Illustration by Briana Rengifo; Photos: Getty Images Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Move over, curtain bangs —there's a new celebrity-loved fringe trend in town. Well, OK, that might be a bit of hairstyle hyperbole. It's not actually new, but after several years of long, coquettish curtain-esque fringe à la Sabrina Carpenter dominating the convo, we've noticed a shift in how stars are snipping (or clipping) their bangs . (Re)enter the baby bang, which is experiencing an exciting red carpet resurgence. Stars like Florence Pugh, Ayo Edebiri, Zendaya , Zoë Kravitz, and Dakota Johnson have all experimented with the fringe style, for periods both long and, well, short.
Much like the return to bold lip color, the baby bang trend could be a sign of the trend pendulum swinging back to higher-maintenance or more statement-making glam. We've been all about low-key, minimal and “effortless” hair and makeup in the past half-decade, so it's only natural that the next phase would be something more effortful and impactful—like, say, short bangs that bare the brow and a significant portion of forehead real estate.
“I think people are wearing baby bangs right now as a reaction to the ‘lived-in’ trend,” says Austin-based celebrity hairstylist Charles Love . “Baby bangs make a statement and if you’re using a clip-in to create a look, it’s totally noncommittal—so why not?”
Franck Izquierdo , co-founder of IGK, agrees. “For a few years everything was about the lazy-girl or lived-in look: long layers, curtain bangs, hair that looks like you didn't try,” he says. “Baby bangs are the opposite. It's a move from low-maintenance to intentional, where people want their hair to have a point of view again.”
But what actually is a baby bang, and how does it differ from the ultra-short micro bang? As Love explains, a baby bang is typically cut one to two inches above the brow, with the texture giving it “more specific personality.” Baby bangs can be blunt, wispy, choppy, piecey, or a combination of any and all—whatever works with your hair texture and face shape. Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, think of micro bangs as fringe cut close to the hairline with a rougher, more defined punky texture, says Love.
Zendaya rocks short, choppy baby bangs in July 2026.
Shorter fringe has a “pow” factor that ups the drama, which is why they're such a mainstay on the red carpet. “They create an immediate disruption. You can take a beautiful, classic haircut, introduce a short fringe, and suddenly it has an entirely different energy,” says Adam Federico , hairstylist and vice president of creative development at R+Co. “There’s something both innocent and rebellious about them.” Federico calls the baby bang trend “a return to intentional haircutting with less reliance on styling and more emphasis on the actual shape—that beautiful intersection of precision, individuality, and rebellion."
It's a role they've held proudly for decades. Audrey Hepburn's short '50s fringe—which plays a pivotal role in her movie Roman Holiday —helped bring the baby bang to the mainstream, notes Antoinette Beenders , hairstylist and senior vice president of global artistry at Aveda. Izquierdo cites Bettie Page as another pioneer of the baby bang trend, with her vixenish fringe that still spawns tons of rockabilly copycats today. The shorter style also popped up during the mod ’60s, the punk ’80s, an…