I've been noticing a lot of the villagers I have spawned end up spawning with closed eyes and never open them. Is this a glitch or intentional? If it's intentional, I have to be honest and say it doesn't really look that nice/accurate.

it's probably an issue with a render overhaul mod like canvas or sodium. try with those

This bug doesn't occur with the latest version of sodium, but still occurs with Canvas installed

Another vote for Canvas having something to do with this. Kind of a shame, because I actually get a serious performance uplift with Canvas in areas like villages.

Here's my mod list after I removed Canvas, in case there's something else going on, sorry for the weird formatting but I figured it was easiest to just use dir:

09/09/2021 01:01 PM 500,795 architectury-2.5.27-fabric.jar
09/09/2021 05:08 PM 1,078,749 ash-1.1.15.jar
09/09/2021 12:47 PM 64,181,044 atmosfera-2.0.0+mc1.17.jar
09/08/2021 11:40 PM 618,741 bclib-0.3.1.jar
09/08/2021 11:38 PM 91,303,377 better-end-0.11.0-pre.jar
09/08/2021 11:37 PM 22,352,498 better-nether-5.1.3.jar
09/08/2021 11:12 PM 55,624 better-withered-mobs-1.6.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:38 PM 1,051,196 BetterDungeons-Fabric-1.17-1.0.jar
09/08/2021 11:55 PM 288,055 BetterMineshafts-Fabric-1.17-1.0.1.jar
09/08/2021 11:55 PM 429,331 BetterStrongholds-Fabric-1.17-1.1.1.jar
09/09/2021 05:14 PM 83,080 blame-1.17-4.2.0-fabric.jar
09/08/2021 11:19 PM 47,017 blockshifter-1.4.0+fabric-1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:29 AM 52,089 branders-sulfurpotassiummod-1.17-1.1.1.jar
09/08/2021 11:19 PM 422,865 CameraOverhaul-1.2.2-fabric-universal.jar
09/08/2021 11:54 PM 181,965 cavebiomes-0.6.3.jar
09/09/2021 01:51 PM 3,926,601 charm-fabric-1.17-3.3.2.jar
09/09/2021 05:00 PM 89,434 cleardespawn-1.17.1-fabric0.36.1-1.1.1.jar
09/08/2021 11:09 PM 987,350 cloth-config-5.0.38-fabric.jar
09/09/2021 01:59 AM 91,985 crawl-0.9.1.jar
09/09/2021 01:58 AM 66,746 creeper-spores-1.6.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:49 AM 22,888 creeperaiupdated-fabric-1.4.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:46 AM 48,423 cullleaves-2.2.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:57 AM 50,648 curses-mod-1.6.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:16 PM 117,338 custom-crosshair-mod-v1.3.4-fabric-mc1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 01:45 AM 39,465 dark-loading-screen-1.6.9.jar
09/09/2021 12:08 AM 29,472 darkness-mc117-1.6.74.jar
09/09/2021 01:39 PM 1,090,910 dawn-2.0.6.jar
09/09/2021 01:42 AM 39,744 diamondshard-1.0.3.jar
09/09/2021 01:42 AM 48,752 DisableCustomWorldsAdvice-1.3.jar
09/09/2021 01:41 AM 15,209 dracomelette-1.17-2.jar
09/09/2021 01:41 AM 786,416 ducts-1.1.4.jar
09/09/2021 01:41 AM 49,539 enchantment-lore-1.2.1+MC1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 01:40 AM 253,965 enhancedblockentities-0.4.1+1.17.jar
09/08/2021 11:07 PM 1,110,515 fabric-api-0.40.0+1.17.jar
09/08/2021 11:07 PM 5,977,520 fabric-language-kotlin-1.6.4+kotlin.1.5.30.jar
09/08/2021 11:08 PM 24,700,053 fabric-language-scala-1.1.0+scala.2.13.6-fat.jar
09/09/2021 01:34 AM 7,090,138 fabric-tree-chopper-0.7.2.jar
09/09/2021 12:05 AM 77,239 factory-fabric-1.17.1-1.4.0.jar
09/09/2021 05:07 PM 28,867 FastDecay-1.0.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:36 AM 17,923 fastfurnace-1.17-3.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:33 AM 14,244 fenceplayerupper-1.1.3+1.17.pre1.jar
