‘I love my hairdresser but I feel like I’m not saying the right words’: Los Angeles woman chops her hair off. Then she turns to the internet for help
There are few widely shared experiences in life that are as uniquely vulnerable as getting a haircut. A not-insignificant portion of the human population has known the thrill of fear that comes with sitting in a salon chair and literally putting your fate in another’s hands.
Whether you’re aiming for a bob with a big chop, or are trying out bangs for the first time, or—God forbid—you’re being actively cursed by your stylist, the lowly haircut really does feel like a cosmic coin toss. And now, one woman has gone mega-viral for sharing her latest bob experience.
‘I feel a little bit like I look like a banker’
In a video first posted on Jan. 5, which has now gotten over 4 million views, actor Olivia West Nielsen (@oliviawestnielsen) turned to the internet for help with her new haircut.
“Can someone from the Bob community help me?” Nielsen starts in her video, pleading with the camera. “This is so stupid. I’ve been a card-carrying member, bob member, since 2017. I chopped off my hair after a big breakup and I’m not looking back.”
Nielsen goes on to say she thinks her new bob is “proportionate,” but that she has somehow miscommunicated with her hairdresser. She feels this particular bob is a little too… “round.”
“I feel a little bit like I look like a banker,” Nielsen says. “And I know I’m just pushing it up and that’s like, sort of like a little Shakespeare guy, but … I just want it to look, like, edgier.”
Nielsen then tries to figure out what, exactly, is wrong—because she’s successfully gotten the right bob before. Could she need layers? Is it because she has fine hair? What could the answer be?
Commenters save the day—bob and all
Thankfully, oodles and oodles of commenters swooped in to offer Nielsen their advice. Most of them suggested specific names of certain styles of bobs—because, apparently, not all bobs are created equally.
“Look up Shattered Bob,” one viewer commented. “I think that may be what you’re looking for.” Meanwhile, another commenter wrote that she “was leaning towards ‘French’ Bob” instead.
“Slightly shorter with more dynamic layering and you need volume too,” advised another. “I think going slightly darker would also make it look more edgy and less kinda mom vibe.”
In a follow-up video posted a few days later, Nielsen ended up thanking all the people who tuned in to help her.
“Thank you so much to everyone who was so kind on that video, and had so many helpful and good suggestions,” Nielsen says in the video. “Wowie-zowie, I cannot wait to implement them.”
@oliviawestnielsen I’m fine I’m just getting my period and getting married this year and confronting my mortality and can you please just help me #bob #bobhaircut ♬ original sound – olivia west nielsen
How to fix a bob haircut gone wrong
So you got a botched bob. You’re stuck at home, staring at your tear-streaked reflection in the mirror. You’re not a professional hair stylist, but something must be done.
Well, you’re in luck, because experts have flocked to the internet to share exactly how you can salvage a perfectly style-able bob from the ashes of your haircut. You pretty much have three options: a new styling protocol, a long-term regrowth strategy, or an emergency trip to a different stylist. Let’s look at all three.
In the words of Harper’s Bazaar’s Jenna Rosenstein, “If you didn’t hate your bob until you got home, your styling routine might be to blame.” Depending on your hair type and thickness, you might need to use heat, styling products like mousse, or accessories like barrettes to spice up your bob. For mega-short bobs, hair bands and bandanas are great hacks to zhuzh your hair up a bit. Changing your hair part or adding curls can also transform a bob for the better.
If there’s truly no hope, and absolutely no amount of styling is making the texture of your bob thrive, then you might have to buckle in for the long haul. While “growing it out” may seem like a plan that involves you not touching your hair for months, the recommended protocol outlines quite the opposite. Hairstylist Sean Michael advised Harper’s Bazaar readers to get “more haircuts, not less” so you can “add strategic layers or change the angle … every eight to 10 weeks” to keep the bob “looking fresh.”
The Mary Sue has reached out to Nielsen via the contact form on her website.
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