• A fun fact inspired by a recent Globle answer

• Answers to last week's games

Unibrows Are the Standard of Beauty in Tajikistan

Most of the world’s population has no idea what it is like to wake up and gaze upon the views from over 3000m above sea level. Known for its spectacular high altitude splendor, Tajikistan (Globle answer for March 19), also celebrates a rich cultural heritage. Brightly colored traditional costumes, unusual sports, and warm comfort food are just a few of the characteristics which have earned Tajikistan a place among the most recommended tourist destinations. And while all of these qualities set this central Asian nation apart, tourists may be most impressed by the nation’s fascination with the unibrow.

The official medical term, synophrys, literally means, “overgrowth or fusion of the eyebrows.” In the West, the unibrow is considered a malady—something out of sorts with western beauty standards. In fact, any online search will return links to articles providing advice for undoing the unfortunate circumstance. In Tajikistan, the opposite is true. Women with a natural unibrow are considered the most attractive.

Walking around the nation’s capital city, or especially in surrounding villages, visitors will see women of all ages proudly sporting a single eyebrow. The bigger and bushier the better. And for those who can’t grow a connected brow on their own, there is a special herbal product called Usma, which can be applied to simulate the condition and texture of a connected brow. Usma requires some patience and time, as the herbal paste has to be applied, allowed to dry and then reapplied in stages to create a textured effect. Those with less ambition and time simply draw a single bold brow, as if to announce, “My brow is one, get over it.” While this feminine beauty standard may seem strange to some, is it really any stranger than plucking eyebrows or shaving legs?

Answers to last week's games

Monday, March 18 to Sunday, March 24.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #35 manage -> management -> illness -> symptom

• #36 potentially -> potential -> natural -> nature -> landscape

• #37 miss -> absence -> crime -> law

• #38 soil -> garden -> sunrise -> early

• #39 fight -> wrestling -> television -> radio

• #40 section -> chapter -> novel -> dramatic

• #41 prominent -> visibility -> traffic -> highway

• #42 Play now!

Forgeous

Wissing, Willem. Portrait of a Woman. 1687, oil paint on canvas, 126.4 cm x 102.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437945.

Play Forgeous for March 24.