Is Miley Cyrus’s Hair Signaling A Vibe Shift?

Out of all the incredible style moments at the Grammys, Miley Cyrus’s look generated the most buzz. Before performing her Grammy-winning 'Flowers' onstage, Cyrus debuted a new look on the red carpet, wearing a gold chainmail dress, sultry makeup, and a voluminous, almost bouffant, '60-inspired hairstyle. Beauty trend experts are whispering that this hairstyle is not a one-off but actually indicative of a larger trend movement, a turn away from sleek polished styles and towards big-bodied hair — think: Barbarella.

If you're unfamiliar, Barbarella is a film that debuted in 1968 starring Jane Fonda. Why is a sci-fi film from the '60s relevant in our 2024 trend cycle? Well, according to early reports, Sony Pictures is working on a Barbarella remake starring Sydney Sweeney. Details on that project — writers, directors, full casting — are still in pre-production, but is it an early influence, even a catalyst for a vibe shift, in hair trends?

Bob Recine, the hairstylist who gave Cyrus her Grammys look, cites Barbarella as a reference, as well as Raquel Welch in the 1966 film 'One Million Years B.C.' "These references served as an inspiration for the look, but we did not want it to be a copy of the hair from that time," explains Recine. He modernized the style with careful, exposed teasing to create what he described as a "modern punk, confident element."

This exact hairstyle involved a three-part concoction: hairspray, teasing, and velcro rollers. After blowing out the hair in sections, Recine went in with hairspray — specifically the Nexxus XXL Volume Hairspray, which he says, delivers strong hold with no residue. With the help of the hairspray for hold, he then teased the hair at the roots and placed a few velcro rollers on top sections "to get that sexy bounce," he explains. The result: Full-volume hair.

Cat Quinn, a beauty trend reporter, spotted Cyrus's Grammys look and predicted that a Barbarella-core aesthetic may be taking shape. In an Instagram Reel, Quinn cited other fashion examples of the chainmail trend on the carpet, with Dua Lipa and Megan Fox wearing dresses with metallic draping. But is big hair happening for 2024?

Recine isn't so sure. "If you look at the Grammys last night, Miley was really one of the only [stars] with larger hair," he explains, "the silhouettes for hair are still focusing on volume at the bottom." Examples include Olivia Rodrigo, Halle Bailey, and Chlöe — body throughout the mid-lengths and the ends of the hair, but not much root volume. Still, '60s inspiration can be taken in all kinds of directions. "The silhouette is not as important as the technique of bringing the style to a place that looks modern, rather than looking like a copy of the older references," explains Recine.

Luckily, today we have new hair tools, and can use older references, like Barberella, and soften, or modernize them. For example, velcro rollers are back (although some people never stopped using them) and if you have fine hair and want more volume, you can use a root-lift spray like Roz Root Lift Spray. We probably won't see backcombing and mousse making a comeback. But for an event like the Grammys, it's a time to play around. "Big hair was kind of a no-no for me," adds Recine who says that this look with Cyrus was mostly just fun, not to spark a trend. "It was a great way to show how styles like this can be new again, if you take a different approach." We'll just have to wait and see Sydney Sweeney's interpretation.