on the fringe

As an avid reader of popular blogs that make fun of people like me, it's no surprise that I follow Stuff White People Like. If you didn't already know, I'm about as white as they come, and dark hair only helps to emphasize this fact.

Speaking of white girls and their hair brings us to one of my favorite posts, #104 Girls with Bangs. As an experienced bang wearer, I am both reassured and embarrassed by the possible hipster status this post ensues. SWPL explains that "[For] for white people, this simple haircut makes a bold declaration by saying that the wearer is artistic, deep, and has probably dated a guy in a band you like," and that "the haircut-with-bangs is an important symbol that a female has completed her transformation from a nerdy girl to a cool woman." The look also brings a sense of innocence, a reference to childhood and softness. Which keeps girls looking, well, like girls.

Granted, not every fringed female knows how to wear her bangs so as to achieve such a first impression. Zooey Deschanel is a good starting point, as she is both an actress and singer (artistic), as well as a hipster heroine.

Bangs should either be bluntly sheared straight across the eyebrow:

Or gently side-swept, preferably covering one eye so as to give the feeling of shyness:


Continuing with the artistic, introspective allure that corresponds with the short bang/long hair approach, it is also preferable to be a brunette, although red heads have been known to be successful with this style.

Needless to say, SWPL has reassured me that I am correctly displaying who I am through my hair. I only wonder: does the girl make the bangs, or do the bangs make the girl?