There’s no arguing it: bobs are the most talked-about hairstyle of 2017. (Buzz cuts, you fought well.) By our calculations, the most recent bob resurgence began this past February. Around that time, Cara Taylor opened Alexander Wang’s Fall 2017 runway sporting a blunt, freshly chopped mane and it seemed as if, in that moment, the age-old bob cut was reborn. It girls and street style stars were quick to embrace the abbreviated hairstyle. Among them Bella Hadid, who debuted a long bob cut — and shiny new Alexander Wang catsuit — on the steps of the 2017 Met Gala. (She’s since gone even shorter.)
Obviously, once Bella does something, the fashion world follows suit, but it’s not just the supermodel’s co-sign that’s given the trend wings. Bobs are an easy sell: they’re incredibly easy to maintain, they’re surprisingly versatile (especially in lob form) and for reasons we’ll get into in a second, they exude confidence.
As Fashionista contributor Sara Idacavage explains in her deep dive into bob history: “On a subconscious level, [the bob haircut] still serves as an indicator of a woman’s choice to break from tradition. While cropped hair has been worn by women across the globe for thousands of years, beauty ideals for women throughout the majority of Western history have usually included long hair (a standard that’s held far more constant than those ascribed to ‘ideal’ body types).” It’s no surprise that, in a year that’s made women acutely aware of socially sanctioned gender injustices, so many have embraced the DGAF-about-dated-beauty-ideals-but-still-want-to-have-some-hair hairstyle.
Thinking of taking the bob plunge? You’ll be in good company. Scroll through the gallery below to see which celebs are currently rocking long bob cuts (the chop’s more wearable form) and pick up some styling tips along the way.
[ Next: 45 Gorgeous Long Bobs that Will Make You Want to Go for the Chop ]
Celebrity Long Bob Haircuts
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Emily Ratajkowski
Model-turned-actress Emily Ratajkowski turned up at Nina Ricci's Spring 2018 show sporting glossy, shoulder-skimming chestnut waves. Take a cue from Ratajkowski's beauty book: go for a blunt-ended chop, part it deeply and pair it with nude lips and strong brows.
Image: Mireya Acierto/Getty Images
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Alexa Chung
Early long bob cut adopter Alexa Chung polished up her just-rolled-out-of-bed texture with a flick of inky feline eyeliner.
Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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Gabrielle Union
Add dimension to your abbreviated mane with a few natural-looking highlights; highlight your shoulder-grazing crop with a clavicle-baring top.
Image: Edward Berthelot/GC Images
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Jemima Kirke
Or go all in — take the crop plunge and the peroxide plunge at the same. damn. time. (Side note: dangly statement earrings are a long bob haircut's best friend.)
Image: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for AT&T
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Padma Lakshmi
At this year's Emmy Awards, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi debuted a sleek yet shaggy chop that ended up being one of our favorite beauty looks of the evening. On top of looking ultra-sexy, punky, piecey lobs basically style themselves.
Image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
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Yara Shahidi
Medium hair length, maximum volume. Curly-haired girls: pair springy ringlets with statement earrings for a 70s-reminiscent look.
Image: Leon Bennett/Getty Images
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Selena Gomez
For September's Harper’s Bazaar Icons party, Selena Gomez, master in the art of lob styling, coaxed her auburn crop into a half-up 'do that took its cues from the 1960s. At the front, two center-parted, face-framing sections softened the voluminous lewk.
Image: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
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Emma Stone
By default, bobs have something of a triangular shape, but if you part your hair deeply and sweep the remaining section behind your ears you'll get an effortlessly glam asymmetric look.
Image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
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Marion Cotillard
Here, a more dramatic take, courtesy of French actress Marion Cotillard.
Image: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images
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Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander's seemingly (but definitely not) air-dried tousle is proof that, no matter how laissez-faire your styling methods, a long bob cut always feels put together.
Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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Margot Robbie
At the London premiere of her new film Goodbye Christopher Robin, Margot Robbie slayed the red carpet with her side-slicked, wet-look, blunt-ended, slightly fanned lob. A pop of lemon eyeshadow and swipe of rosy blush provided the perfect finishing touch.
Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage
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Cate Blanchett
With this hair length your neck is fully on display. Show off your statement chokers, your glittery turtlenecks, your Victorian-leaning blouses.
Image: Rich Polk/Getty Images for Disney
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Bella Hadid
As in life, as on the runway. At Versace's Spring 2018 show, Bella Hadid, lover of all things 90s, wore her lob center-parted, slicked, tucked and pinned with Cher Horowitz-approved metal barrettes.
Image: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images
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Chloë Grace Moretz
Chop off your hair; expose your roots. Everyone's doing it.
Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Jennifer Lawrence
Not ready to commit to a classic blunt bob? Start with a layered, A-line or undercut lob — whatever flatters your face most. You can go shorter later, if you're so inclined.
Image: Alessandra Benedetti - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images