National Big Forehead Day

Between the 14th and 17th centuries, the high forehead moved from a philosophical symbol to a mandatory beauty standard. European women plucked or shaved their hairlines back by as much as three inches. Some used chemical treatments to destroy hair follicles permanently. Hennin headdresses and other headwear were designed to elongate the forehead further. Paintings by artists like Rogier van der Weyden and Petrus Christus depict the ideal: smooth, rounded foreheads that suggest purity and youth.

The standard was not just aesthetic but economic. The elaborate grooming required time, resources, and access to apothecaries, making a high forehead a visible marker of wealth and status.

The internet era introduced the slang term "fivehead," a joke suggesting a forehead large enough to be measured in five fingers instead of four. National Big Forehead Day emerged on social media around 2008 as a response, turning the joke into a celebration. Selfie campaigns invited people to display their foreheads proudly, and the observance grew alongside the broader body positivity movement that challenges narrow beauty standards across facial features, body shapes, and skin types.