Rollers, blowouts and long-flowing hair have occupied beauty trends over the past few years. Your TikTok feed was probably filled with blowout tutorials and “How to Grow Your Hair Fast” videos, but recently more people have ditched their long hair and instead, opt for the big chop.

As Coco Chanel once said, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” The recent surge in bob haircuts may not be a coincidence. Are people cutting their hair off because they saw Hailey Bieber do it first, or are there deeper motives behind the haircut?

It is not unusual for people to cut their hair following a life-changing event, such as a breakup or a trauma-inflicting situation. It has been shown in the media for decades as part of the post-breakup “glow up.” For example, Lenny Kravitz said in the nineties following his breakup with Vanessa Paradis, “I needed to change my energy, so I cut my hair. Now, I’m growing some new energy.”

According to Olivia Cefalu at Mane Addicts, hair holds energy, and that was the ultimate motivator behind my considerable cut. In Dazed Digital they reference a Philadelphia psychotherapist Rebecca Newman who stated ​​“When we’re going through a period of transition that is particularly painful, we tend to make decisions that provide immediate relief.”

I had just moved to Italy for the semester, and I also had just ended my seven-year on-and-off relationship, so it only seemed right to get a haircut to enter this new chapter of my life. My hair was almost to my waist. I had known my roommate for about three days, so it only made sense to let her cut off a foot of my hair. She grabbed our rusty kitchen scissors, and I sat on the floor in front of our mirror as she sectioned my hair into two ponytails.

As she took the first snip of my hair, she looked down at me and said, “Whatever this ends up looking like, you can’t be mad at me.” Yet, as she kept cutting, I began to feel better and better. I have always had an extreme attachment to my hair, to the point where I have cried in too many hairdressers’ chairs to count. However, in that moment, it just felt right to chop off the hair that was weighing me down. Fundamentally, it was not the best bob cut ever, but I loved it because it felt like a fresh start.

While it can be freeing to cut off your hair, it is also true that so many celebrities are sporting a bob right now, which influences hair trends for the coming seasons. While this style can be influenced by your favorite “it-girl”, there could also be a deeper meaning behind the cut. So, while some may think it is rash to cut your hair during a time of distress, changing your look might be exactly what you need.

Support Student Media

Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.