Opt for the Hime Haircut for A Fresh Spring Chop
If you're looking for a unique hairstyle to sport this season, try out the trendy hime cut.
This spring, the hime cut has emerged as one of the most viral hair trends of 2024. Looking to refresh your hair and swap out your curtain bangs or '90s C cut for something new? There's no time like the present.
Whether you have curly hair or pin-straight locks, the hime cut can be adapted for any hair type or texture. Characterized by bluntly cut strands of hair sitting at the jaw, the hime cut is the next sharp, sleek It girl look to aspire to. Although many popular variants of the look include straight-across bangs, if you're not quite ready to make the commitment, the short face-framing locks are sure to stun all the same. Unlike many other trending bang styles of the moment, the hime cut does not require a tremendous amount of upkeep. A trim every few months and the occasional styling tool—if you wake up with a particularly wild bedhead look—will suit the hime cut just fine.
If you're looking to switch up your look this season, why not try out the hime cut? Join L'OFFICIEL for a guide through the fresh, elegant style, and learn about the history behind the look, celebrities sporting the hime cut, and hair inspiration to take with you on your next trip to the salon.
What is the Hime Cut?
The hime cut, which has emerged as a major hair trend of 2024, has roots tracing all the way back to Japanese royal and ceremonial fashion. In the Heian period in Japan, high-ranking and noble-born women partook in a coming-of-age ceremony at age 16, known as binsogi, in which their long hair would be cut into short, choppy locks that framed the face.
Although it was not historically known as the hime haircut, the style has taken on the name in reference to the Japanese word, hime, meaning princess, as the look was typically associated with royalty.
The hime cut saw a massive resurgence in popularity in the '70s, when Japanese pop star Megumi Asaoka sported the style, prompting fans and fellow industry icons to follow suit. Since then, the haircut has cropped up as a popular style in Japan and Korea, but in recent months, the look has exploded in popularity around the globe.
Hime Cut on Celebrities
Doona!, a 2023 Netflix K-Drama that has exploded in popularity since its release, has played a major role in the recent hime cut renaissance. Starring former K-Pop idol Bae Suzy and Yang Se-Jong, popular actor and model, the series follows two young adults as they fall in love and navigate the difficulties of maintaining a relationship. Fans of the series quickly formed an obsession with Bae Suzy's haircut in the show, and stills of the actress with the hime cut went viral on social media.
While the hime cut undoubtedly remains more popular in Japan and Korea, fashion icon and BAFTA nominee Vivian Oparah sported a variation on the hime cut at the 2024 BAFTA Awards, where she made headlines thanks to her impeccable style.
K-Pop idols are well-known for their ability to influence their fans with their fashion choices—take the Internet's Y2K craze driven by New Jeans, for example—and hairstyles are no exception. Momo, singer and dancer of the girl group Twice, has sported the hime cut in recent years, and fans have taken to social media to share photos of the idol as well as the results of their own Momo-inspired haircuts.
Hime Cut Inspiration
If you're in search of hime cut inspiration to show your hairstylist, let L'OFFICIEL guide you down the right path. Whether you're looking to get a variation of the style including baby bangs, elements of a '70s shag cut, or going the traditional path, we've got you covered.
