When is it not the year of the bob?

Let's rethink this phrase

At some point near the end of last year, crawling my way through December, I read a headline declaring that 2026 was to be the year of the bob. I’m pretty sure it was hooked onto an Instagram Story from Hailey Bieber, whose hair, make-up and manicure choices are almost always turned into trends.

That phrase, ‘the year of the bob,’ made me pause. Actually, I’ll admit I think I briefly rolled my eyes. I’ve used it in the past, but at this point we have to ask: when is it not the year of the bob?

In this piece for Marie Claire in June 2024, I wrote that ‘the year of the bob is, in fact, several years long’. Nobody likes a smug writer, so I apologise in advance for coming across as one, but the twenty months since then have proved me right.

Suits her tho | @haileybieber

Like many of my beauty industry peers, I keep up with trends and like seeing how they evolve. I don’t think you should feel pressured to get/wear them for the sake of it, but to me they are both fascinating and usually fun.

People, not unfoundedly, mostly on the internet, like to point out that a lot of today’s hair trends are simply revivals of old styles, or tweaks to existing ones, with a snappy new nickname. And beauty articles, including some written by yours truly, help to keep that cycle going. Accelerated by TikTok, the trend carousel spins so fast that even beauty writers, editors and commentators can get metaphorical whiplash.

But as hair trends often reflect the world around us, coverage of them is also designed to be interesting on some level. There is rarely harm in a spotlight trend piece and people enjoy reading about the looks that are popular this season and why. (Cunty little bob, anyone?)

Calling 2026 ‘the year of the bob,’ however, shows we need to zoom out. The below bob trends have all had dedicated articles published about them in the last few years, making it impossible for 2026 to be ‘the year of the bob’ any more than the year or two before it. It took me about five minutes to pull this list.

• French bob

• Scandi bob

• ‘90s bob

• Parisian bob

• Flicked-out bob

• Tucked bob

• Box bob

• Boho bob

• Graduated bob

• Curved bob

• Bell-bottom bob

• Kicked bob

• Choppy bob

• Ripped bob

• Laser cut bob

• Razor cut bob

• Stacked bob

• Bottleneck bob

• Dolce vita bob

• Cloud bob

• Riviera bob

• Cup bob

• Undone bob

• Lived-in bob

• Old money bob

• Varsity bob

• Cultivated bob

• Boardroom bob

• Back-to-school bob

• Cosy bob

Articles on bob haircuts and how to style them are biiiiig traffic drivers across several age demographics. The bob has centuries of history behind it and people like reading about updates to a classic. It’s a great look.

Beauty journalists, both in house and freelance, pitch these features because they know they’ll do well for the given title. Going back to my previous point, they’re also nice to read (and write!). So of course these pieces have all run online: they’re timely and popular. All this is to say that I’m not calling for an end to the hair trend piece.

But let’s not call a spade a bucket. At this point, we’re in a big bob decade at the very least. Join me in giving ‘year of the bob’ a well-earned break.