Hunter eyes vs prey eyes: what the terms really mean

What are hunter eyes and prey eyes?

“Hunter eyes” and “prey eyes” are internet slang, mostly from looksmaxxing forums and TikTok, for two looks of the eye area. Hunter eyes are usually described as almond-shaped, deep-set eyes with the outer corners tilted up, very little upper eyelid showing and low, straight brows sitting close above them. The look is often called intense, focused or brooding. Prey eyes are the other end: rounder, more open eyes, level or slightly downturned corners, more visible lid and higher, often arched brows. That look reads as open, warm and expressive.

The names borrow from animal biology, where predators tend to have forward-facing eyes and prey animals have eyes on the sides of the head. Every human has forward-facing eyes, so in people the words are only a metaphor. They are not medical or scientific categories, and no eye doctor would diagnose either one. They are shorthand for a combination of features you can describe more precisely, and that is the useful way to read them.

Hunter eyes vs prey eyes: the differences

Four features carry most of the difference. The first three show up on a front photo; the fourth needs a side view.

What are prey eyes, and are they a bad thing?

In looksmaxxing slang, “prey eyes” is used as the opposite of hunter eyes, and often as an insult. Strip the label away and it describes something ordinary and widely liked: eyes that show more of the iris and lid, corners that sit level or soften slightly at the outside, and brows with some space and lift above them. Many actors and models are known for exactly that wide-eyed, expressive look, and it reads as friendly and approachable in a way a hooded, low-browed eye area doesn’t.

Some posts also use “prey eyes” for visible white below the iris, sometimes called lower scleral show. That depends a lot on the camera angle and on how you are holding your face: looking down at a phone held low, or widening your eyes for a photo, shows more white than a relaxed, level gaze. If you were told you have prey eyes from one selfie, retake it at eye height before you believe it.

That’s why FaceRater’s test calls this end “open, bright eyes” rather than prey eyes. The name describes the look without the judgement baked into the slang.

Do I have hunter eyes or prey eyes?

Most likely you have something in between. The two terms are the ends of a scale, and real faces mix the traits: you might have clearly lifted corners but open lids, or low brows over round eyes. FaceRater’s hunter eyes test turns that into a score from 0 to 100. It reads three traits from a front photo, scores each one from 0 at its open end to 100 at its hunter end, and averages them. A score of 62 or more is called hunter eyes, 38 or less is called open, bright eyes (the gentler name the test uses for prey eyes), and everything else sits “in between.”

Each trait is measured from 478 face landmarks after the photo is levelled, and the result shows every value, so you can see which trait pushes you which way:

What the scale can and can’t see

Brow height is where men and women differ most. In the studio photos the test’s ranges come from, the middle half of women’s brows sat 0.46 to 0.60 eye widths above the lid and men’s 0.38 to 0.48, so men lean toward the hunter end on that trait without doing anything. That isn’t a bias in the test; it’s simply what “low-set brows” means.

Depth is the trait the internet talks about most and a front photo shows least. How deep-set your eyes are depends on the brow bone and the eye’s position in the socket, which you only see in profile, so the test doesn’t score it. Lighting can fake it, too: overhead light shades the eye sockets and makes almost anyone look more hunter-eyed.

Camera position matters as well. A phone held above eye level makes eyes look rounder and the corners tilt down; held below, the opposite. Take the photo at eye height with a relaxed face before you compare yourself with anyone.

Are hunter eyes more attractive than prey eyes?

Forums treat hunter eyes as the goal, but the evidence doesn’t back a winner. Research on eye attractiveness mostly finds that eyes which look larger and more open are rated more attractive: in a classic study, adults preferred the same faces when only the eyes were enlarged. That is closer to the prey end on lid exposure. Meanwhile, a lifted outer corner and a strong brow line are part of many faces people admire. Well-loved faces sit at both ends of the scale, and expression changes either look in a second.

FaceRater’s harmony score reflects that mixed picture: it scores more open eyes higher and doesn’t mark down a more lifted corner, and it doesn’t score brow height or the hunter scale at all. The hunter eyes result is a description of your look, not a rating.

Can you get hunter eyes?

Not by changing your eyes. Bone structure, eye depth and the shape of the lids don’t change with exercises, eye-area massages or “mewing,” whatever short videos promise. Cosmetic surgery around the eyes is a separate, serious medical decision with real risks, to be discussed with a qualified oculoplastic surgeon rather than chased because of a forum term.

What you can change is how the eye area reads, in either direction. These are the same styling notes the hunter eyes test gives:

• Brows: A straighter, fuller brow kept low reads more hunter; a lifted arch opens the eye area.
• Glasses: Thicker tops and browline frames add a low, straight line; rimless or thin frames keep the eyes open.
• Hair: A fringe or textured top that sits near the brows adds intensity; a lifted crown shows more of the eye area.