Bangs, or fringe if you prefer, is a style that almost all of us had when we were in Kindergarten. 90% of you were smart and got rid of them, but for those of us who kept them around, we know it takes a hell of a lot of hard work to keep them looking *flawless*. As an almost three-year bang veteran, I’ve encountered plenty of ups and downs. If you have bangs, I’m positive you’ll be able to relate. If you don’t, well, it might be a good idea to read through our everyday struggles before you decide to hop on the trend train.
1. There is no such thing as “throwing your hair in a pony” when you wake up late.
It just does NOT happen. If your fringe has some magical power where it stays flat while you sleep, please let me know where you got it. It takes at least a good fifteen minutes to style bangs; you have to wet them down, so you don’t look like you got electrocuted, blow dry them straight, then go over them with the straightener until they are perfect. Oh, and you can’t forget the hairspray or else all your hard work will go right down the drain once you step out the door.
2. Rain, rain, go away. And the wind, and humidity.
Oh, the weather. The weather app on your phone becomes your best friend when you have bangs. As far as the wind goes, a nice, extremely gentle breeze is fine. But anything over that is an instant fringe ruiner. In a mere .5 seconds, bangs go from looking chic to a tangled up mess. Rain is an absolute no-go. Just don’t even leave the house, or if you do, you’ll need an umbrella and one of those head shawls that your grandma wears. The humidity doesn’t help either – nobody wants bangs that are too straight. Doesn’t the weather understand that we are just trying to look decent? (Real life examples below)
3. Trimming up your bangs, although seemingly simple, is a disaster in hiding.
It doesn’t matter if you go to the hairdresser or watch a YouTube video at home. Your heart starts racing, and your forehead sweats a bit whenever a pair of shears comes near our beloved fringe. Yeah, it’s nice to be able to see once you cut them, but 95% of the time they don’t look just right until they’ve grown out for a couple of weeks. I usually opt to cut them myself, so I don’t feel like killing anyone after the damage is done. If the dreaded bang-nightmare happens – you cut them too short – well, there is no fixing it. You just have to rock the Beyonce baby bangs for a bit. Or stay in your house for ten days and cry. Either way.
4. People are shocked when they see your forehead.
Yes, my bang-less forehead does exist and is alive and well. Especially when you are with a group of people who have only known you WITH bangs, then the bare forehead can be quite the ordeal. Personally, my bangs are practically my security blanket. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my forehead, but my confidence drops a good 20% in situations where I’m forced to show it off. All power to the fringe.
5. Your bangs require maintenance 24/7.
I have a comb in my purse, my backpack, and in my car. Sometimes the “finger fluff” – you know what I mean – doesn’t always do the trick and then it looks like they are glued to your forehead. If my bangs look bad, there is a 10/10 chance I’m having an awful day. In reality, most people probably don’t notice if they are a little messed up. But we notice. Always.
6. Sometimes you hate them; sometimes you love them.
One day, it’s all “screw these bangs, why did I ever try this anyway” and the next day it’s “I love my bangs so much oh my gosh best decision I have ever made they are so cute and fun.” Not only do we deal with the things mentioned above, there is a multitude of other tiny problems: they’re always in our eyes, having to ask “do my bangs look okay?” before you take a picture, and dealing with annoying cowlicks that decide to show up sometimes. Why do we do it? Because it’s the best feeling ever when someone tells you how cute your bangs are, and let’s be honest, we love them too.
So next time you see someone who is rocking their fringe, tell them – because it’s not easy being stylish.