The Jaw Drop Haircut is Officially Here to Make Sure 2019 Ends Real Weird

The Jaw Drop: A Modern History

2018 In Spring 2018 my friend Mel (who is very hip to Japanese reality tv, fashion & it girls) introduced me to Minori Nakada, who is probably the coolest girl on the planet. Think Japanese Zoe Kravitz. And come September 18th of that year, we proclaimed in unison over text "what the fuck did she do to her heir".

I threw my phone down with a grimace I usually reserve for eyeball injuries or unpacking styrofoam. This haircut, which we've coined the Jaw Drop, somehow holds all the emotional baggage every time you had a mental breakdown and cut bangs too far back and then had to grow them out. Each time I saw her haircut it made me seriously uncomfortable, almost squeamish.

Images via @minori_nakada

Spring 19 My cold winter heart began to dethaw & I had a new acceptance of the Jaw Drop. Mel & I decided that we actually were super down with Minori's haircut. It was alt in all the right ways: not too e-girl, not too matrix, and (to my complete dismay) it was a really versatile haircut. We started to see Minori wear it tucked behind her ears, pushed back with statement clips, and with her hair pulled back so her whole head looked the length of her front.. bangs? Can we call them bangs? 

Images via @sarangdmd, @mmhiw, @kimcheehana, @minori_nakada

Summer 2019 I start noticing a couple of queer artists in LA taking on the Jaw Drop. First was @hellomachine, who's work I adore. It's right about this point that I'm considering adopting the Jaw Drop for myself, but I still was 30% scared of what people would think and 50% felt I wasn't cool enough to pull it off. This is right about the time that I #random Slack-ed Freck HQ the Jaw Drop and everyone said "this is not cute". 

Images via @hellomachine

Images via @alwaysjudging

Runner-up Names I know you're wondering what they were, and I'm really not one to hold out on you..

• trigger mullet
• kitchen drapes
• indecisive lob mullet extravaganza
• the I dunno-do
• jawline mullet
• 2019 scene hair reboot
• cheekless chaps
• snaggle-tooth bangs
• best of both worlds cut

August 2019 At this point Mel, myself & all of Freck HQ have an inside joke running about the Jaw Drop. We're seeing it pop up on instagram like an awkward but lovable meme, but still somehow the beauty blogs haven't covered it!? It felt like our little alt-beauty secret and we loved it. The office started to come around that the haircut was hella cute and I didn't feel so crazy any more. I texted my Aunt who's a hairdresser in Seattle and she immediately cut her Jaw Drop & texted me a photo: (proof that the chop is v versatile)

Left via Remi's aunt, Right via @sasamiashworth

October 2019 Enter: Courtney Trop. Aka Always Judging. On October 23rd (as far as we know) she entered the Jaw Drop hall of fame. If you follow Courtney, you know she's usually about 6 months ahead on anything, so is Jaw Drop the haircut of Spring 202? 

Image via @errolkaradag

December 2019 At this point, I've been researching this hair cut for 6 month. I've shown every cool kid & blogger I know, asking what details they can give me and have been met with a resounding "nothing" across the board. And then, like always, Mel DMs me a photo of Cher from the late 60s. Of course. 

If you're wondering about how the public opinion has changed within the office, in August no one (including me) thought the Jaw Drop was cute. Flash forward to December, and no one (except me) thinks it's cute.. and Mel thinks it's cute too. What do you think? Would you ever do it? Is this the next trendy haircut? Will we remember 2020 this way forever? Let us know in the comments! We're here for the debate.

Mostly, I'm just excited that I got to name a haircut trend. 😂
xo, Remi (Freck Founder)

Images via @alwaysjudging

*Cover image via @sasamiashworth