Meg Ryan’s impact goes beyond influencing us hopeless romantics who yearn for that perfect meet-cute at a bookstore or best friends to lovers trope. When it comes to the cool girl bob, we wouldn’t have our obsession with the short cut without her.
“Meg is very spontaneous, very adventurous,” says celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger. “I love working with Meg because we have such similarity in our style: we like to look effortless and a little undone.”
While the bob is often touted as the universal haircut, Hershberger, who has been Ryan’s go-to stylist for decades and is responsible for the actor’s most iconic cuts, says there is a secret to getting the cut just right if you’re looking for that same casual glam vibe: it’s all in the way it moves.
“A bob should never be longer in the back,” she says. “I keep the bottom blunt (like a straight hard line) and chop into that a little bit. I don’t layer the bottom layers; I want that heavy, textured [look] by cutting into the bottom, but keeping that blunt line. Then I layer on top so it’s a little bit not connected.”
To celebrate Ryan’s 64th birthday today, we look back at the queen of Hollywood rom-coms’ best hair looks. From the cool girl bob and all its iterations to the times she’s experimented with bangs (as we all do) or let her grow long, we’ll always want what she’s having.
