As Mikaela Shiffrin soared down the slopes at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, fans were not just talking about her speed—they couldn’t help but notice something different about her usual look. The decorated skier appeared to be missing half of one eyebrow.
On a Monday in February, the 30-year-old Olympian took to Instagram to address the eyebrow mystery. Shiffrin admitted to making a small grooming decision that turned out to be a bit of a mishap. She joked in a video, “If you see me in the next few weeks with half an eyebrow, no you didn’t.”
Years ago, during balance training, Shiffrin split her brow open and needed 30 stitches to recover. The scar from that injury had caused her eyebrow hair to grow unevenly, resulting in what she described as looking a bit like a Truffula Tree from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.
In an attempt to embrace her unique look and follow the map of her scar, Shiffrin decided to shave a subtle slash along the scar. However, things took a turn for the worse once the tweezers came out. She humorously shared, “It’s the Olympics… there’s like cameras around and there’s people around… I think it was a fully reasonable thing to do at the time.” The issue she faced was that makeup tends to come off when she sweats, which is a problem for her as she tends to sweat from her eyebrows and upper lip while wearing goggles. This meant that there was a high likelihood she would cross the finish line with just half of an eyebrow.
But Shiffrin isn’t the only Team USA athlete dealing with split occurrences. Figure skater Alysa Liu’s gold medal detached from its ribbon while Breezy Johnson experienced a similar issue with her medal splitting into two pieces. Officials are currently investigating these incidents, paying particular attention to the medals as the podium moment is crucial for the athletes.
As the 2026 Winter Olympics continue, it’s clear that unexpected mishaps can happen to even the most skilled athletes. Mikaela Shiffrin’s eyebrow incident serves as a reminder that the pressure of the Olympics can lead to unexpected grooming decisions with comedic results.
Peace Nero is a writer and blogger who loves to explore different topics of self-development. She shares her personal experiences in order to help people discover their true purpose in life.