Olivia Rodrigo Is Tapping Into ‘90s Grunge With Her Extreme New Haircut

Is anything better than when Olivia Rodrigo explores her edgy side? That goes for her music and her aesthetics alike. She stepped into more experimental themes on her sophomore album, Guts, and took the concepts even further on her current global tour of the same name. But just because she’s busy performing to sold-out crowds doesn’t mean she’s not working on other projects at the same time. For the extended release of Guts, she dropped a new music video for the song “Obsessed”, and it features the young star as you’ve never seen her before. Rodrigo’s micro-bangs in the short film are choppy, intentionally uneven, and impressively cool — and even better, they help tell the lyrical story, too.

In the video and song, Rodrigo is hyper-fixating on a current beau’s ex, comparing the unnamed girl’s real and imagined traits to her own. To further illustrate the idea, she competes in a pageant in which all the other contestants are in white gowns with classically feminine hair and makeup. In contrast, Rodrigo is in all black and darker lipstick, with those haphazard bangs falling well above her forehead and two trailing braids on either side of her face. It feels more than a little ‘90s, a decade Rodrigo references pretty regularly.

While Rodrigo does love to shake things up with her outfits, but what’s interesting is her hair usually doesn’t see too much experimentation. She’ll play with prom-inspired updos and Y2K-era space buns, but it’s rare to see her venture into a fresh (real or simulated) haircut. It’s clear that this look is just a wig or perhaps a clip-in piece, but it’s still a fun twist for Rodrigo.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly given their polarizing nature, micro-bangs are growing in popularity among stylish celebrities and real-life it-girls alike. They’ve been spotted on stars like Zoë Kravitz, Alexa Demie, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, and Florence Pugh. The look can range from elegant and Parisienne to classically punky, but they always make a statement.

With Rodrigo tapping into the trend, expect to see a lot more super-short bangs in the near future.