Own your individuality and what looks best, not what GenZ thinks
Like all the young, trendsetting and outspoken generations before it, GenZ is quick to point out their opinions—to the world, and anyone who will listen—about what is in, and what is most definitely out (aka, “cheugy”). To that point, a main topic of TikTok beauty discussion earlier this year was centered around hair part location: Center vs. Side. As always, the TikTok community doesn’t disappoint in terms of a fun and engaging discourse, with users sharing their own videos rocking a center part and/or a side part.
However, the overall takeaway and headline was: this generation’s POV is that “absolutely no one looks better with a side part.” Bold statement, as is the latest this month, which asserts that blonde hair is pathetically untrendy (see below).
To clear the air, we asked Fabio about his opinion, as creative director, and he shared these crucial points to consider next time you attempt to change the way you style or color your hair.
Styled with a middle part
Styled with a side part
‘Part’ing Ways with Trends
According to Fabio, however you want to part your hair is the right way. The argument that parting your hair a certain way speaks to how old you are, or how out of touch you are with current trends, is close-minded and limiting. “The way you part your hair should be 100% driven by not age or trends, but by face shape, features, bone structure, hair type, and even lifestyle,” he says.
Fabio Scalia hairdressers stand behind a brand philosophy centered around customizing services to fit a client’s unique features, lifestyle, and personality. “Hair should be easy, comfortable and chic,” says Fabio. “We want you to love living with your hair.” Fabio Scalia trains his team to identify each client’s unique features to create a look that is comfortable and accessible to the that client. Trends can effectively serve as guidelines for experimenting or opening your eyes to something you never considered prior, but they should never be benchmarks for taste or what looks good. “What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another,” Fabio continues. “Proportions plays a huge role when I am crafting a haircut or style for a client. I like to focus on what looks good, not on what is trending.” For Fabio, a true sense of beauty comes together via proportions, line, and order.
According to Fabio, a side part softens facial features, it can also be used to create volume and highlight certain parts of the face. Side part allows for more versatility in styling and works best on a person with a longer face.
“In my opinion, a part that is slightly off the center looks more fashionable and much more natural. If you want to try a center part, you can do a center part halfway to the crown, or all the way to the back of the crown, which creates a sleeker, flatter look. But regardless of where you decide to part your hair, what’s important is that the overall style looks good on your face and accentuates your unique facial features.”
A final look: Check out this video, where Fabio demonstrates a versatile part—which is a great way to change your look without committing to a new cut.
Do Brunettes Now Have More Fun?
In a recent New York Post article, Gen Z crowds declared blonde hair untrendy. While color and trends go hand in hand to a certain degree, “color, like a haircut, also requires its own proportions and cardinal points of reference,” says Fabio. “When looking for a hair color that looks good on you, you must observe things like eye color, skin complexion, and even your lifestyle (for instance, are you in the pool often, how frequently do you wash your hair, or how often would color maintenance require you to visit the salon).” Trends often make people think irrationally: A very basic concept is that some people look better as blondes, some people look better with red hair, and others look better with dark hair. At the end, is not about looking toward trends but what looks good on the individual person (and what makes you feel good!).
Looking Back
As a real-world example of why not to blindly gravitate toward what’s trending versus what looks good on you, Fabio brought up the example of “skinny jeans.”
“These jeans became popular and ubiquitous,” he says. “Everybody was wearing them. However skinny jeans don’t look good on everyone. They are very flattering on some people but certainly not everybody. Similarly, now that baggy styles are ‘in,’ they don’t look good on everyone either. Styles and trends are not a one size fits all.”
Fabio’s final words of advice are to seek out the opinion of salon professionals and experts. Don’t just rely on the opinions of social media influencers, many of whom position themselves as experts simply because they have a voice.
In short: Trends are meant to guide, modernize, tweak and put fun twists on classic styles. Next time you ponder on the idea of changing your hairstyle or color, take the time to look in the mirror and really think “will that really look good on me?”