The year is 2000 [3]. You aren't allowed to wear your low-rise flare jeans to school, so you settle for your fully pink Juicy Couture tracksuit and UGGs. After ensuring that your eyebrows are plucked to perfection and that aliens could see your blush [4] from outer space, you sit down to do your hair. The hardest decision you have to make for that day is choosing between your normal zigzag-part ponytail [5] or going for crimped hair instead. Life is good.
No matter how embarrassing it might be to look back, hairstyles from the 2000s informed some of today's biggest hair trends. With celebrities like Gabrielle Union [6], Britney Spears [7], and Rihanna [8] all over our TV screens in microbraids and pigtails, these looks helped many of us feel confident and beautiful. Now, with the resurgence of late-'90s and early-2000s hairstyles in popular culture today, thanks to the Y2K aesthetic, it looks like these styles invoke the same feelings in Gen Z.
Even if you don't follow hair trends with the same fervour as you might have in the early aughts, there's something extremely nostalgic about seeing the hairstyles of the past become new again and the creative additional touches on each style. If you're anything like us, the reemergence of these trends has you ready to find your old hair magazines and butterfly clips so you can fully embrace your beloved childhood aesthetics.
If you're searching for inspiration, look no further than the best modern-day takes on our favourites 2000s hairstyles ahead. Bring on the crimpers.
2000s Hairstyles: Braided Bobs
When Marsai Martin debuted this braided bob last year, it took us right back to watching our favourite childhood TV shows while getting out hair braided at the neighbourhood salon. But alongside the chin-length bob, the spiral hair gems she added to the end of her braids made us think that she would've easily been the trendsetter to watch in the early 2000s.
2000s Hairstyles: Butterfly Clip Hairstyles
Olivia Rodrigo is a big fan of all things 2000s [13], including everything from butterfly clips to frosted lip gloss. After performing her hit song "good 4 u" at the 2021 MTV VMA Awards, Rodrigo accepted an award for Push Performance of the year with hair full of metallic butterfly clips and flowers. While these accessories were used as hair decorations in the early 2000s, butterfly clips undoubtedly had a hold on the era and could be seen on celebrities like Mariah Carey [14] and Tyra Banks [15]. If you're looking for your own butterfly clips we recommend the EAONE Metallic Butterfly Clips [16] ($7)
2000s Hairstyles: Pixie Cut
If you thought the pixie cut was everywhere [17] in the 50s, it had quite the revival in the 2000s — and now, today. Our favourite example is Zoë Kravitz's take on the look, but there are plenty of modern-day iterations of the trend from supershort styles to "mixie" cuts [18]. Not only is the look low maintenance and extremely chic, it was also popular with stars like Mandy Moore [19] in the early 2000s.