The big bangs: Boys are sporting Justin Bieber’s fabulous fringe

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/07/2010 (5767 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but let’s get one thing straight here:

Not every boy of a certain age who likes to wear his hair combed forward, with textured layers and long, side-swept bangs is a true Belieber.

"I just like the way it looks," Winnipegger Giancarlo Alongi, 13, said following a recent visit to Essentique Spa Salon on Academy Road to have his dark locks cut into one of the hottest hairstyles on the planet.

The trendy coif — reportedly called the Flow, the Flip and Switch, the Twitch, or just The Bieber — is named for (duh) 16-year-old Stratford, Ont., singing sensation Justin Bieber.

"I’m not a fan. I actually don’t know too much about him," says Alongi, whose musical tastes lean more toward post-hardcore bands like Burlington, Ont.’s Silverstein than love-sick, R&B-infused pop tunes.

"But I guess lots of girls like him."

Understatement of the decade, we know. But the lad makes a point.

Bieber’s fab flip is in demand among tween and teen boys, and the reason likely has more to do with basic biology than hero worship.

"I don’t think too many guys are really fans of Justin Bieber, but the girls like him and the guys want to be liked by the girls, so…" says Chloe Wowryk, a stylist at Hair F/X on Grosvenor Avenue.

Not that young males are pouring into salons with a copy of Tiger Beat tucked under their arm — at least not here in Winnipeg.

"It’s happened a few times, where boys will bring in pictures from his CD or a poster and say, ‘This is what I want,’" says Samantha Lacoste, assistant stylist at Bang! Hair on Corydon Avenue.

Usually, it’s more subtle than that.

"Boys are pretty shy about bringing in pictures, and they won’t actually say, ‘I want to look like Justin Bieber,’" Wowryk says. "But they’ll show me the swoop bang and how they try to style it like he does, by pushing everything forward. So they’re saying it without saying it.

"Now if their girlfriend comes in with them, that’s a different story."

Alana Bueckert, the Essentique stylist who did Alongi’s hair, describes the cut as a round shag — basically a more layered and polished version of the Beatles’ iconic "mop top." She’s given the Bieber look to male clients as young as four.

"The bangs are definitely a huge feature of it — very long with lots of texture," she says.

Bieber bangs threaten to cover the eyes, so they must be constantly flicked or flipped aside, preferably with a bit of a swagger. Most fans would no doubt agree that the baby-faced singer’s practised hair-flipping is part of his riot-inducing charm. According to a popular YouTube video, it only takes him a few minutes with a towel and a blow dryer to get his brown mane looking impeccably tousled.

But while the shaggy look — also popular among skateboarders — is definitely the "it" look for teenage boys, Bueckert says many mistakenly believe they can get it simply by letting their hair grow out.

"In actuality, they have to come in and have it shaped properly," says the stylist, who used grooming clay and a flat iron to polish Alongi’s new ‘do. "It actually grows out quite well if it’s cut properly."

The teen says some of his friends are also sporting the Bieber cut (not that they’d call it that), including one curly haired pal who has to spend some quality time with a flat iron every morning.

All three hairstylists say they’ve sold those straightening irons to young male clients. Beliebers or not, pubescent primping is by no means a solely feminine pursuit.

"In general, boys are wanting styled hair more and more," Bueckert says. "Of all the boys between 13 and 17 who come in here, 80 per cent are wearing styles that require some kind of brush or product or a flat iron or something to help them get that look."

carolin.vesely@freepress.mb.ca

All the styles we’ve loved (or not) before

 

THE POMPADOUR

Description: The style is achieved by brushing the sides back and the front straight up, then blending them together and creating a swirl just above the forehead. Requires lots of pomade or gel to keep it in place.

Who made it hot: James Dean, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty

 

THE MOP TOP

Description: Similar to a bowl cut, this style is collar-length at the back, covers the ears and has long, straight bangs.

Who made it hot: The Beatles

 

THE SHAG (feathered hair)

Description: The style is characterized by many layers that gradually become longer. The hair was brushed back at the sides, giving an appearance similar to the feathers of a bird.

Who made it hot: David Cassidy, the Bee Gees, Leif Garrett

 

THE MULLET

Description: "Business in the front, party in the back," was the catchphrase for this infamous ‘do that’s short — or even shaved — at the sides, and long in the back. Also known as hockey hair.

Who made it hot: Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Bolton

 

THE CAESAR

Description: Named after Julius Caesar, the hairdo is short and cropped with even bangs that can be worn down or gelled up and back.

Who made it hot: George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Eminem

 

THE FAUX HAWK

Description: A mohawk for the chickenhearted. Instead of shaving the head, faux hawkers cut the sides and back short and keep the top longer, then spray or gel everything upward, creating the illusion of a mohawk.

Who made it hot: David Beckham, Ricky Martin

 

THE COMB-OVER

Description: "An arrangement of hair on a balding man in which hair from the side of the head is combed over the bald spot," according to the promo for Combover: The Movie. (Yes, someone made a documentary about it.)

Who’s to blame: Donald Trump