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This Millennial Hair Trend Is Making a Comeback (And We’re Not Sure How to Feel)

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Hold on to your hats, err hair...pouf...Bumpit? Whatever you call it, brace yourselves, because this millennial hair trend seems to be making a comeback amongst gen z.

Drumroll, please: The notorious Bumpit (or pouf, depending on where you’re from) hairstyle that was made ever so popular around 2008, worn by celebs like Lauren Conrad from The Hills and Snooki from The Jersey Shore, is starting to gain some popularity with the younger generation. And if we’ve learned anything from the past few years, it’s that whether it’s the latest fashion trends, skincare routines or even specific condiments, gen z and millennials can never seem to see eye-to-eye.

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Known for her impeccable style and Farrah Fawcett-like curtain bangs, 24-year-old Instagram “it" girl, Matilda Djerf, was shown sporting the pouf in recent campaigns photos for her clothing company, Djerf Avenue.

As seen above, Djerf pulled her iconic curtain bangs out of her face and clipped her hair to the top of her head. And below, she does it again to finish off her all-black, sleek ensemble, perfect for a night out for dinner and drinks.

That’s right—a once-staple look of the past popularized by millennial women who loved listening to Shwayze and Britney Spears on their iPod Nanos while filming their impromptu music videos on their flip video cameras (IYKYK), just might be on the brink of a comeback.

While we love a good comeback—we’re looking at you 90’s fluffy hair—we aren’t too sure how we feel about the infamous pouf.

So we took to TikTok to measure the temperature on all things Bumpits. TikTok user and hairstylist, Charlie Taylor, reacted to a video of someone saying that the hair trend is coming. She mentioned that with all of the curtain bangs she cut over the past few years during the pandemic, it’s only natural for women to want to pull their overgrown bangs out of their face. The result? The pouf.

Another TikToker walked viewers through a tutorial on how-to achieve the “new” Bumpit style that’s making a quick return. She takes a claw clip and brushes the front pieces of her hair back, stops on the crown of her head and lets the hair work its magic while slightly pushing forward to achieve that pouf. Might this be a new way to rock the claw clip hairstyle that TikTokers love so much?

Many millennials can agree that some of the Y2k nostalgia overload may be a bit of a cringe moment and blatant reminder on some of our—dare we say—embarrassing decisions. However, gen z’s love of the past is a sweet reminder that not all things need to go out of style (no matter how much we wish them to).

And hey, at least they’re using claw clips instead of the Bumpit inserts.

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Associate Fashion Commerce Editor

  • Covers all things fashion and shopping
  • Boasts over 23 years of experience as an avid shopper, having secured a personal stylist at Limited Too at the age of four
  • Studied English literature, communications and creative writing at the University of San Diego, and completed the Columbia Publishing Course at Columbia University in New York