TikTok has become a breeding ground for oddly specific theories about basically everything. And no, I’m not just talking about conspiracy theories about aliens being underwater or about how Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are in a weird Wicked-inspired cult — I mean about how our bodies change when we’re in love. More specifically: what our hair looks like when we’re in love.
Now, I’m a firm believer that we tend to present ourselves differently when we’re in love (and also being loved back in a healthy way). But I don’t know how much I’m behind this whole hair theory thing, especially because the example I’m seeing thrown around the most is of Andie Anderson from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days — a totally fictional character.
What Is The Hair Theory?
So the confusing thing is that there are actually multiple “hair theories” circling TikTok right now. One is about how the style of your hair changes how people perceive you… that’s a discussion for another day. But the hair theory that I’m talking about right now is that your hair is in an indicator of whether you’re in love or not. People have been jumping on this trend showing off “hair before falling in love” versus “hair after falling in love.” And usually, this is just a compilation of pictures of women with first straight hair and then later curly or wavy hair. The theory here is that when you’re in love, you wear your hair in a way that looks more natural, bouncy, and a little bit messy, whereas before falling in love you’re probably keeping it very pin straight and in place.
@choerein love theory #love #theory #fyp #hair ♬ enjoy the silence by depeche mode – elina ☆
Now if we’re talking specifically about How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, we should all remember that this is a movie and that everything is scripted and planned. Kate Hudson, who plays Andie, even confirmed on TikTok a few years back that Andie’s hair choices were very intentional, indicating when she was being very guarded or putting up a facade (straight hair) and when she was being more honest and open about her life (curly hair).
Now in real life, our hair works very differently. The theory is a little limited in a few ways, one being that everyone has such different hair. How do we assess “hair theory” for people who have naturally curly hair or only have straight hair no matter what products they use? And what about women who put their hair into braids or locs? How does hair theory apply to them?
And aside from that, just speaking on a personal level: I’ve had pin-straight hair my whole life. It doesn’t matter what haircut I’ve gotten or what color I’ve dyed my hair, my hair has just always looked the same. I’ve been in love before and nothing different happened to my hair. So is there really anything real to this whole “hair after falling in love” thing?
I think at the end of the day, you do look different when you’re in love. You glow more and you probably take care of yourself more because you feel empowered by someone’s affection — usually making you look even better. Sometimes you gain weight because you’re going out to eat all the time with your partner, and other times you lose weight because you have a built-in gym buddy. Love can look like so many things on your body, but unfortunately I’m not convinced that it means you’ll end up going from straight to curly hair.
