How to Have a Bob

Are you brave enough for a bob? It’s a question I wish I had considered recently before severing off several inches.

Throughout my adult life, I’ve almost always had a short bob haircut—oscillating between a grown-out shag and a lengthy lob; my hair rarely reaching past my shoulders. I considered myself an expert in how to style short hair until a few months ago, when a bob nearly ruined my life.

I was on a work trip in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by beauty industry experts and cocooned in the safety of salon professionals. As part of the experience, I had a hair appointment with a celebrity stylist. Initially, just a wash and style was planned. But once I sat in that powerful swivel chair, I felt pulled to do something more, so I asked the stylist to chop off my already-blunt bob. When she was done, my hair was the shortest it had ever been. The ends curled into the apples of my cheeks, stopping a world above my chin. My colleagues—all getting slicked-back Hailey-Bieber-inspired buns or fluffy ’70s blowouts—couldn’t conceal their shock. People were doing double-takes as I left the salon; even I was stunned by my reflection.

I sent a photo to a friend in a slight panic. “It’s French!” she quipped back, referencing an infamous scene in Fleabag, wherein the uptight character Claire winds up with a lopsided bowl-cut. (...Further down the spiral I went.)

In the weeks that followed, I cowered in self-deprecation when compliments came my way. “Thanks,” I would mutter whenever someone said they liked my hair. “It’s a bit shorter than I wanted.” I didn’t realize that each time these words left my mouth, any semblance of self-confidence melted away.

Herein lay my gravest error—and the reason for my initial question. By lacking bravery in my bob, I was betraying not only myself, but bob-wearers everywhere. This rude awakening came courtesy of TikTok user @perla.nemo, who introduces the concept of “bob dysmorphia” and argues that there is no such thing as a style too short. “The bob can smell your fear,” she warns in a video with over five million views. “If you are wearing a bob and you are not confident, the bob will announce it to the world.” But if you wear it with your head held high, dear reader, you’re basically invincible.

Many people get bobs without first weighing these factors. That’s because, these days, the style has gone undoubtedly mainstream. Last year, we hit peak bob. And in 2025, the reign of blunt chops is only gaining steam. In January, Julia Fox made headlines in a grey swoop-y ’do. Halle Berry’s tousled locks have been the talk of Cannes. At the 2025 Met Gala, Pamela Anderson complemented her now-signature no-makeup look with a wavy cut and tiny bangs. Yes, bobs sure look glamorous—but only when executed with certainty.

The most iconic example is Anna Wintour, whose inscrutably sharp cut has become a token to further mythologize her. I often think back to a rumour about her I heard at New York Fashion Week a few seasons ago. I was squished in a standing section at Proenza Schouler next to another editor, with Wintour seated in our direct eye sight. “I heard she gets it trimmed every week so it always looks the exact same,” the editor whispered. Something about that stuck; the notion that hair alone, when done right, inspires its own world of rich lore.

Applying this context to my recent run-in with an overpowering bob, I decided to take charge of my reflection. Apart from adopting a fake-it-til-you-make-it mentality, the most important step here was finding a hair tool that works. For me, it’s the Revlon Root Booster, a round brush that offers reliably polished styling. I can either swoop my ends in or flip them out. Each time, the result is satisfyingly precise, not unlike a certain Vogue figurehead.

In a beautiful—if terrifying—way, the bob demands self-assurance. With a haircut so blunt, passersby will often offer me non-compliments. (Comments that start as a nicety, but don’t quite cross the finish line.) An iteration I get often: “I would never have the confidence for that haircut. Good for you.” It used to make me want to walk in front of moving traffic. But now, like my hair, I take it on the chin.

And whenever I feel uncertain about how to style short hair, I think back to Perla’s wise words. “Just remember,” she commands in a conspiratorial tone. “You are wearing the bob. Do not let the bob wear you.”