17 Questionable Hair Choices On Teen TV Shows, Ranked From Least Offensive To Worst
One of the hallmarks of teen drama shows is questionable fashion choices, and characters' hairstyles are definitely no exception. From bangs to highlights to mullets, we've truly seen it all.
Paramount Pictures
The other day, I was thinking about all of the, um, interesting hair choices I've seen throughout my years of watching teen dramas. Looking back, some of these TV haircuts weren't actually all that bad, while others...yikes, yikes, yikes.
So, without further ado, here are some infamous teen drama hairstyles, ranked from "not that bad" to "absolutely not":
17.Tina's blue/purple streaks and pigtails on Glee:
Okay, so this was a bold choice, but I actually thought the pop of color suited Tina really well! I kind of wish they had kept this style on her character for the later seasons. The pigtails I am more conflicted about, though.
16.Amy's very, very '00s side bangs on The Secret Life of the American Teenager:
If you grew up in this era, you almost certainly had or wanted hair like this at some point. Glad I'm over my side bangs phase! Although, I'd take these bangs over Shailene Woodley's Big Little Lies Season 2 front bangs any day.
15.Manny's short 'do on Degrassi: The Next Generation:
CTV
It's not my favorite Manny style, but I actually sorta liked this look on her. I can see how it might be a bit too choppy, but I liked seeing Manny with shorter hair for once (btw, it's still f*ck Peter Stone for this scene).
14.Whatever Reggie's hair has going on post–time jump on Riverdale:
This isn't awful, per se, I just really, really prefer his natural curls. Plus, it looks like he's using way too much hair gel. But he still manages to be hot, because Charles Melton can pull off almost any look.
13.Frankie's "mid-life crisis" hair on Degrassi: Next Class:
Okay, so this one was supposed to be bad. I actually didn't hate it, though? I mean, I don't think it looked spectacular, but I feel like everyone exaggerated how awful it was when there have been way worse hair choices on this show (scroll down for examples).
12.Aria's hot pink streaks on Pretty Little Liars:
This was pretty cringe, but it was very on brand for the time period. I remember Claire's selling clip-ins exactly like this.
11.Nathan's super-long hair in Season 5 of One Tree Hill:
Nathan, my beloved! What did they do to you? The shorter hair definitely suited Nate better. Luckily, this hairstyle didn't last too long once he cleaned up his act.
10.Serena's big and bold updo at Blair's wedding on Gossip Girl:
You know why her hair's so big? Because it's full of secrets. I'm not being super harsh on this one since it was a temporary style rather than an actual haircut, but come on, S! You can do better!
9.Ryan's bowl cut in Season 2 of The O.C.:
Ugh, did anyone like this? Ryan desperately needed a haircut this season. I didn't mind slightly longer hair on him, but the length combined with the bangs was just...no.
8.Quinn's punk rock hair phase on Glee:
Fox
This was a CHOICE. I know it was supposed to be wild and shocking because Quinn was going through her "rebellious" phase senior year, but I still can't get over it. The only reason I'm not being harsher on this one is because I sort of enjoyed Quinn's punk rock era.
7.Buffy's bangs on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
This one reminds me of the time I tried to cut my own bangs. Spoiler: it did not turn out well.
6.Jen's reallyyyy short 'do and bangs on Dawson's Creek:
Sighhhh. This show did Jen dirty in so many ways, including in the hair department. I'm ranking this as slightly worse than Buffy's because she had the choppy length in addition to the bangs, and it was just not a good combo.
5.Lucas's long hair in Season 9 of One Tree Hill:
Hey, WHY??! Here I thought Season 4 Lucas's hair was the worst it was gonna get — boy, was I wrong. Brooke Davis truly got the last laugh.
4.Betty's "Dark Betty" wig on Riverdale:
The CW
Seriously, what the hell was this? I'm glad for all of our sakes, especially Lili Reinhart's, that they stopped doing Dark Betty scenes.
3.Spinner's whatever-the-hell-this-was hair on Degrassi: The Next Generation:
God, imagine the yearbook pictures of this one. Get it together, Spinner!
2.Jeanette's choppy, teenage angst hair on Cruel Summer:
I know this one was probably supposed to be bad to symbolize Jeanette's downfall and messed-up emotional state, but I cannot get over how awful this was. It looks like she just took a pair of scissors and impulsively chopped everything off.
1.And finally, coming in at the top for worst hairstyle, Manny's blonde hair and bangs on Degrassi: The Next Generation:
Manny Santos, I love you, I stan you, I worship you...but I cannot condone this choice! Luckily, Cassie Steele agrees that this was a bad call.
