，英国绿洲乐队（Oasis）的主创。绿洲乐队是1990年代英国摇滚复兴运动的领军乐队，十几年来唱片销量连破纪录，世界巡演也场场爆满。近日诺埃尔宣布离开绿洲乐队。

alpha male: the man in the community whom the others follow and defer to 占主导地位的男性

Sylvester Stallone: 西尔维斯特•史泰隆，1946年出生，世界上最成功的电影演员之一，是一代动作明星的代表人物。代表作有《洛奇》和《第一滴血》。

no-no: something unacceptable or impermissible;social blunder（禁忌；不可做之事）

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