Celebs Who Tried The Micro Bangs Trend And Completely Missed The Mark

There are some hairstyles that carry an intrinsic guarantee of glam — think sleek bobs, effortless waves, or bold curls. And then there are others — like micro bangs — that tread a fine line between high fashion and style slip-up. The risk factor is high with this hairstyle, that often seems neither here nor there, resting awkwardly in the middle of what looks like a classic full fringe and overgrown baby hair. But in the world of showbiz, where experimenting with looks is no biggie, many celebrities have willingly faced up to that challenge, albeit not always successfully. 

From Lady Gaga to Katy Perry, and of course, Emma Watson — who became the poster face of the baby bangs trend that was all the rage back in 2018, after a divisive appearance at the Oscars afterparty — many A-listers have toyed with the hairdo and come out on the other side with unflattering end results. While we may not totally dig their micro fringe eras, we do have to hand it to them for venturing a style not many dare to play with. Here are all the times celebrities tried the micro bangs trend and completely missed the mark. 

Miley Cyrus' love affair with bangs goes back all the way to her early days of fame as a Disney teen pop idol. Even as she evolved from the doe-eyed Hannah Montana to the Grammy-winning music sensation she is today, her fringe accompanied her from milestone to milestone — albeit in a cycle of radical transformations. From wispy curtain bangs to rockstar shags, Miley Cyrus' style evolution has been varied and bold, to say the least. 

But things got a little too wild at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscars party, where the "Flowers" hitmaker showed up with an ultra-short micro fringe that made many wonder if she had gone to town on her hair all by herself. If the chop shock wasn't enough, Cyrus was also sporting a set of bleached eyebrows to give her ensemble an extra edge. Much as it looked like an impulsive makeover moment, the polarizing fringe was actually the work of hairstylist Bob Recine, who also did Cyrus' "Jessica Rabbit" hairdo for the Academy Awards a few hours before. Recine told People, "We always want to create fashion-forward looks that make her feel confident, and she allows me to really go for it."

Among the most outrageous outfits Megan Fox has ever worn, the red gown she turned up in for the 2021 Met Gala ranks high. The daring Peter Dundas dress was pulled off so competently by the actor that one could never have guessed that it was her first time attending fashion's biggest night. One particular detail, however, stuck out like a sore thumb in Fox's debutante look – the lumpy Bettie Page-inspired baby bangs that covered her entire forehead. No matter how much we would have liked to, it was impossible to ignore her hairstyle — which extended into a serpentine braid in the back — and needless to say, it invited a barrage of not-so-favorable opinions online.  

Despite the iconic pin-up lore that preceded them, the bangs were a major gamble for Fox, who revealed to Vogue that it was her first time wearing such a hairstyle and also acknowledged the inherent risk in her experiment. "Because it's also a micro-bang. It's not like a long bang that you can hide behind. It's a short bang where you could have that Jim Carrey 'Dumb and Dumber' moment if you're not careful." While we wouldn't venture as far as to draw that comparison for the "Jennifer's Body" beauty, we sure were grateful for her clarification that her fringe was only a clip-in.

Emma Roberts showed up to the Critics' Choice Awards in 2018 with a hair fringe so eccentric that viewers were compelled to wonder if it was real. They found out later that it wasn't — Roberts had opted for a wig to switch up her style — but for the time that people believed she had actually chopped her hair, there was commotion on social media. While some tabbed the "American Horror Story" actor's fringe to be the real horror story, others likened her to Gale Weathers from "Scream 3," whose whacky baby bangs occupy a disputed place in pop culture. 

We can think of several other iconic '90s hairstyles worth recreating that Roberts could have gone for, instead of the extraordinary blond cut that lined her forehead a little too symmetrically. But as her hairstylist Nikki Lee shared on Instagram, "Not a look we typically do but then again who wants to be typical? Not us!" In fact, it was apparently Roberts' idea to experiment with baby bangs, with Lee telling People, "She's been itching to try something different, so this was perfect way to do so without a full commitment." 

Bella Thorne has never been one to shy away from experimenting with her personal style — especially her hair, which she is notorious for switching up every once in a while. While we're usually in positive awe of the "Shake It Up" star's gumption to rock a bold hairstyle, her stint with baby bangs just didn't do it for us. She memorably showed up wearing a micro fringe to the 2018 Sundance Film Festival as part of an in-your-face ensemble that also included a metallic lip and a feathered dress.  

There was a lot worth talking about in Thorne's outfit but we just couldn't tear our eyes away from the messy fringe that topped an even messier shoulder-length cut. The jet-black hue that replaced her signature red locks did create a stunning contrast with her white dress and also probably added to the whimsy that dominated the rest of her attire, but looked far too much like a costume to be taken seriously. In fact, it kind of was, considering that it was only just a wig (via Daily Mail). 

