I cut my own ‘trauma bangs’ like ‘Emily in Paris’
They’re living on the fringe.
On the first episode of the new season of “Emily in Paris,” the titular character (Lily Collins) picks up a pair scissors after a bottle of rosé and some romantic and professional drama. She proceeds to cut into her long brown locks.
“Emily, no!” her best friend and roommate Mindy (Ashley Park) says in desperation, but it’s too late. Emily already cut what Mindy jokingly dubs “trauma bangs.”
The emotional hair-hacking moment has resonated with women, many of whom have done something similar at some point. On TikTok, the hashtag #traumabangs has more than 2.1 million views, up from around a million a week ago. Hair stylists say they’re increasingly being called on to fix DIY bangs.
“I’ve had the opportunity to fix many self-inflicted bangs,” Devin Toth, a New York City hair stylist from Salon SCK on Fifth Avenue, told The Post. “When people cut their own bangs, it’s usually done in a desperate haste as opposed to with meticulous planning and precision.”
Toth said he’s seen an uptick in the popularity of bangs of late.
“I’ve definitely noticed an increase in straight-across Birkin [named after ’60s fashion icon Jane Birkin] bangs recently — the kind Lily Collins wore in ‘Emily in Paris’ and Anne Hathaway wore in ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’” he said.
Zara Moses, 29, recently made the rash decision to give herself bangs, but she has no regrets. After a whirlwind romance ended suddenly last month, she picked up a pair of scissors.
“Heartbreak caused me to go for it,” the London-based makeup artist told The Post. “I felt like [they would] cover my face as I was ashamed by getting dumped.”
But, the bangs did more than hide her sad eyes. They’ve made her feel great and helped her in the hunt for a new love.
“[I ended up feeling] empowered and realized I got more attention [with them]!” said Moses, who posted a clip of her new ‘do to TikTok with the caption “I did it, I cut trauma bangs.”
But they’re not always such a success.
“I cut my bangs in 2013, a little before ‘Emily in Paris,’” Anya Gajian, a project manager from Philadelphia, told The Post. “I had just gotten out of a toxic relationship of four years and I was looking to change everything.”
Unfortunately for Gajian, the new look didn’t exactly suit her curly hair, and she instantly regretted the home job.
“I hated it, I should have listened to my best friend when she said not to do it,” the 28-year-old laughed. “I have naturally curly hair … they were always short curly and frizzy.”
On TikTok, @eve21301 said she got trauma bangs because of no particular trauma, but then was traumatized by her new hairstyle.
“I don’t know how to style them and they look awful because I have a really bad cowlick,” she said on the platform.
Such horror stories are why Toth recommended women leave the fringe to professionals.
While Emily’s trauma trim ended up looking adorable on the Netflix show, real life is rarely so rosy.
“Her bangs were an extremely unrealistic success story,” he said. “Instead of being completely ruined and unflattering they were picture perfect.”
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