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male beauty
January 27, 2016

We’re Living in the Golden Era of Male Hair

By the Cut

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Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Probably the most exciting American soccer player right now is a guy named Gyasi Zardes — a 24-year-old who hasn’t graduated from MLS to Europe and doesn’t really have a natural position, but who makes his never-in-the-right-place-ness seem like a quicksilver quality that, if you squint, looks like a slippery, hard-to-defend advantage. You don’t have to squint to see him, though, because he dyed a conspicuous gold stripe into his hair that spans from the brow to his neck. Even better, it’s not just some post-Beckham L.A. Galaxy branding exercise: Zardes went half-blond for his aging grandparents so they can pick him out on the field from the stands or on a tiny TV. It used to be that men making screaming statements with their hair seemed a little showboaty — so showboaty it rarely happened. In the last year or so, all bets are off, and it’s gotten to be a kind of comic arms race, with half-shaved Will Forte probably being the most ridiculous. But it’s hard not to be taken with the confidence of Zardes’s stripe, Jared Leto’s now-infamous man-bun, or Abel Tesfaye of the Weeknd’s explosive dreadlocks — or the cocky men (and, maybe more impressive, boys) ahead. —David Wallace-Wells

Photographs by Bobby Doherty. Styling by Rebecca Ramsey. Hair by Shalom. Interviews by Catie L’Heureux.

*A version of this article appears in the January 25, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.

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1 / 11 Photos
Wataru Shimosato Photographer “A lot of times people misunderstand me as a woman. People stop me, like, ‘Miss! Miss!,’ or something like that. B... Wataru Shimosato Photographer “A lot of times people misunderstand me as a woman. People stop me, like, ‘Miss! Miss!,’ or something like that. But I get used to it. It’s okay. I like long hair because people remember me. I have to tie hair up in the summer, but in winter it’s nice and warm.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Wataru Shimosato Photographer Photo: Bobby Doherty
Peter Wenger 13 Years Old “I just have really, really thick hair. Like, super-iron-steel-protect-me-from-a-bullet hair. Right now I have some ha... Peter Wenger 13 Years Old “I just have really, really thick hair. Like, super-iron-steel-protect-me-from-a-bullet hair. Right now I have some hair spray in it just to, like, keep it up.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Anand Giridharadas Author “I was on Morning Joe, criticizing Donald Trump. After the clip went online, his supporters started attacking my hair ... Anand Giridharadas Author “I was on Morning Joe, criticizing Donald Trump. After the clip went online, his supporters started attacking my hair on Twitter. I don’t know if they wanted to deport me, but they seemed very ready to deport my hair.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Joshua Kissi Creative Director “Every week or two, I go to a Dominican barbershop in Brooklyn. It’s a real relationship between a guy and his ba... Joshua Kissi Creative Director “Every week or two, I go to a Dominican barbershop in Brooklyn. It’s a real relationship between a guy and his barber. I just sit down, and he knows what I want.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Charlie Smith Restaurant Manager “I wash my hair once a week with Davines purifying shampoo. It completely cured me of dandruff. I’ve been sprea... Charlie Smith Restaurant Manager “I wash my hair once a week with Davines purifying shampoo. It completely cured me of dandruff. I’ve been spreading the gospel, too; for my wedding I gave it to my groomsmen as gifts. And a bottle of Scotch.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Reginald Christian Fashion Editor “It was a DKNY show, and I saw this model walking down the runway with a ’fro. It made me think of my father. ... Reginald Christian Fashion Editor “It was a DKNY show, and I saw this model walking down the runway with a ’fro. It made me think of my father. I’m like, ‘Why shouldn’t I just let my hair be natural?’ That was a great turning point. This feels like it’s how I should look.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Ollie Ingalls 4 Years Old “My hair’s not so long. Ladies’ hair is supposed to grow down their back. My hair is growing down my face!” Photo: Bob... Ollie Ingalls 4 Years Old “My hair’s not so long. Ladies’ hair is supposed to grow down their back. My hair is growing down my face!” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Jass Artist “Having long hair is kind of anti-corporate, anti-Establishment. But the premise of me growing out my hair was just to see how long ... Jass Artist “Having long hair is kind of anti-corporate, anti-Establishment. But the premise of me growing out my hair was just to see how long I can get it to go before it all falls out.” Photo: Bobby Doherty
Alex Greenbaum Infrastructure Investor "My hair started going gray when I was 16, but it never bothered me because it was good for getting ... Alex Greenbaum Infrastructure Investor "My hair started going gray when I was 16, but it never bothered me because it was good for getting into bars before I was 21." Photo: Bobby Doherty
Ryan Biggs Restaurant Captain "This is the closest thing to a high and tight. It’s typically a Marine haircut. I was in the Navy for six ye... Ryan Biggs Restaurant Captain "This is the closest thing to a high and tight. It’s typically a Marine haircut. I was in the Navy for six years, and I started balding at 24. It’s one of those things that I think all men are very insecure about. This summer instead of shaving it all I started to let it go. I use a buzzer, zero guard, and I’ll do it by eye every other day, buzz the sides and give it the elongated fade. I put a lot of time into it." Photo: Bobby Doherty
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