The Boys Are Having Fun With Their Hair Again

My fiancé has gorgeous hair; he's been told so all his life. Has that stopped him from buzzing those golden curls off over and over again? Devastatingly, no. But I think he's finally beginning to understand that a little length can lead to a very good time—especially when you put some thought into how it's styled.

While a good haircut is never a dealbreaker for a crush—the 'do can always be fixed once you're in love and they're more likely to take your styling advice—more and more boys seem to be having fun with their hair these days, all on their own. They're rocking interesting cuts and changing things up more regularly, and we get to bear witness to each easily fancam-able shake of their heads.

The Trend

To be fair, boys seem to be having more fun with beauty in general these days. They're smellmaxxing, flush balm-ing, and of course breaking their bones with hammers (less fun, but unfortunately a real trend).

Some key players in this movement include West Wilson and the modcut that possibly broke a Bravo franchise, the Heated Rivalry boys (Hudson Williams has a heartthrob haircut, and Connor Storrie has been switching up his curls to match his outfits), ASAP Rocky and his braids, Cameron Winter of Geese and Shane Michael Boose of Sombr and their curly bangs, Archie Madekwe's curls in general, Paul Anthony Kelly's American Love Story JFK Jr. hair, Leon Bridges' changing part(s), and The Beatles movies' boys—whatever is happening there. Shoutout to Oasis, too—last year's reunion has to have played a role here.

At the Golden Globes in January, there was a lot of boy bleach going on—Joe Keery and Glen Powell both showed up with different takes on frosted tips. Jacob Elordi's mullet also belongs on the list of course (searches on Yelp for “mullet haircut men” are up 97% since 2024), as does Timothée Chalamet's buzzcut and subsequent curl growth. He gets points for changing it up!

Why It's Happening

Maybe everyone saw how good Elordi looked on his Frankenstein press tour and decided to try something different. Maybe its just that the '70s turned '90s are back for everyone at the salon, or maybe we just need something nice to hold on to, and the easiest something is a good haircut.

"For so long, men were just barber-shopping. Then, die-hard fade boys started growing their hair out and realizing that they had really cool hair. [People who would say] 'I hate my curly hair' all of a sudden were leaning into their natural wave. And then with that comes the compliments," explains celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillan. "Literally, even me with my one-inch hair on my head, I'm getting compliments left and right. When people give you a compliment about your hair, that one compliment really goes a long way."

Return of the Modcut

Another star of the show is the modcut in general. Isabella Sementilli, a stylist at Mare Salon in Los Angeles, saw her books fill with boys after a '60s mod cut she posted online went viral. She describes the style as "like an edgier member of the Beatles."

"I see men embracing a little more length and their own hair texture, less of a clipper-clean cut corporate look," the stylist tells Byrdie. "I’ve personally helped a few men switch up the shape to something more 'cool' and tailored to their style, despite working at corporate offices."

You know how a baby boy will get his first haircut and everyone will say "he looks so grown up now!"? This is sort of the opposite of that. The boys are certainly cutting their hair—there are great stylists at work behind-the-scenes—but not in any crisp style that can be dictated by a number (which corresponds to the clipper length). One thing about babies, though: they know how to relax and maybe even have a little fun. Who wants to be a grown up when you can play with toys and brush bangs out of your eyes like Trip Fontaine?

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Try It Out

If you, yourself, are a boy, or if you're someone who appreciates a charming, boyish haircut regardless of gender identity, you can absolutely join the ranks. It's pretty easy; you just have to have fun. And you can start small!

"Start by just cleaning up your neck and your sideburns instead of going for the full fade. Or, if you're a fade guy, lower your fade," says McMillan. "Harry Jowsey is also a great example. He doesn't wear a mullet or anything, but he wears his hair tight on the sides, tight at the nape of the neck, and with sort of a tousled top"

The best advice I have to give is to look at the inspiration around you (god forbid you have to stare at some pictures of Jacob Elordi), see a hairstylist who gets the vision, and maybe spend some time deducing which Beatle you resemble most.

And boys, I'm so glad you're having a nice time. I can't wait until more of you discover how much fun blush is.