The world loves a good messy bun — the more “lazy girl”-friendly, the better. Much like the topknot, the messy bun made it possible for us to own our lack of effort, to just throw our hair up and call it a day. But at what point does it become too lazy? Where does one draw the line between “French girl hair” and “okay, maybe I should pull out the blowdryer again one of these days”?
Probably at the octopus bun, which is less fun, trendy hairstyle and more that careless thing you do at your desk at 4 p.m. when your office is hot as balls and the computer is boring holes in your brain and your hair has just got to get out of the way ASAP. You pull it all up on top of your head, like you’re going to do a high ponytail, and then just create a loop out of your lengths and secure it with a hairband.
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This leaves your ends splayed out over your head, like far-reaching tentacles, and then your hairstyle has officially taken on roughly the same shape as an octopus. There you go!
Calling the octopus bun a “trend” is kind of pushing it. Yes, there is a place for it, but in the same way there’s a place for a gym ponytail: It’s practical, not a beauty statement. It’s the kind of look you go for when you’re washing your face or doing the dishes, or putting on an impression of your clueless 8th grade self who had no idea how to use a bobby pin. Let the octopus bun be great on its own terms. Stop trying to make it fashion.