One can count on Beyoncé to nail any style choice she makes, and we're not just talking about her wardrobe. The "Single Ladies" singer is as much of a hair icon as she is a fashion diva, switching between curl goddess and sleek queen with seamless ease. While we're fully aboard the singer's spunk to take an avant-garde hairdo out for a spin, there was one era in Beyoncé's hair evolution journey that we were not such big fans of: the infamous micro fringe from 2014. The ultra-short bangs, flanked by the singer's long honey-glazed tresses, naturally made headlines at the time and took on a fervent life of their own on social media.

Reactions on X spanned extremes, with some fans defending the radical shift in Queen Bey's hairstyle with persistent loyalty, while others were groaning over the "Bangpocalypse" her micro fringe unleashed. Even as the internet debated over whether or not Beyoncé was actually wearing a wig, the disputed legacy of her baby bangs went down on her record as one of the worst hairstyles she had ever attempted. It led one hairstylist in Australia to remark to The Sydney Morning Herald, "It looks like Blue Ivy has got to her with the nail scissors and cut it."

Lady Gaga is the unrivaled queen of dramatic makeovers. Colored wigs, experimental aesthetics, not to mention all of Lady Gaga's outrageous outfits, have been a part of the "Poker Face" singer's public image for years. Changing looks are such an intrinsic part of Gaga's identity that she has come to belong to a particular band of celebs who are completely unrecognizable when their hair is not done up. While we're always looking forward to whatever whimsical transformation she will undergo next, we can't help but parallelly hope that she doesn't lean too far into her ongoing micro fringe era.

Gaga coincided the release of her 2025 album "Mayhem" with a drastic shakeup in her appearance that involved bleached eyebrows and super short bangs — a combo that seems to be the flavor of the 2025 awards season. The multi-hyphenate performer showed up to the Grammys with her jet-black jellyfish haircut that trailed all the way down to her waist, blending with her leather-detailed ball gown, which made for a look that landed awkwardly in the middle of goth and sci-fi cosplay. While she eventually went shorter with her lengths, Gaga kept the bangs — something we hope she will get rid of soon enough too. 

While Emily Ratajkowski doesn't shy away from wearing scandalous outfits, the popular model has hardly ever strayed too far from her trademark sleek shoulder-length haircut. So when she debuted a dramatic set of micro bangs at the Met Gala in 2023, it naturally set the internet on fire. It was not exactly the first time fans were seeing Ratajkowski with a fringe — given her love affair with faux bangs in the past — but it did inspire doubt over whether or not the hair was real. 

We were hoping it wasn't, considering that the bangs sat atop the perennially chic Ratajkowski's head like a toupee. But in a sound bite she gave to The Cut on the Met Gala carpet, it seemed she was really leaning into them. "Well, I have bangs and I just wanted them a little shorter," Ratajkowski said. It wasn't surprising, since, according to hairstylist Jennifer Yepez who styled her bangs for the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, "Emily loves a bang, so it's our signature look" (via Harper's Bazaar).

Katy Perry's status as the fringe queen of the music industry cannot be rivaled. Her voluminous eyebrow-grazing bangs that most memorably defined her rainbow-washed "Teenage Dream" era occupy an iconic place in pop culture. Even though Katy Perry's hair has undergone a massive evolution in the years since, the fringe remains synonymous with the "Firework" singer. Giving the fans what they love to see, Perry brought her legendary hairstyle back in recent years — albeit in a different avatar. Appearing in an Instagram video in 2023, Perry surprised her followers by sporting a set of barely-there baby bangs that people in the comments seemed to love.

As Perry's rendezvous with bangs continued into 2024, however, public appeal for them began to wane. It reached a point where Cosmopolitan was compelled to liken one of her micro fringe looks to something the eccentric Edward Scissorhands might have whipped up. After Perry showed up to the Vanity Fair Oscars party with her bangs in tow — looking like a specter of her 2000s self — many on social media also begun imploring her to retire the style. While Perry is clearly enjoying her renewed stint with fringes, we're somewhat glad that they seem to be only temporary fixtures.

Bangs have been a part of Alison Sudol's signature look for a long time. The actor-singer has worn her fringe in multiple shades and styles over the years, but even a seasoned fringe-wearer can have a bad hair day. To us, it seemed like Sudol was having one such moment at the 2018 Critics' Choice Awards, where her hairdo was giving off a curiously unkempt vibe that we didn't particularly dig. Her micro fringe was uneven, flanked by a frizzy bob that did not quite scream low-effort glam. 

It was not Sudol's best fringe outing by a long shot, but the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" actor probably deserves to be let off easy, given that she delivers on her trademark micro bangs hairstyle more often than not. Considering that Sudol seemingly loves to play with the lengths of her fringe — she's gone even shorter than this in the past — we can only be thankful that she let them grow out for the event instead of letting them straddle an awkward, in-between space. 

