The Flower Crown Gives Way To The Bean Sprout Hairpin Trend

There's a new trend involving bean sprouts, and it's not edible: Apparently, protruding bean sprout hairpins are a hot commodity in big cities in China. (Check out this Wall Street Journal video of folks waxing poetic about the cute, pinky-sized sprigs of greenery perched on their heads.) And unlike most other hair-accessory trends (or specifically, barrette trends), these bean sprout clips have been spotted not only on women and kids, but also on men. The antennae-esque hair clips are often sold by street vendors. The clips are made from fake plastic flowers and leaves and cost less than a dollar. They're also on offer on eBay. Is this the more subtle successor to the ubiquitous flower crowns that have dominated Instagram feeds and music festivals for the past few summers? The flower crown has its fair share of haters, but DIY crown-making workshops still exist, so it's not totally gone. Still, we might just start seeing bean sprout hairpins stateside come summer 2016.