The latest hairstyle trend is currently sweeping the nation one bun at a time. For those of you not quite familiar with a man bun, you only need to look at recent off-duty photos of stars like Leonardo di Caprio, Chris Hemsworth and Jared Leto to get the bun. (Forgive the pun!)
In this metrosexual world we live in, the man bun represents yet another feminine icon we have given a testosterone injection. Think ‘mandals’ (men’s leather sandals) and ‘meggings’ (men’s leggings). I’m pleased to say men have yet to attempt wearing dresses, which we could be aptly name ‘messes’.
The man bun trend is inexplicably linked to the past few years of men letting their hair out, quite literally. Over the past decade we have seen the proliferation of the male obsession with hair growth. The past decade we have witnessed a hint of stubble morph into groomed beards that have evolved into unkempt, full blown Mujahideen-inspired manes to the chin. We have seen hair lengths extend well past the shoulder. Et voila, the man bun was born. Perhaps all this hair growth is an overreaction to balding. When we have hair, let’s flaunt it!
While I admittedly raise a very arched eyebrow to mandals and meggings, the man bun can look great on certain guys, but there are three cardinal rules:
1) It’s best to be stick thin. Leonardo is looking a bit more like a pork bun these days.
2) It’s best to have lots of facial hair already. Boys lacking facial growth may be mistaken for a librarian, their mothers, or both.
3) Best to seek employment as an artist/blogger/model/barista. Buns have yet to make inroads into law, venture capital and private equity.
What the man bun represents is the feminisation of the masculine world, which I don’t think is a bad thing. I think the more we get in touch with our feminine side the better. After all, don’t all boys love their mothers?
