If you weren’t a teenager in the ‘90s or 2000s, it’s hard to explain the unrelenting grip Meg Ryan’s hair had on us then. Her fresh shag promises to hold the same appeal.
We loved Meg Ryan’s curls in When Harry Met Sally, her bixie in You’ve Got Mail (not to mention the curly version of it in City of Angels), and my personal favourite: the shaggy, layered lob — frequently worn wavy — that accompanied her adorable head for what I casually yet confidently estimate were the vast majority of her public appearances between 1999 and 2005.
And just like the actor is making a rom-com comeback, so is that iconic hairstyle.
Meg has made appearances on talk shows over the last couple of days to promote What Happens Later, the new romantic comedy that she both stars in and directed. (The film, also starring David Duchovny, has an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA allowing them to participate in promoting during the ongoing strike.)
Meg Ryan makes her highly-anticipated return to acting in What Happens Later
Meg Ryan both directs and stars in the forthcoming holiday rom-com.
Prior to this week, and for quite some time, she’d been seen wearing her hair much like it is in the movie: wavy and shoulder-length at its shortest. But just in time to celebrate this long-awaited return to rom-coms, Meg has cut her hair in a way that is simultaneously nostalgic and timelessly chic.
The shag haircut continues to be the coolest chop right now
Those layers…
On October 31, Meg Ryan was a guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers, re-debuting one of her most famous hairstyles: the beloved Meg Ryan shag. (Trust me, if you say “the Meg Ryan shag” to any movie fan or beauty lover over 33 years old, they know exactly what you’re talking about.) It’s that perfect not-too-long, not-too-short lob full of piece-y, wavy layers with just the right amount of volume.
We got another look at the style the next morning, November 1, when David joined her for an appearance on Today. It was then, in addition to suddenly wanting this haircut again (because you know I had it back in the aughts), that I realised she also has one of the best blonde ombrés in Hollywood right now.
Between the return of this haircut and her rom-com renaissance, two of my Meg Ryan wishes are coming true at the same time. Now I just need her to do another movie with Tom Hanks.
A version of this article first appeared on Allure.
Read the full article here