Tell me how you do your hair, I’ll tell you who you are. This is the principle of the “hair theory”, or hair theory. The hairstyle you do in the morning could be an (almost) exact reflection of your personality, and even more, it could influence how everyone is perceived and treated by others. The increasingly popular hashtag #hairtheory has already generated more than 70 million views on TikTok.
The hairstyle makes the monk
Barbie pink coloring? Definitely someone daring or adventurous. A bun done in a hurry? A relaxed person who does not take the lead. A ballerina bun? A sophisticated woman or man. A perfectly smooth brushing? A person who is also sophisticated, more than the one who will show off curly or wavy hair. This theory is a bit simplistic, if not reductive, even a bit discriminating, but TikTok users no longer seem to swear by this concept.
And we even learn that the hairstyle says a lot about the personality depending on the place in which it is exhibited. A casual bun at work will therefore not be perceived in the same way as when it invites itself to a gym. Just as a smooth brushing will not be assimilated in the same way during a chic evening or a bowling outing. And some users go even further by claiming that a blonde color allows them to get more trysts than when they bet on brown. As we have said: a vast program. This theory punctuated by (very) many stereotypes seems however validated by a number of tiktokeurs, who in turn confirm its veracity with particularly confusing videos. We see the users in question, static, revealing themselves with different hairstyles, to demonstrate that a few locks moved by several centimeters can (effectively) make a difference.
A broader psychological phenomenon
If it seems obvious that a hairstyle can change the appearance of a person, whatever it is, all the paths undertaken to demonstrate this theory seem a bit far-fetched. Still, some users justify their comments based on another concept, better known this time: “enclothed cognition”, or how clothing can influence the cognitive system of human beings. A white coat will be associated with the medical profession, a suit with a formal event, leggings with a sports session, etc. The subject of scientific work, this phenomenon would result in a change in the behavior of others depending on the clothing worn on a daily basis or modified on an ad hoc basis. A theory that TikTok users today apply to hair.
If the “hair theory” bases its foundations on a scientific concept, this does not mean that a hairstyle defines the person who wears it, far from it. To take this theory literally would be to submit to new injunctions, whereas a hairstyle is often nothing more than a simple form of expression.