When we think of 00s hair, we think poker-straight, butterfly clips, chunky highlights and space buns. Basically, there's a whole box of iconic 00s styles that live in our heads rent-free. But Paris Hilton's latest post has just brought one flooding right back – and it's one that we'd totally forgotten about.
In the late 00s, a messy bun was not one you plopped on top of your head before bed, oh no. Circa 2006-2011 a messy bun was a pretty neatly slicked bun that then became teased, backcombed, pulled and tucked into a carefully orchestrated explosion for the actual bun part.
While that style held it's place in my hairstory books, the levelled-up coolest-girls-in-school take of adding a headband-like crown of French braid to your masterpiece, had completely escaped me. That is, until today, when the queen of the 00s herself, Miss Hilton, just brought it back, during a Barbiecore moment in the Bahamas. Where else?
Swipe to pic three for the close up:
This style was a force, it had us in a chokehold. It had the girls who could French braid hiding for cover, while the secrets of the perfect way to tease just the right amount were shared in girls bathroom through schools nationwide. It was the only acceptable way for a bridesmaid to wear her hair, and yet somehow it feels like we collectively forgot all about it... Or is that just me?
While 90s and early 00s hair trends have been well and truly re-embraced, is this a sign the late 00s are on their way? And if so, what other forgotten gems do they hold?
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Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
