--- title: Beyonce Gets Bangs: Influential Celebrity Haircuts description: In honor of Beyonce's "controversial" hair cut canonical: https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-15T20:43:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:22.645Z og:title: The Most Talked-About Celebrity Bangs of All Time og:description: In honor of Beyonce's "controversial" hair cut. og:url: https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62c214168c481360/698760f8524fc026d9de9de0/457252160.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3456 og:image:height: 1944 og:image:alt: London Celebrity Sightings - OCTOBER 15, 2014 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Most Talked-About Celebrity Bangs of All Time twitter:description: In honor of Beyonce's "controversial" hair cut. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62c214168c481360/698760f8524fc026d9de9de0/457252160.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Most Talked-About Celebrity Bangs of All Time > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2f81dbb4-29da-4050-96c3-70b256a45b85&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 15, 2014 8:43 PM UTC  Beyonce Knowles seen leaving a gallery with BANGS Beyonce Knowles seen leaving a gallery with BANGS Alex Huckle—GC Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 15, 2014 8:43 PM UTC Beyoncé got bangs, and people have [_feelings_](http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2014/10/15/beyonce-bangs-beyonce-cuts-bad-bangs/) about it. Is the super short, Bettie Page-inspired fringe the [Bangpacolyspe](http://bossip.com/1047460/bangpocalypse-beyonces-retro-style-bangs-get-roasted-relentlessly-on-twitter-upgrade-your-bang/)? [“Vintage but not cheesy”](http://www.refinery29.com/2014/10/76222/beyonce-baby-bangs-hairstyle)? [A Blue Ivy art project](http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Beyonce-Short-Bangs-35927210)? Proof that Queen Bey has [bad hair days just like us](http://jezebel.com/beyonce-tried-out-some-new-bangs-and-1646317411)? Absolutely [none of our damn business](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/14/beyonce-debuts-bettie-page-bangs-and-the-media-loses-its-collective-sh-t.html)? It’s all a matter of opinion… that will be shared again and again on Twitter. For whatever reason, emotions run high when it comes to celebrity bangs.”If you’re going with a black eye or bangs, go with the black eye,” actress Kaley Cuoco [said](http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2013/03/14/kaley-cuoco-hair-bangs-black-eye/) after getting skewered for embracing the fringe on a 2013 red carpet. And so, in the name of journalism, we have compiled a list of the most influential — and at times, “controversial” — celebrity bangs. **Bettie Page**  CIRCA 1952: Pin-up model Bettie Page poses for a portrait Michael Ochs Archives Here’s the 1950’s pin-up said to have inspired Beyoncé. If you’ve had any impact on Beyoncé, you’re obviously one of the most influential beings on the planet. **Michelle Obama**  The First Lady Michelle Obama with BANGS (2013) Joe Raedle—Getty Images “This is my midlife crisis,” FLOTUS told Rachel Ray, [“jokingly,”](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/first-lady-quips-midlife-crisis-led-bangs) in a 2013 interview. And oh, what a bold statement the bangs were. _The_ _Wall Street Journal_ noted: “These aren’t the kind of subtle, side-swept bangs that some women favor, including Duchess Kate. Rather, Mrs. Obama opted for full-on, forehead-covering fringe. It’s a bold move at a high profile time for the First Lady, just days before President Obama’s inauguration.” [_The Cut_](http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/05/michelle-obama-has-retired-her-bangs.html) prematurely mourned the loss during Obama’s Bowie State commencement speech, but _The Daily Beast_ was quick to assure concerned masses that “they’re still on her head… she just parted her hair differently.” (The bangs have since retired.) **Kerry Washington** > [](https://twitter.com/pfpicardi/status/293381906844766208) But, “were Michelle Obama’s bangs inspired by Kerry Washington?” [_The Daily Mail_](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2267246/Michelle-Obama-hair-Were-bangs-First-Lady-inspired-Kerry-Washington.html) (and [others](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/01/22/hair-we-go-again-michelle-obamas-bangs/)) wondered. FLOTUS does [binge-watch _Scandal_.](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/michelle-obama-admits-binge-watching-abc-scandal-article-1.1598150) **Hilary Clinton** Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves-[@HillaryClinton](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) now has bangs: [pic.twitter.com/SDiV6XSf0U](http://t.co/SDiV6XSf0U) — The Cut (@TheCut) [January 2, 2014](https://twitter.com/TheCut/status/418848449749323776?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Michelle isn’t the only woman in politics to make waves with her choice of bangs. Hillary Clinton’s January 2014 bangs were “oddly controversial,” [_Bustle_](http://www.bustle.com/articles/11785-hillary-clintons-bangs-are-oddly-controversial)noted, as other publications [questioned](http://www.refinery29.com/2014/01/60008/hillary-clinton-bangs) what her “bangs mean for America.” Imagine if Clinton had sported bangs _and_ her [infamous scrunchie](http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/jun/10/hillary-clinton-scrunchie-hairstyle-accessory)? Then the Union would have been put in a tailspin. **Zooey Deschanel**  Actress Zooey Deschanel and her bangs Imeh Akpanudosen—Getty Images The _New Girl_ star and hipster icon isn’t just known for her bangs, as _Buzzfeed_ points out, she is hardly recognizable without them. It turns out that Zooey Deschanel is virtually unrecognizable without her bangs [pic.twitter.com/9IahXU03fZ](http://t.co/9IahXU03fZ) — BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) [May 10, 2013](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed/status/332913392740364288?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) **Tyra Banks**  TV personality Tyra Banks, her bangs, and NARAS President Neil Portnow Michael Kovac—WireImage One word: Fierce. **Andrea Sachs** I want this bang hair cut with some side hair falling. [#DevilWearsPrada](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DevilWearsPrada?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#AnneHathaway](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnneHathaway?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#Hair](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hair?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/ZzikacVNqN](http://t.co/ZzikacVNqN) — Erica Villanueva (@evillanueva\_555) [June 8, 2013](https://twitter.com/evillanueva%5F555/status/343422232313344002?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Yes, Anne Hathaway often sports bangs in real life. But this isn’t about Anne Hathaway. This is about her character Andrea Sachs in _The Devil Wears Prada_. Andrea was nothing without bangs. Nothing. And after she got them, she became everything, inspiring little girls everywhere to don the haircut that goes hand in hand with being a successful assistant to a high-powered, mercurial fashion editor. **Rooney Mara**  Actress Rooney Mara arrives at the 84th Annual Academy Awards Gregg DeGuire—FilmMagic The look was created for Mara’s role as Lisbeth Salander in_The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_ _. Vogue_ dubbed this ultra chic individual’s adoption of blunt bangs, [“The Rooney Mara effect.”](http://www.vogue.com/869217/the-rooney-mara-effect/) **Audrey Hepburn**  Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993), as Holly Golightly Paramount Pictures—Getty Images A classic. **Justin Bieber**  Singer Justin Bieber Carlos Alvarez—Getty Images A modern classic. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/"},"headline":"The Most Talked-About Celebrity Bangs of All Time","datePublished":"2014-10-15T20:43:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:22.645Z","description":"In honor of Beyonce's \"controversial\" hair cut","url":"https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Living","society","Beyonce","celebrity","hair"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62c214168c481360/698760f8524fc026d9de9de0/457252160.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt62c214168c481360/698760f8524fc026d9de9de0/457252160.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"London Celebrity Sightings - OCTOBER 15, 2014","caption":"London Celebrity Sightings - OCTOBER 15, 2014","creditText":"Alex Huckle—GC Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3510707/beyonce-bangs-celebrity/","name":"The Most Talked-About Celebrity Bangs of All Time"}}]}] ```