Meg Ryan: The Queen of Rom-Coms and the Bob
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.
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Feathered Bob
In the classic Top Gun, Ryan went for a feathered bob. The layered look paired with bangs had major volume and was effortlessly chic.
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Luscious Curls
Hershberger explains that because Ryan’s hair is naturally thick and full, it can overpower her petite frame. That s where haircuts with layers come in—Hershberger likes to give it texture and movement, especially when it’s long. Think of her iconic cut in When Harry Met Sally, which felt floaty and unstructured.
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Sleek Lob
By the time she was filming When a Man Loves a Woman, Ryan had a shorter cut with a completely different aesthetic. She opted for a sleek and straight lob that was super chic.
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Layered Signature
It’s hard to pick a favorite amongst Ryan’s iconic bobs. But if Hershberger had to choose, it would be this layered cut from French Kiss. “It was so disheveled and it was kind of the beginning of the [iconic] short hair for Meg,” Hershberger says.
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A Bob With Edge
Hershberger credits Ryan’s bob in Addicted to Love, which she says was a bit more stylized than her usual look, for making short hair cool again in that era. “[It’s] a little more put together, but with an edge,” she says.
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