There was a lot going on with Emma Watson's look at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars party, like the polarizing hairstyle she wore, for starters. While this was not the first time the world saw the "Harry Potter" star with baby bangs, given that she had committed to the cut since the start of that year, they stood out so distinctly against her chic black and gold gown that it stirred public dialogue like never before. Across social media and magazines, consensus was divided over Watson's disproportionate hair. It did not help her case that the tattoo on her arm in support of the Time's Up movement had a glaring typo. (It was thankfully temporary.)

The inspiration for Watson's fringe unsurprisingly came from the style's most iconic and aped wearer: Audrey Hepburn. "I think baby bangs are always in fashion — it can be long or short depending of the face," Odile Gilbert, the hairstylist credited for giving Watson her widely talked about cut, told Vogue. "It's always cute and young, it's very French." But the way it sat on Watson's head reminded us a bit of the fringe that lines the forehead of one of pop culture's most notoriously unfashionable symbols — Frankenstein's Monster — so this one was a pass for us. 

Zendaya has more or less managed to maintain a sparkling record when it comes to delivering on unforgettable hair moments. The year 2024 was full of bold experimentation with baby bangs for her — but truth be told, we were not such big fans of the phase, which became somewhat of a staple in her look across fashion shows in January. The hairstyle first featured at the Paris Fashion Week, where the "Dune" star showed up to the Schiaparelli Spring/Summer show with pin-straight tresses topped off with a micro fringe, and an all-black outfit to match. 

While Zendaya's baby bangs debut made a big splash in the media — and enjoyed the tough-to-get approval of internet users across the board — the eye-grabbing appearance they made a few days later at the Fendi show was far more questionable. Her hair — pulled back into a bun save for a voluminous fringe that lined her forehead rather evenly — stood out distinctly in a burgundy shade that corresponded with her dress for the event. Color co-ordinating wardrobe with hair, especially in a style that looked like a bowl cut, was not exactly flattering, we'd say. 

Rooney Mara has always loved a good fringe. In fact, the hairstyle has been so synonymous with her from the get-go — following her big break as the goth, baby bangs-toting Lisbeth Salander in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" — that it came to be part of a phenomenon that Vogue called the "Rooney Mara Effect," which was inspiring new fashion standards on the runway in 2012. In the words of hairstylist Guido Palau: "Next to her, it can feel a bit like everyone else is just playing it safe."

While we are huge admirers of the trendsetting actor whose unique style is a refreshing divergence from the Hollywood glam playbook of red carpet hair, there have been moments where Mara's fringe was just not able to carry her look. At the 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, for instance, Mara's signature jet-black micro fringe, which sat on her head like an unflattering mushroom cut, stood out in a strange, almost too striking contrast with her pale skin and peach dress that just fell short of being chic. 

Florence Pugh on any red carpet is a sight to behold, and more often than not, we love the avant-garde styles she takes on. Her 2023 BAFTAs appearance, for instance — in a dramatically ruffled orange gown by Nina Ricci — was widely acknowledged as one of the boldest, brightest looks from the evening and won praise from most fashion quarters. While we are in agreement with the consensus about Pugh's extravagant outfit that did make the show-stopping impact it likely intended to, we did not really dig the hair moment she brought to the BAFTAs red carpet. 

Pugh's hair, slicked back and adorned with blond detailing that included a micro fringe and a fanned-out updo, mirrored her ruffled dress a tad too uncannily. While her baby bangs — which were accentuated with a side parting of their own — were not exactly the worst part about her hairstyle that evening, they did little to salvage the halo-hair situation that spiked out from behind her head. Pugh apparently enjoyed the baby bangs so much that she repeated the style soon after at the Oscars that year, albeit with a different statement updo featuring a reverse ponytail.

Halle Berry's reputation as a hair chameleon precedes her, and for good reason. The Oscar-winning star has been as bold in experimenting with hairstyles as she has been with choosing her screen roles, so much so that the evolution of Halle Berry's hair has long been a subject of interest in the media. One look, however, sticks out in Berry's otherwise acclaimed record: the bangs she sported to the 2021 Oscars. The choppy bob, which featured a micro fringe splayed across her forehead, seemed like a bit of a mismatch in the context of her mauve princess-coded Dolce & Gabbana gown. 

Many on X thought so too, with social media users roasting Halle Berry's Oscars hairstyle, and then heaving a sigh of relief when it was later revealed that the unkempt bob was only a wig. The wide disapproval was likely rooted in the high expectations fans generally hold for the "Catwoman" star, who can rock a short hairstyle like no one else can. In Berry's own words to HuffPost, "I am my best self when I have super short hair. That's when I feel most like me and most confident."