French girls have somehow managed to make the bowl cut chic

Excusez moi?

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / February 21 2022

The term ‘bowl cut’ is one that has historically sent shivers down our spines, and incurs traumatic flashbacks to our mothers hacking at our hair in the kitchen with nothing but a bowl and a pair of scissors to aid them. 

But it seems, finally, we’re starting to soften to the idea of returning to a hairstyle that used to give us literal night terrors. 

And evidently, we have the French to blame.

A country seeped in fashion history and classic tastes, it seems the French have got their hands on the bowl cut and have decided that it is their duty to make it chic. 

And we’d put up more of a fight – if we hadn’t already weakened at the sight of the modern mullet celebrity hair trend.

As for the French bowl cut? It’s decidedly nostalgic and makes reference to the structured, textural cuts of the ‘90s. Think: Linda Evangelista and Halle Berry.

Image credit: Getty

Image credit: Getty

The modern French version is made more palatable through accessorising, which came as a surprise to us.

Truth be told, prior to the French getting their hands on it, the only headwear we deemed suitable for accessorising a bowl cut was a very large hat. 

French stylist Loïcka Grâce has schooled us all however, on how to appropriately style a bowl cut by demonstrating the versatility of a headscarf: positioned at the top of the head with a few inches of fringe on show. 

Image credit: @thevisuelofgrace

Image credit: @thevisuelofgrace

Accessorising or no, we do have to admit, the bowl cut is not for the faint of heart. Are you up for the challenge? This could be the perfect opportunity to start a scarf collection…

Main image credit: @thevisuelofgrace

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).