(Hair)
Before the second wave of butterfly clips, chokers, and scrunchies hit, it would have been considered a capital sin to look through your junior high school yearbook seeking any sort of fashion or beauty inspiration. Nevertheless, here you are, years later, attempting to recreate those chunky highlights you once thought were so cringeworthy. Indeed, '90s hair trends are in — like, pretty much all of them — and in case you don't have that yearbook handy, here are nine celebrity looks to get the throwback juices flowing.
Between Selena Gomez's interpretation of The Rachel and the sudden resurgence of half-up space buns (looking at you, Hailey Bieber), the current hair era is looking more '90s than even the '90s themselves. You've got Beyoncé bringing back her Destiny's Child money piece streaks, Kendall Jenner and company constantly twisting their tresses into old-school claw clips, and don't even get started on the face-framing tendrils.
It's only a matter of time before everyone breaks out the crimpers and flips the ends of their bobs — oh wait, Kim Kardashian has already beat you all to the punch. If you're prone to flashbacks of embarrassing pre-teen years, then look away now. Ahead, nine celebrity-approved '90s hair trends to try out this summer.
Hair Flip
Seen in just about every ‘90s film, the hair flip is back and bolder than ever in 2021. All you’ll need is a round brush and your trusty blow dryer to give your ends a sassy flip.
Micro Baby Bangs
An ode to Drew Barrymore and every other ‘90s icon, baby bangs are back. Situated right above the brow, these have become a 2021 cool girl staple.
Volumized Curls
Mariah Carey’s ‘90s album cover was a standout for curls all over. Once the megastar embraced her natural curls, it granted freedom to wear your curls as natural and voluminous as you liked, and the same mentality is being see in 2021. In 2021, curls are glossy with minimal product and the bigger the better.
Chunky Highlights
In recent years, stepping out with high-contrast highlights would have been a major faux pas. Cut to 2021 and chunky streaks are a bonafide fashion statement. To make it even more nostalgic, '90s idols Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez are leading the trend.
Gathered Into A Claw Clip
The evolution of the age-old claw clip has been a complex one, initially rising to fame via Friends' Rachel Green, then being relegated to the bathroom sink, only to be worn during hair drying sessions for literal decades. These days, the accessory is a mainstay in Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Bella Hadid's lazy-day hairstyles.
The Rachel
Speaking of Rachel Green: One cannot simply talk about '90s hairstyles without mentioning the mother of them all. Jennifer Aniston's famous shaggy, layered cut (which, by way, she did not appreciate as much as the rest of us) made an appearance by way of Selena Gomez last year.
Twin Buns
This playful updo emerged from the days of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century but its Disney identity has since been challenged by a 50-year-old, space bun-wearing Jennifer Lopez. The singer's half-up twin buns — with highlights — was every '90s thing worth copying wrapped up into one look.
Face-Framing Tendrils
Perhaps the most prevalent throwback trend of 2021 is the wispy tendril. Chances are you used to waste entire mornings away hair spraying these face-framing bangs until you were blue in the face, so you're probably even more of an expert on this aesthetic than 24-year-old tendril queen Hailey Bieber.
Half-Up, Half-Down
Nobody does '90s like Bella Hadid. Although she wasn't even born until the later half of the decade, the girl sure knows how to channel her inner Clueless-era Alicia Silverstone with the high ponies, the claw clips, and jersey headbands. This half-up, half-down style with face-framing tendrils looks to have been plucked straight from the pages of a history book.
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