ATTN, Gen Alpha Parents: The Chillet Is the New Alpaca Cut

I first noticed it during the Golden Globes. The Heated Rivalry boys. Glen Powell. Jacob Elordi. Paul Mescal. Nick Jonas. Jeremy Allen White. Jacob Hong. And, perhaps most emblematic of the Gen Alpha/Gen Z cusp, Owen Cooper. They all had big, floppy hair that cascaded in the front and tapered off in the back. Like a mullet, but softer. Enter: The “chillet.”

Five days after the awards ceremony, the haircut received official billing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In the now-viral TikTok, Fallon serenades the audience on the guitar, his house band on backup vocals. He calls out all the stars, opening with the cheeky line, “If your hair is feeling bored-y, you can make like Jake Elordi—get a chillet.”

So what is it exactly? Many in the comments were quick to call out their confusion. What makes it different from a regular old mullet? Per hairstylist  Sean Michael, owner of Salon Beau, “The chillet keeps the length and movement people like, but without the full commitment or sharp contrast of a traditional mullet. It leans into softer layers, a shaggy texture and a more blended transition between short and long sections. Because it doesn’t require a dramatic commitment, it’s often the go-to choice for people who want a noticeable change without feeling like they’ve gone too far.”