Vintage (1970-1990 looks such as butterfly clips, fringe, clips, and curls) is coming back into fashion after decades of “That’s so old, though!” Newer and more unique styles such as the wolf cut, a spiky mix between a shag and a mullet, are also making their debut among younger generations, specifically Gen Z
Many of these styles were popularized by K-pop groups. The use of fringes, spikes, and layers that were common among idols spread these styles among Western teens. According to its Wikipedia page, as of 2019, K-pop is the sixth most-played genre throughout the world. As the category of music grew, so did the styles the idols wore.
Unable to go to hair salons during the height of COVID-19, many young people decided to take their hairstyles into their own hands. There was a rise of DIY hairstyles. YouTube and Tiktok only made these styles easier for young adults to do by themselves. Many teens opted to try all the spikes and layers K-pop idols wore. With there being no salons to go to to get these styles, they decided to grab some scissors and a TikTok video and do it themselves.
Unfortunately, because of the self-done styles being so prevalent, many hairstyles don’t have a proper name.
One TikTok user describes how themselves and others don’t gatekeep their hairstyles, but just genuinely don’t know what they’re called on account of them all just doing it themselves in the bathroom at 3:00 AM.
DIY hairstyles also allow the wearer to fully flesh out their dreams hair-wise with no other party there to stop them.
Many see their hair expression as a sense of freedom from old rules and binaries. Cutting their hair in a way that showed who they were made people happy, and they weren’t going to let societal rules and boundaries stop them.
Lanie Shrum, a student at Fraser High School, has been bleaching her hair for two years, and used to dye her bangs pink as well, only stopping because of her parent’s traditional nature. She has front money pieces, a style characterized by bleached pieces of hair framing the face, and layers as well.
Lanie’s hair is a huge part of her self-expression, and often it makes her intensely happy just to see her reflection in the mirror. However, she does desire different styles, even though she can’t fulfill her dreams just yet because of the traditional roles around her.
“Other days I get sad that I can’t entirely have it as I wish yet, and it makes me wish I could move out faster so I could cut and dye it as I please,” Lanie said.
The Fraser student also has a strong belief that hair is a major part of self-expression.
“It’s nice to look in the mirror and see a version of yourself that matches the picture in your head,” Lanie said, feeling strongly that even something as small as hair can do a lot for one’s self-esteem.
Not only did her pink and feminine hair help her self-esteem, but it also brought her to embrace her femininity, something she was often bullied for as a child.
Many teens are also doing their hair in unique ways to go against the gender binary expected of them. More and more women are shaving their hair and getting more masculine haircuts while more men are growing their hair out and pulling off more feminine styles. In older times, these styles would be outrageous, but as the push to de-gender hair and allow people to wear what makes them happy furthers, these styles are becoming more welcomed and natural.
In addition to haircuts, hair colors that stray from the normal black or brown can also be found more commonly among young people. As these colors become more accepted, and jobs are hiring more colorful employees, more and more teens and young adults are dyeing their hair.
40% of Gen Z dyes their hair often as a form of self-expression, and 73% believe that the power of self-expression will allow us to live happier and healthier lives. Through dyeing and cutting hair, Gen Z is able to show their true selves in a world where that is more than often looked down upon.
Unlike young people, who are making history dyeing their hair, older people, especially women, have stopped dyeing their hair.
Throughout life, women are often forced under societal pressure to look as young as possible. Recently, many women have joined an ‘anti anti-aging’ revolution. Whether it be refusing plastic surgery, ignoring all the pressure to stop wrinkling, or even letting their silver hair flow, women around the world have begun to accept and love their age.
Mrs. Van-I, a health science teacher at Fraser High School, stopped dyeing her hair in May of 2024. She has let her silver hair show, and looks great doing it. After years of dyeing her hair, she stopped because of the cost and difficulty of doing it. Even then, the societal pressure for women to look young has affected her.
“It’s been a personal struggle between looking younger and older,” Van-I said.
Despite the pressure, Van-I proclaims that there is a freedom in not dyeing her hair and showing her true self. To this day, Van-I can be seen walking through the halls with silver on her head and a smile on her face.
“There’s definitely a freedom in it. I have definitely felt that,” she said.
HOSA, the school’s health science careers organization, has made its dress code more lenient on the count of it becoming more acceptable that different hairstyles, hair colors, and piercings don’t evaluate how qualified a person is or not.
Though when someone thinks of self-expression with colorful hair, simply bleaching or giving yourself highlights and curls is also a form of self-expression, and also provides happiness to the wearer.
