| Bangs: Straight Bangs |
| Karen Marie Shelton/Dedicated To FFOS |
| Date: 12/12/07 |
Introduction
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Bai Ling
At ESPN The Magazine's
"Summer Fun" Party
The Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, CA
07-11-06 |
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DailyCeleb.com
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reserved. |
You might be surprised to know that bangs often make the
celebrity news headlines. Several celebrity watchers recently
made a big to-do about the fact that actress Katie Holmes
had arrived at the Bambi awards in Germany wearing
brand new bangs.
What was noteworthy about Katie's bangs, according to the media, was
that they were identical to the bangs worn by
Katie
and husband Tom Cruise's 18 month old daughter Suri.
The type of bangs
that Katie was wearing that caused the media attention were what is
known in the bang world as a full bang cut straight across the
forehead.
Katie's heavy straight bangs were actually introduced in the
1920s and were immortalized by actress Louise Brooks who
paired straight across bangs with her now-famous bob hairstyle.
Some bang historians would say that the straight across bang has
roots in the flapper era when some of the flappers favored the
straight across bangs.
This bang is nothing new in the current hair world. In
fact, the celebrity poster girl for straight bangs
is the
gorgeous actress Bai Ling. The straight bang offers
many advantages from making the eyes pop to assisting with balancing
a more narrow face shape.
Bai Ling almost always wears bangs of some type but even more
noteworthy, the majority of the bangs she wears are the classic
straight bangs that are cut stick straight and worn in a straight
line right across her forehead.
When Bai Ling wears her bangs straight she looks like a classic
China Doll.
Straight Bangs With A Twist
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Bai Ling
2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Day 1
10-14-07 |
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DailyCeleb.com
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reserved. |
One of the great characteristics of
actress Bai Ling is the fact she is willing to
experiment with many different hairstyles.
At the 2007 Mercedes Benz Fashion Show the sassy
model turned up with her trademark straight bangs worn in a line
across her forehead but flanked on either side of her face by long
ribbons of cherry red hair.
It was a stunning look which instantly transformed
Bai Ling's look from soft, sexy China Doll to fun, fabulous and
edgy. Bai Ling really knows how to shake up her style, have
fun and look amazing.
I had the great fortune to interview the lovely and
talented Bai Ling after one of her famous haircuts. I caught
her as she was getting ready to fly to the Orient to star in a film.
After chatting with the charming star I can just
imagine her delight at adding the unique hair color to offset her
famous straight bangs.
Besides her cherry red panels of hair, Bai Ling has
been known to offset her straight bangs with a wide range of twists.
Straight bangs are typically cut to hang slightly past the
eyebrow by anywhere from 1/8 to 1/4th inch.
Although some hair and beauty experts recommend that only some
types of face shapes should wear the straight across bang style, other
experts believe that every face shape can benefit from the look.
The reality? The straight across bang will draw attention to the
eyes, nose and cheeks. The straight across bang is best for
thinner faces and to help minimize wide foreheads but is considered
less ideal for round or square face shapes.
Types
Of Hair Compatible With Straight Bangs
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Bai Ling
Los Angeles Premiere of "The Tripper"
04-11-07 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
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reserved. |
Just like the long eyebrow bangs, straight bangs can be stunning
when combined with any type of hair length from super short to super
long and somewhere in-between.
Straight bangs do work best on hair that is naturally straight
due to the fact that tresses with any type of bend, wavy or curl
will be much more difficult to style.
When hair is naturally curly or wavy, there can be a lot more
challenges to wearing bangs of any type but definitely straight
bangs pose the largest problem.
How do people with naturally curly hair achieve stick straight
bangs?
There are a number of methods employed by naturally curly haired
people although they can be quite time consuming and have as many
disadvantages as advantages.
Curly haired people can achieve straight bangs by taking the
following action:
1. Blow drying hair straight using straightening balms
and/or a combination of straightening balms and anti-defrisants
coupled with a good straight brush and/or flat iron.
2. Apply a relaxer to just the bang area to keep the forehead
hair straighter. Keep in mind that a relaxer may not
completely straighten the curliest of bang hair but it will help
relax it so that it is easier to style straight. The
disadvantage to relaxing just the bangs versus the entire head of
curly hair is that it may cause the rest of the hair to look out of
proportion. There is also the challenge of root hair growing
in curly.
3. Have the bang hair chemically straightened which will
guarantee straight bangs. Keep in mind that chemically
straightened bangs may still need to be blow dried straight to avoid
any curves or waves. Also, there are the issues of curly root
growth and the fact that the rest of the hair may look unbalanced
due to the extreme difference in textures consisting of stick
straight bangs attached to naturally curly hair.
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Bai Ling
Black Enterprise Magazine's 50 Hollywood Power
Brokers Party
02-21-07 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
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reserved. |
Note: For more tips on achieving
straight bangs read Bangs - The Straight Scoop.
Before you take any steps to relax or straighten your
hair be sure to do extensive research since either
method can provide long term hair challenges.
Straight across bangs like Bai Ling's may not look as dramatic
when created on hair which is naturally thin, wispy or baby fine.
Straight bangs also appear more stunning when worn on tresses that
are darker, since they reflect light. They also look best when
the tresses are shiny, either from being super healthy or from the
assistance of shine serums, sprays or similar.
Another option to achieve full, thick straight across bangs is
to have tiny human hair extensions applied to just the bang area.
Yes, this has been done. Another option is clip-in bangs which
are less viable in most cases because they look unnatural and may
create the dreaded 60s mall bang look.
To be considered classic, straight bangs must be cut straight
across from side to side. Some people like Bai Ling prefer to
mix it up a bit so they opt to have their straight bangs cut in a
way that the bangs angle down from the end of the eyebrows down
towards the ears to create a more triangular effect. This is a
departure from classic straight bangs.
Highlighted Straight Bangs
If the goal of straight bangs is to punch up the
eyes, carefully applied ribbons of highlights and
lowlights intertwined throughout the bangs can have a
spectacular effect.
If the highlights and/or lowlights are added to thin, fine hair
worn in straight bangs, there is an added benefit of instant
plumpness and volume. Straight Bang Styling Options
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Anita Pointer
Love Letters Performance Benefit
12-01-07 |
|
DailyCeleb.com
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reserved. |
Long eyebrow skimming bangs can be styled so that they are worn
down in a straight or jagged line extending across the forehead.
Or, sometimes eyebrow skimming bangs are worn swept to one side
with the bulk of the bangs draped over one eye Veronica Lake style.
Straight bangs can be worn without any type of adornment or they
can be partnered with a wide range of hair accessories.
Headbands are an ideal hair accessories since they can be worn a
few inches back from the bangs with actually maximize the beauty of
the straight bangs. Experiment with ultra thin or super wide
headbands to create a wide range of different looks.
Another great accessory for straight across bangs are thin
clip-in bangs in a variety of different clues. The side hair
can also be adorned with jeweled bobbies or sassy sleeper clips.
Summary
The thick straight across the forehead bang has been around since
before the days of the famous flappers. The straight bang was
adopted by Louise Brooks who wore the hair with her famous short
bob.
Famed actress, model and star Bai Ling is known for her never
ending array of gorgeous and classic straight bangs.
Do straight bangs look good on everyone? Although everyone
should wear their hair exactly as they please, straight bangs need
to be selected on a case by case basis. |