09/09/2021 01:36 AM 1,199,371 figura-0.0.6-1.17.x.jar
09/09/2021 05:47 PM 0 files.txt
09/09/2021 12:56 PM 1,916,547 Fireplace-Lib-5.7.0+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 01:33 AM 126,472 FiresSurvivalTweaks-2.2.1+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 05:07 PM 25,860 flagbric-2.0.0.jar
09/09/2021 05:07 PM 569,573 fog-control-1.0.3.jar
09/09/2021 01:21 AM 33,317 Heartbond-1.17-1.1.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:20 AM 1,358,934 horse-stats-vanilla-4.1.8.jar
09/09/2021 01:19 AM 459,907 ignis-fatuus-1.1.4.jar
09/09/2021 12:50 PM 48,221 Lakeside-1.1.0+1.17.jar
09/09/2021 01:11 AM 140,546,614 MDG+-+(Fabric)+2.0.3.jar
09/09/2021 12:47 PM 113,225 Mob-Rebirth-10.1.1+1.17.1.jar
09/08/2021 11:10 PM 256,209 modmenu-2.0.10.jar
09/09/2021 01:19 AM 12,297 monsters-in-the-closet-1.0.2+1.17.jar
09/09/2021 01:11 AM 24,056 morebakedfoods-1.2.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:30 AM 1,105,572 morevillagers-FABRIC-1.17-2.1.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:56 AM 17,794 namepain-1.4.0+fabric-1.17.x.jar
09/09/2021 01:09 AM 1,235,689 npc-variety-1.17.0-2.1.2.jar
09/09/2021 01:08 AM 49,167 offhandoverhaul-1.1.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:41 AM 831,220 Patchouli-1.17-54-FABRIC.jar
09/09/2021 01:08 AM 24,869 player_transport_duct-1.0.2.jar
09/09/2021 01:07 AM 876,836 pling-1.4.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:48 PM 7,219,696 PresenceFootsteps-r32-1.17-rc1.jar
09/09/2021 01:39 PM 628,995 promenade-2.1.2.jar
09/09/2021 01:06 AM 1,031,086 red-bits-1.10.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:53 AM 5,457,480 repurposed_structures_fabric-2.3.3+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 01:37 AM 48,903 Retail-mc1.17-fabric-0.3.4.jar
09/09/2021 12:52 AM 1,183,016 RingsOfAscension-1.17.1-1.0.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:51 AM 62,009 riverredux-0.2.0.jar
09/09/2021 01:02 PM 1,224,894 RoughlyEnoughItems-6.0.279-alpha-fabric.jar
09/09/2021 12:49 AM 113,784 scary-player-1.1.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:50 AM 382,373 Schmucks-1.17-1.4.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:46 AM 955,841 sihywtcamc-1.4.1+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:46 AM 1,032,506 sihywtcamd-1.5.2+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:39 AM 36,608 SimpleBackpack_Fabric-1.17.1-1.1.19.jar
09/09/2021 12:38 AM 702,560 spiceoffabric-1.4.1+1.17.1.jar
09/09/2021 12:31 AM 604,202 spirit-1.1.0.jar
09/09/2021 12:29 AM 271,945 stoneholm-1.3.jar
09/09/2021 12:27 AM 217,762 totemic-overhaul-1.2_1.17.jar
09/09/2021 01:22 AM 94,708 transportables-1.0.6.jar
09/09/2021 12:41 PM 1,676,199 traverse-4.0.0-beta.2.jar
09/09/2021 12:51 AM 205,979 trinkets-3.0.4.jar
09/09/2021 12:09 AM 116,938 vanilla-essence-2.1.2.jar
09/09/2021 12:48 PM 118,385 vanillaplusbiomes-0.3.2.jar
09/09/2021 12:07 AM 1,358,708 villagernames-1.17.1-2.0.0.jar
09/09/2021 04:58 PM 1,413,292 wanderingcollector-1.0.2+mc1.17.jar
09/09/2021 01:39 PM 181,315 WoodsAndMires-1.1.1+1.17.jar
09/08/2021 11:55 PM 130,775 YungsApi-1.17-Fabric-16.jar

Can you send a list of mods that you are using NPC Variety with? We can't seem to reproduce this right now.