I’m the last person to claim any knowledge about anything fashionable, but the one thing I know about fashion is that styles tend to be cyclical.
Take the VSCO girl phenomenon, for example. Their seashell necklaces, Birkenstocks, scrunchies, & messy buns were OUR thing back in the 90s, kids.
It happens with hairstyles, too, and I’m pretty damn excited… because the pouf is back, baby!
Actress Florence Pugh’s appearance in recent cast photos for her new film has spurred much online excitement after she was featured sporting a throwback pouf or “bump” hairstyle.
Florence is starring in the latest remake of Little Women; she and fellow cast member Saoirse Ronan were interviewed about the film for the LA Times. The actresses also did a joint photo shoot to accompany the interview.
The reporter’s intention of the interview was to discuss why women seem to gravitate so much towards either the character Jo (played by Ronan) or Amy (played by Pugh).
But in reality, readers seem less interested in talking character, & more in talking about Pugh’s pouf hairstyle.
Style magazine The Cut even addressed this unique style in a discussion among their writers & editors. Just what was the pouf? Where did it go?
(Or was it a “bump”? The name might not matter, but the height sure did!)
The pouf was a popular hairstyle in the early to mid 2000s. The bangs are clipped back just over the forehead, and teased to make the pouf as… “poufy” as possible.
A flat-iron was involved, and bobby pins. Usually lots of bobby pins. And hairspray, of course- lots of that was required, too.
While you’d expect that Florence’s hair might not seem like a big deal, to fans on Twitter, it was a BIG deal!
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen celebrities rocking a pouf. But in the mid-2000s, several celebrities were known for wearing them- like, for example, Lauren Conrad of The Hills:
Ashley Tisdale of the High School Musical franchise:
And let’s not forget the Queen of the Pouf… Snooki from Jersey Shore!
For some reason, the pouf faded from popularity after its heyday, though no one is really even sure why.
Although the LA Times article was intended to discuss the Little Women remake, social media could not get over the return of the pouf. And some were quick to point out that in their world, it never left.
The height of the bump was important. Go big or go home!
bumpit! pic.twitter.com/nCr43f4XNc
— kristen (@catladykristen) November 6, 2019
It was not just perky, but practical- not everyone knew about dry shampoo, so…
It’s so perfect for hiding greasy roots! I’ll never let go!!! pic.twitter.com/hEjZ8yO4sy
— Rachel Cox ? (@yeahmedo) November 6, 2019
Just talking about the pouf was bringing back memories for peeps on Twitter.
Seeing some buzz about the 2000s pouf hairstyle. Let me just say, I rocked that hairdo so much my sophmore and junior year of high school. What a time.
— s. ?? (@moonxbunny) November 6, 2019
Some fans of the “bump” are ready & waiting for it to be “in” again:
Is the hair pouf coming back? Is it safe to rock again? ?That was like, the only hairstyle I had for five years
— ?PixeledPumpkin? (@PixeledPumpkin) November 6, 2019
Was it a cool look? Maybe not… but that won’t stop us from wearing it!
My favorite thing about the the aughts fashion ~discourse~ is that we all seem to agree it was TERRIBLE (ahem, everything worn on The O.C.) and yet we’d all start rocking the POUF again in a heartbeat. Maybe some layered pearls too, go wild.https://t.co/s3iAYglMOc
— De Elizabeth (@deelizabeth_) November 5, 2019
Not that it came easy, you know. Getting that kind of volume took lots of work. And LOTS of hairspray.
Oh my God the Pouf hairstyle is trending and i can remember is how HARD it was to make one because my hair is so damn silky
— iqra (@iqrvkhvn) November 5, 2019
But thankfully, we had the Bumpit to help us out
bumpit! pic.twitter.com/nCr43f4XNc
— kristen (@catladykristen) November 6, 2019
No, really. This was a real thing!
OMG WHO REMEMBERS BUMPIT?? pic.twitter.com/TDqYnBoTX1
— INH Hair (@INHHair) November 8, 2019
-not that everyone remembers it as fondly, of course…
I got married in 2010 with a pouf…I believe this is why we’re now divorced pic.twitter.com/XN6VZTeNEb
— ames (@Amester222) November 5, 2019
And there are, of course, people who aren’t thrilled about the bump being back.
— LadyJCMuses (@LadyJCMuses) November 5, 2019
But for many of us, it’s finally time! It’s baaaack!
It’s my time to shine pic.twitter.com/Fjog9h9B9t
— Sadie? (@___saddiiee___) November 6, 2019
So love it or hate it, it looks like the bump is back! Or, as some pointed out- it never left!
Erm… I still wear my hair like this often ????? I must still be stuck in 2005-2007 I actually legit wore my hair like this today (kind of!) ?????? pic.twitter.com/WHeTQtBLrv
— SarahClements_12 (@mrs_c85) November 5, 2019
And Snooki, despite wearing less “bump-y” hairstyles recently, is probably stoked, too.
The pouf? The bump? This iconic mid-2000s hairstyle is making a comeback https://t.co/DQtMnga69X
Bitch it never left
— smarty mCsorely (@kwe_the) November 6, 2019