According to millions of TikTokers, the definitive hairstyle of Gen Z is the middle part! Not a left-side part or right-side part, but a part straight down the middle. Generation Z has led many social movements in their short lifetime, but one of their biggest movements is embracing your flaws.
"In the 2000s, you had buzzed sides and a mohawk or faux-hawk on top; in the 2010s, we went longer and had a man bun on top," says Hawkins. "These days, we're seeing a shaggier bang, as is the case with the wet mop, or a curlier bang, like the broccoli cut.
A wolf cut is a type of haircut that is shorter and thinner on the sides with shaggy messy bangs. It emphasizes face-framing layers and rugged texture. As its name suggests, the wolf cut is a little wild. Think of it as a shaggy haircut with a lot of personality.
The broccoli haircut, also known as the zoomer perm or bird's nest cut, is similar to the indie-inspired looks of the 00s, featuring shaved or faded sides and a whole lot of volume and length on top.
But why is Gen Z so obsessed with the middle part? A theory posed by The Cut is that the younger generation is more open to accepting flaws and they therefore feel less need to hide part of their face behind their hair.
In fact, NPD Group found that people born between 1946 and 1964 increased their skinny jean spending between 2019 and 2021. On the flip side, Gen Z'ers prefer straight-leg jeans, followed by relaxed, wide, and boyfriend fits.
The term "ghost layers" was first coined by celebrity stylist Ramon Garcia, but the style is also commonly referred to as invisible or internal layers. Essentially, it's a cutting technique involving subtle layers that are camouflaged within the hair to give the appearance that everything is one length.
The Waterfall Cut is such a beautiful cut that suits medium to long hair that's straight, wavy or curly. The soft, rounded layers, waves and curls cascade like a waterfall. In the shape of a upside down teardrop, tapering into a softly rounded V-shape at the ends.
The "wet mop" and the "broccoli" haircut are basically the same thing, explains Hawkins, who describes them as "the go-to cuts for all the young heartthrobs on TikTok." The style — which is long on the top and closely cropped or faded on the sides — is actually a silhouette that has been around for decades, but has ...
If that's the case, you'll be wild about the wolf cut—an audacious hybrid of a tousled shag and a modified mullet that's currently taking TikTok by storm. “It's a great choice if you have medium-length hair,” says Lund. “The choppy layers create movement around the chin and jawline, which helps soften a round face.”
The Wolf Cut originated in Japan, is all over TikTok, and fast becoming a popular request in salons across the world. The heavy layers, asymmetrical fringe, and hair that flips or floats up in the back has a sense of looking edgy, yet chic, plus requires minimal styling.
A butterfly haircut combines short layers with long layers to give your hair dimension, movement and body. The short, wispy layers hit around the chin to frame your face, highlight your features and even contour a round face shape.
Gen Z design aesthetics are often inspired by nostalgia, particularly for periods such as the early 1990s that the generation perceives to have been more stable than their childhood years.
Gender-fluid clothing is also more popular among Gen Z
Interest in gender-fluid or neutral clothing has only increased as this generation has aged up. It's also interesting that some of the other top styles they're interested in, namely streetwear and loungewear, are very gender-neutral friendly.
Gen Z and Millennials have driven the rise in mainstream popularity of tattoos; what used to be reserved for sub-cultures is now popular for anyone and everyone. The gens before them viewed tattoos as a highly serious, permanent decision, but young people have a more light-hearted approach to getting inked.
"Hair dusting is a technique in which you don't get rid of any hair length, but only the damaged hair tips. This can be done by snipping the very bottom of each hair strand. Think of it in terms of removing fuzz from clothes," Los Angeles-based stylist, Sal Salcedo, explained to Refinery29.
“The skunk hair trend is when the hair is parted evenly down the middle and each half-section is colored in two, extremely contrasted shades,” Hillier explains. More specifically, one side is completely black and the other side is a stark white or an almost platinum blonde (like the animal's signature tail).
The hairstyle, defined by long, loose, and slightly unkempt waves, is said to be inspired by the Italian painter's romantically-captured subjects with flowing hair.
The Silent Haircut – How does it work? The salon stylist will still talk clients through their consultation, and ask any hair related information throughout the service, but the rest of the time is quiet. To have a quiet appointment, clients have to ask for a 'silent' cut or colour when booking.
In the movie Joker, the Joker has medium length hair that sits just above his shoulders. If you have hair longer than that, cut it short so that it just hits the top of your shoulders. If you don't want to cut your hair, you don't have to. However, it will look the most authentic if your hair is the right length.
Similar to a mullet, the style features more body and volume at the crown of the head (the head of the octopus) and then longer, thinner, shag-like layers from the mid-shaft to ends (the tentacles). Though the octopus haircut is inspired by both the mullet and shag, it is neither.
Born between 1995 and 2010, this generation have already found themselves up against immense challenges as they make their way into adulthood: climate change, inequality and social unrest, political division, economic distress and more.
Gen Z is also the smartest and best educated generation. Having an unlimited wealth of information at our disposal has not gone to waste. In America, 57 percent of Gen Z is reported to have enrolled in a two-year or four-year college, compared to 52 percent of Millenials and 43 percent of Gen X.
While 83 percent of people born between 1928 and 1945 (dubbed “the Silent Generation”) were married by age 37, researchers predict that Gen Z - born between 1997 and 2012 - are marrying far less.