Zendaya Wore L.A.’s Most Popular Haircut At The Met Gala

Zendaya, who’s slowly but surely becoming the princess of the Met Gala (according to the queen herself), could’ve gone plenty of routes for this year’s Catholic-themed carpet. But as she usually does, the 21-year-old trendsetter gave us the unexpected: a short, red sci-fi bob.

The sharp cut, usually teamed with short bangs, is often styled to create a helmet-like silhouette. Let us explain: The term “sci-fi bob” comes from a Hollywood trope in which futuristic women often wear the modern, sleek cut — and it’s turned into a feminist statement in Hollywood. It all makes perfect sense, because her outfit at the Met was modeled after one of the most badass feminists in history: Joan of Arc.

The star, who worked with celebrity hairdresser Ursula Stephens, even surprised her longtime stylist Law Roach over FaceTime with the change (as captured on Stephens’ Instastory). “Zendaya’s look was inspired by the power of Joan of Arc and the opulence of Versace, who dressed her this evening,” Stephens tells us. “The gown references armor and chainmail, so we knew we needed a strong beauty look as well. We have been talking about going red with her hair for almost a year now, so we were excited when tonight felt like the perfect fit.”

To prep Zendaya’s natural hair, Stephens used Suave Professionals Avocado & Olive Oil Smoothing Leave-In Conditioning Cream before blowing it straight with the Instyler TURBO Ionic Dryer. As far as the red wig she wore on top, a few spritzes of Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray added texture, and Dove Style+Care Curls Defining Mousse gave her those waves. To keep everything in place, she finished with TRESemmé Compressed Micro-Mist Hair Spray Hold Level 1: Texture. Because even warriors need a few blasts of holding spray before heading off for battle.

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