Gentlemen may choose blondes, but not Gen Z.
From denouncing side-parting your hair and skinny jeans to eschewing a two-party political system and, most recently, AirPods, Gen Z has struck again, now declaring that blond hair is outdated and darker shades are in.
TikTokers took to the platform to declare that bright-colored shades are “cheugy” while being “expensive brunettes” is the only way. The term “cheugy” is a term that refers to something untrendy or unstylish, which is mainly used by younger generations.
Alyssa Lorraine, a model, shared a video showing her blonde locks in soft braids. She explained that she had dyed her hair back the original color. But her honey color isn’t trendy anymore.
“I went back to blonde after hiding [and] dying my natural color crazy colors for 17years.” She wrote that blonde is now cheepy in her clip.
A user who goes by The Digital Fairy asked her viewers in a video, “Is blonde cheugy?,” noting that A-listers such as Gigi Hadid, Florence Pugh and Hailey Bieber have ditched their straw-colored ‘dos and gone brunette in recent weeks.
Blond hair can be expensive, and root styling became a popular trend in 2008’s financial crisis. She also cited additional evidence from i-D magazine about the “recession roots” style craze. This fad started when women ran out of money and couldn’t afford to go to the salon every week to get their roots checked. So they began to blend their natural hair into the blond locks.
She also pointed out that the i-D article suggested diversity and inclusion could play a role, asking if there is a trend toward more diverse beauty ideas than the one she saw in blond.
The Digital Fairy also spoke about the term “expensive brunette,” a trend favoring dark tresses – or as celebrity hairstylist Liam Curran put it, “all about a luxurious feel to the hair, focusing on dimension, shine and hair health.”
“Hair color techniques have changed in recent years with the rise of balayage and clients, now more than ever post-lockdown, want low-maintenance styles with an expensive feel,” Curran explained to Stylist UK earlier this month.
“Brownettes desire the same beautiful mix of light and dark tones that blonds have enjoyed for years.” Curran explained that mixing a variety of shades and finishing with luxe tints adds beauty and shine to your skin.
User @GirlBossTown asked the golden question in a separate TikTok: “IS BEING BONDE [CHEUGY]?” She commented on how models like Hadid (26), and Bieber (24), and “every celebrity cool girl [and] model” are darkening their hair.
She plans to dye her hair platinum blonde “like I do every other time” and is concerned that it will make her hair look old.
She asks, “Am I cheugy for looking blond?” “Let’s talk.”
