For young women, the buzz cut seems to be going the way of tattoos. And facial piercings. And candy-coated dye jobs. No longer a symbol of rebellion and angst-y rabble-rousers, today’s definition of the hair style centers on one’s individuality and overall aesthetic.
Pop culture is welcoming the lack of length with enthusiasm, a sure sign that the world is ready to allow women to come as they are—or as they would like to be. The 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show sent a cadre of abbreviated manes down the runway; 12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown buzzed off her brunette locks for her star-making role in Stranger Things (according to show creators Matt and Ross Duffer, the style took inspiration from another powerful badass, Mad Max: Fury Road’s Furiosa, as played by Charlize Theron); and classic movie moments like Robin Tunney’s breakdown buzz in Empire Records and Demi Moore’s one-of-the-boys power cut in G.I. Jane feel more relevant and relatable than ever.
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Still, the initial snip does require a moment of daring. Insta-girl Marie Bamage considered breaking up with her naturally curly lengths for a year and a half before she took the plunge. "I began to notice how my levels of self-esteem and self-love often depended on how my hair was looking that day—and good hair days were rare,” says Bamage, a 23-year-old of German-Rwandese descent who, pre-buzz, had the kinked texture to match. “I was so fixated on this glorified idea of long hair that I didn’t look into the opposite direction.” And for Bamage, broadening her perception of beauty came with some welcome fringe benefits. “I see the beauty in more things, not only faces and hairstyles but places, situations, sounds, smells—everything,” she says. “It was one of the most liberating decisions of my life.”
