Bob cuts have reached their redemption era this year.
We all have those shared horrifying flashbacks to our adolescent years, all wanting to experience the big chop to live out our Edna Mode fantasy before realizing the beloved bob isn't as to pull off as it appears. For many, it remains an unsettling experience we prefer to leave in the past, but our favorite celebrities are making a strong case for why it may be time to revisit the hairstyle.
If there is one thing that has been clear in 2023, it's that bob cuts are in. Of course, you could argue that the hairstyle is more a classic than a trend, as there's someone who's sporting a bob every season. But, this year, celebrities aren't just sporting the traditional, clean-cut bob hairstyle, numerous versions of bobs are being explored. So far, there's been the butterfly bob, Italian bob, box bob, blunt bob, shag bob, and braided bob, to name a few.
At the 2023 Golden Globes, Jenna Ortega's signature wolf cut was transformed into a chopped lob, featuring curtain bangs and '60s-esque flipped ends. Both super edgy and glamorous, the hairstyle was the real winner of the red carpet, though her cutout nude Gucci gown certainly added to the whole look.
But perhaps there is no one who has embraced the year of the bob more than the one, the only, Zendaya. Any hairstyle Zendaya sports immediately goes viral — she is this generation's biggest It girl after all. While she's never been one to shy away from experimenting with various haircuts (be it a mullet, locs, box braids, cornrows, an afro, finger waves, and the list goes on), right now, she is clearly embracing shorter lengths.
Her bob takeover technically started in 2022, when posted a video on Instagram in December showing off her newly chopped hair. Taking place at the Euphoria reunion event in Los Angeles, she looked ever-chic with her "boyfriend bob", a style that resembles the traditional bob cut but has more bluntness to the ends.
At the 2023 NAACP Awards and SAG Awards, the Dune star unveiled a new style that remains one of her most well-known hairstyles to date — the butterfly bob. The curls are playful, romantic, a shorter version of the '70s shag and '90s bombshell blowout. Bobs are traditionally known to be straight and sleek — the butterfly bob proves otherwise as it's incredibly textured due to its various layers and is highly voluminous.
At the Bulgari Hotel Roma event in Rome, Zendaya switches it up once again, this time presenting a side-swept wispy bob (closer to a lob). There is truly no hair length she can't pull off, having the masses panicking about what haircut of hers we should try as we make our next hair appointment. While Zendaya has been the queen of bobs this year, she's not the only celebrity who hopped aboard the bandwagon.
With a mix of nostalgia and new beginnings, shorter hair lengths were forecasted to have a major resurgence this year, and while celebrities have been living up the expectations, the return of the short hair era has also been spotted on the runways and in street style.
With still a few months left before the year is over, we won't be surprised if more versions of bob cuts are unveiled in the salon chair (or in the case of celebrities, on the red carpet). And if the hair trends from the Spring/Summer 2024 runways have anything to say, short hair will still be all the rage next year, though we're going even shorter with an edgy buzzcut.
But let's focus on the present. If you're looking to hop on the bob-cut trend, find more celebrity inspiration below, from Hailey Bieber to Halle Bailey to Florence Pugh.
