Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

The ‘Heartthrob’ Bob? Here’s What to Know About the ’90s Haircut Taking Over This Spring

The ‘Heartthrob’ Bob? Here’s What to Know About the ’90s Haircut Taking Over This Spring

Meet the ’90s heartthrob haircut, a nostalgia-stoking style that’s primed to be everywhere this spring.

Each year, spring invites meditations on renewal. And since hair is an agent of self-expression (one that’s ever growing and changing), a fresh chop can be particularly inspiring as the season turns. In this spirit, a recent upload on Instagram by hairstylist Mara Roszak stopped me in my scrolling tracks.

“The 90s heartthrob haircut,” read the caption of Roszak’s snap, which showed 25-year-old L.A.-based artist Mariah Krey with her cool blonde lengths sheared into a choppy, layered bob featuring close-cropped layers at the nape of the neck and then longer, cheekbone-sweeping ones at the front. “I’m drawn to the way the hair falls—it feels lived in,” says Krey. “I was going for that ease.”


Per the nostalgia-stoking name coined by Roszak, the references Krey brought to her appointment were Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet, Cameron Diaz in There’s Something About Mary, and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors. “It brought me back to my adolescence in all the right ways,” says Roszak of the process, which found her assessing what version of the cut would work best on Krey’s natural texture. “In the ’90s, many of the boys had this cut—my first crush definitely did!” For Krey, her individualized crop transcends constructs. “I feel free with this cut,” she says, “free of expectations, free of perceptions, and free of conventional beauty standards. I can confidently be me without much thought or effort.”

As someone with 3B curls now feeling the urge to lop off a couple of inches myself, I wondered how a cut like this would suit more textured hair. I got my answer upon seeing Zazie Beetz’s latest look, a cheekbone-carving crop of ringlets. “Zazie has gorgeous hair on her own, but the fun of hair is that you can play with it, and we wanted to see her differently than we’ve ever seen her before,” explains her hairstylist Lacy Redway, who at the request of stylist Jessica Willis for a shoot, crafted a curly bob wig. “We wanted to keep the neckline really clean and have the sharp line of the bob mirror her jawline and accentuate the beautiful shape of her face.” Beetz went on to sport the look on the red carpet, styled fittingly ’90s with a crop top, body chains, and a choker necklace. “For textured girls, it’s nice to play with the shape before actually committing,” Redway notes. According to the pro, that could entail test-driving with a wig à la Beetz or pinning the underlayers of your hair to simulate a bob. If you like what you see, work with a hairstylist to execute your vision.

Beetz sporting her bob.


As demonstrated by the work of both pros, a ’90s-style bob is versatile. To make it natural and air-dried, Roszak uses her lightweight Rōz Santa Lucia styling oil to add shine and definition. To achieve a more wet-look approach, as demonstrated on Beetz, Redway preps hair with Tresemme 5-in-1 texture spray and adds the glossy effect with Dove’s Hair Therapy Brilliant Gloss and Repair. If ever there was a time to go for the chop, it’s this spring. “When the weather changes, [people crave] fresh beginnings,” insists Roszak. And Redway agrees: “You’re shedding the winter layers off of you,” she says. “It’s nice to get the hair off your shoulders and start new.” If all goes according to plan in cut and styling, get ready for your new look to be met with enthusiasm. “This has been my only haircut where I’ve been stopped and gassed up by a stranger on the street,” says Krey. “I can’t help but to blush when it happens!”


What you might find is that an androgynous ’90s bob will not only be transformative above the neck but below it too. For Krey, her relaxed, unfussy chop has also become inextricably linked to the evolution of her personal style. “It’s given me the permission to play with duality, exploring both my feminine and masculine side,” she says. Precut, she leaned into baggy, more shapeless silhouettes, but after she’s been drawn to her own sense of femininity. “It’s taken me a moment to figure out what that looks like since I can no longer rely on my hair to signal it for me,” she says. “But now I am finding myself gravitating toward tighter silhouettes, sheer fabrics, and more delicate lacy things. Even when I just throw on jeans and a white tank, it feels different.” Redway also appreciates the juxtaposition that this type of cut presents. “I love seeing genderfluidity cross over into the hair space and people being more free about how they wanna express themselves,” she says.

While nostalgia is a major factor at play in the current ’90s redux, Krey has found the easy authenticity of this cut to be its biggest allure. “There is such an obsession with ’90s looks, partly because there was such an effortless, laissez-faire vibe to them,” says Krey. “People weren’t really trying to be cool—it was just them.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×