Broccoli haircut

A broccoli haircut (also known as a Zoomer perm and in the UK as the meet me at McDonald's haircut[1]) is a type of haircut with tapered sides and layered curls on top, usually achieved with a perm. It became popular among teenage and tween boys in the 2020s, particularly due to its spread on TikTok, and became an Internet meme around the same time.

Definition

The broccoli haircut is a hairstyle with tapered sides and short, uneven layered curls on top, which are often permed.[2] It is referred to as such due to its resemblance to a floret of broccoli. It has also been referred to as the "Zoomer perm" for its popularity among members of Generation Z, as well as "bird's nest hair",[3][4] "bussin haircut"[3] or "alpaca hair".[5] It has been described as a variation on a bowl cut.[2][6]

History

1980s

The precursor to the modern broccoli haircut first appeared around 1982 among fans of new wave music groups such as Soft Cell, Talking Heads, A Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, and Wham! It was a grown-out, unstyled version of the quiff[7] popular in the early 80s that was frequently permed or made to look big with hair spray. A similar haircut known as the punch perm was popular among bikers in Japan and pop singers in Korea[8] throughout the 80s and 90s.[9]

2010s

During the early and mid 2010s, the permed undercuts of the 80s and 90s underwent a revival.[10] The trend was inspired by hairstyles popular during the New Romantic movement of the 1980s, such as mullets and shags.[4] By 2018, the hairstyle had gained recognition in the UK as the "Meet me at McDonald's haircut".[1] The hairstyle achieved media exposure after a school in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk banned pupils from possessing the style.[11][12]

2020s

During the COVID-19 lockdowns of the early 2020s, many younger Gen Z men in the UK and United States experimented with new hairstyles at home before the barbers reopened. In 2020, Dillon Latham, a then-15-year-old TikToker, posted a clip of himself getting a perm in the style of the broccoli haircut, which prompted its early spread among teenage and tween boys. It soon became more a trend in 2021 after being worn by TikTokers such as Noah Beck, Bryce Hall, Harry Jowsey, and Jack Doherty.[3][2] That same year, it became an Internet meme and a subject of scorn online, beginning with a 4chan thread that coined the phrase "Zoomer perm" to describe it.[13]

The broccoli haircut was especially popular by 2022 and gained further attention online in 2024 when a photo of American actor David Corenswet on the set of James Gunn's 2025 film Superman showed him with what many online described as a broccoli haircut, which was mocked by social media users.[4] GQ's Alex Nino Gheciu argued that the broccoli haircut had reached its peak by 2024.[3] Also in 2024, Marie Claire's Samantha Holender called the haircut "the TikTok tween boy hallmark".[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Gill, Emma (26 February 2018). "A haircut doesn't stop you doing school work - what you are saying about the 'Meet me at McDonald's' style". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Holender, Samantha (June 20, 2024). "So We're Taking Haircut Inspiration From Broccoli Now". Marie Claire. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Nino Gheciu, Alex (July 11, 2024). "How the Broccoli Perm Became the Definitive Zoomer Hairstyle". GQ. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Patrick, Lydia (August 9, 2024). "What exactly is the broccoli haircut that teen boys love?". Newsweek. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "The 'alpaca' haircut teenage boys and young men are obsessed with — explained". NPR. 23 September 2024.
  6. ^ Baker, Ariel (April 5, 2024). "The 'Broccoli Haircut' Is Taking Over Social Media". PopSugar. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Colville, Charlie (2024-09-09). "Is The Broccoli Cut The Most Divisive Men's Hair Trend Of 2024?". Country and Town House. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  8. ^ Saltzman, Steph (2022-04-07). "The 'Broccoli Cut' and 8 Other Gen Z Hair Trends, Explained". Fashionista. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  9. ^ Fejtek, Melissa (2023-08-17). "Hair Perm Comeback: How TikTok and K-Pop Are Influencing the Trend - FASHION Magazine". fashionmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  10. ^ Gen Z haircut
  11. ^ Petter, Olivia (22 February 2018). "'Meet me at McDonald's' haircut banned in Norfolk school". The Independent. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  12. ^ Senkul, Ceren (22 February 2018). "Not lovin' it: School's beef with 'meet me at McDonald's' haircut". Sky News. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  13. ^ Encinas, Amaris (August 9, 2024). "Broccoli hair is here to stay: Why teenage boys are serving floret looks". USA Today. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
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