‘It’s shorthand for what we expect women to look like’: how ‘not-too-done’ hair took over screens in 2024
The 2024 Netflix series Nobody Wants This was widely adored for many reasons – not least the concept of the Hot Rabbi, the renaissance of its star, former The OC geek-hearthrob Adam Brody, and the soothing LA lifestyle porn. But, for many of us, through Brody’s co-stars Kristen Bell and Justine Lupe, it was simply another 2024 example of what has become known in some quarters as “TV hair”.
Throughout the series, Bell and Lupe, playing two very LA sisters who co-host a podcast about sex and relationships, sport a very specific brand of subtly waved hair. Neither ringlets nor straight, it’s glossy and well-styled, done but not too “done”. And it’s in any TV series where white women are the main characters – see Meghann Fahey in The Perfect Couple; Rose Byrne in Platonic; or even, back in 2021, Anna Kendrick in Love Life. It’s arrived in the UK too – Ashley Jensen has TV hair in Shetland, which crucially remains immaculate even on the windswept isle. Far away from the ultra-glam tresses seen on Love Island, this look may be subtly “done”, but – make no mistake – it is definitely “done”.
Tina Farey, the editorial director of the British hair salon chain Rush, says clients have begun using Kristen Bell as a reference for a haircut. “People love how low maintenance this style is – while still so glam. [The waves] beautifully frame most face shapes, with the universal appeal being their ability to add volume and casual elegance to almost any look.”
Beyond the world of box sets, the style that the Wall Street Journal deems “conformist” actually goes by different names: “beachy waves” (according to Farey) or “S-shaped curls”. Barb Thompson, a celebrity hair stylist who worked on Lupe’s do, describes it as “piecey, imperfect hair”.
The influencer Lilliana Vazquez, who runs the fashion and lifestyle Instagram account The LV Guide, says the hairstyle is central to her look. Its ability to sit between different styles is part of its appeal. “I’ve always really liked what I call ‘done but undone’ hair,” she says. “I live in California, and so surfer girls have that, but there’s a polish to Parisians that doesn’t exist with southern California girls. I feel like I’ve combined the two.”
Ease is key, which is partly why it’s become so mainstream. Vazquez says it takes her about 15 minutes, using an inch and a quarter curling iron. “I don’t use the clamp. I push into the hair,” she says. “Otherwise, they look like corkscrew curls and I don’t like that.”
Rachael Gibson, who runs the Instagram account The Hair Historian, dates TV hair back almost 20 years to Lauren Conrad on the noughties reality TV show The Hills.
“I think it’s the shorthand for what we expect women to look like,” she says. “It’s like jeans and a nice top … It suits most people and it’s easy to achieve.”
“Most people” is crucial here – this style is chiefly worn by white women, although it could be achieved with textured hair that is straightened first. “It does feel very white woman-coded,” says Gibson. “You know the Christian Girl Autumn meme where they’re all wearing basically the same outfit and they all have the same hair? It fits into that.”
Unlike other moments when TV and hair came together in the past – see Farah Fawcett’s 1970s flick, the Farah, or Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Rachel’ in the 1990s – this is not a haircut.
The other key difference? It’s straightforward. Aniston has complained about the blow-dries needed for The Rachel, so goodness knows how long it took someone without their own personal hair stylist. This look depends almost entirely on the sort of tool you might easily find in Boots – according to TikTok, the Shark Flexstyle Air Styler and the Dyson Airwrap work wonders. “We’re in a place where it’s not too expensive to buy a decent heat styling tool that will help you [get this look],” says Gibson. “It’s not particularly time-consuming for a lot of people.”
The low-maintenance factor is key to TV hair’s longevity – on TV, it adds a layer of authenticity and makes the characters feel more relatable. But in the real world it brings a feeling of nonchalance. “It can help dress down an outfit if you want to feel more relaxed, and more ‘you’ if you are going to an important event,” says Thompson. “You don’t have to worry about your hair.” Vazquez echoes this: “I really like it for when you’re going out at night and you’re very dressed up, or you’re doing something a little bit fancier,” she says. “Otherwise it’s too predictable.”
