Editor's note

The bob has been declared dead every decade since 1915. It keeps coming back because the geometry works. A well-cut bob creates jaw definition on faces that have too much of it and cheekbone architecture on faces that need lifting. The mistake most people make isn't choosing the wrong variation — it's choosing based on a photo of someone whose bone structure, texture, and density look nothing like theirs. Below: everything we've published to help you make the right call before you sit in the chair.

What makes a cut a bob

A bob is any cut where the hair is cropped to a single weight line — typically between the jaw and the chin. Everything else is a variable: the angle of the line, whether it's blunt or textured, whether there's a fringe, whether the nape is stacked or tapered.

Bob variations

• Blunt bob — maximum weight and shine
• Textured bob — razored ends, moves more, forgives irregular growth
• Stacked bob — graduation at the back creates volume
• Asymmetric bob — longer on one side, dramatic line
• A-line bob — longer in front, shorter at nape, most flattering angle
• Wavy/messy bob — grown-out weight line, relies on texture

All bob how-tos

• Blunt bob vs textured bob — which is easier to maintain
• Face shape and the bob: the honest guide
• Stacked bob at the nape — how it's cut and who it suits
• How to maintain a bob between salon visits
• The asymmetric bob: who it's actually for
• How curly hair behaves at bob length