The time has come. Bobs, pixie cuts, and bangs galore. It’s that part of the hair trend cycle again where people are doing the Big Chop, and we are here for it.
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The time has come. It’s that part of the hair trend cycle again where people are doing the Big Chop, and honestly, we’re living for it. Allure predicted that nostalgic, short hair styles are going to make a splash in 2023, and so far, they’re right. Bobs, wolf cuts, pixies, short bangs, and more are making the rounds in style these days, and maybe you’re thinking you should follow suit?
@keeleydelaneey your honor.. your honor shes slaying! no but really I think this is the best hair style ever had!!!!🥹🌈 #hair #haircut #shorthair #shoulderlengthhair #chop #bob #boston #safar #hairstyle ♬ glow up challenge – spencer 💅
RESTART, REFRESH, REVAMP
You don’t have to be going through it to feel an urge to cut your hair, but it has been proven to signify a certain change in one’s life. Whether it’s because of a breakup (Venus retrograde has been especially unkind, to celebrities at least) or simply wanting to spice up your look as you go through a lull in your life, sometimes a chop is just what you need. Check out Zendaya, for example, who rocks every hairstyle, but also posted that she “needed a little refresh.”
Zendaya/Instagram
Hair is tied to choice and agency, identity, and even culture. The freedom to do what we want with our hair is intrinsically linked to who we are. No wonder many people are loving their short hair—and as well as those who cry after regretting their new cut!
A hilarious scene in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag delves into what hair means to women, and it strikes a balance between being commentary on beauty standards and femininity, and being a reminder that hair doesn’t change lives as drastically as we wish it would.
But a chop could still affect our lives, give us confidence, and express our personalities and creativities. Whatever your decisions may be, hopefully it’s made with much thought and consideration.
TO CHOP OR NOT TO CHOP
If you do decide to chop, there’s plenty of styles you can experiment with. Aside from Zendaya’s voluminous layered, Rachel Green-esque hairdo, recent new celebrity chops include Kim Kardashian’s sleek bob (or FAB, depending on who you ask), Yujin of IVE’s cute bob with bangs, and Keke’s edgy, tousled ‘do. You can keep a “short” haircut still pretty long, or go wild with pixie cuts, bangs, color, and the like.
Taylor Swift announcing 1989 (Taylor’s Version) actually precedes some of these chops. Inspired by her short hair era in 2014 to 2016, people are chopping their hair off to signify their own new era beginning. It also ties back to the notion of agency—agency in taking control, agency in cutting hair, agency in Taylor’s reclamation of her discography. While Taylor herself has not returned to a short ‘do, it just goes to show that people place a lot of meaning in hair, haircuts, and hairstyles.
@.ashley.kay in my 1989 era 🩵 #haircut #hairtransformation #swifttok #taylorswift #1989taylorsversion #1989 ♬ son original – 𝘼( Taylor’s version )
Other precedents to cutting hair could be stress, anxiety, or a need to feel in control. When emotions run high, sometimes we take it out on our hair. It could end up being a good distraction, or even an act of liberation. But essentially, before you give in to the universal urge to chop your hair, you have to consider at least a few things: why you’re doing it, what do you want out of it, and how would you feel once it’s done?
And while your personal decisions shouldn’t really be contingent on what’s trendy or how stressed you feel at a certain point in time, it’s always good to try new things. Be sure to not jump into things without any thought unless that’s what you really want to do. Ask the right questions and plan the right execution. Hair may not be everything, but it definitely means something.
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