Jeremy Lin Gave Birth to a New Species of Man Bun
It's been a minute since Linsanity took hold over the sports world (and anyone remotely near New York City), but thanks to solid play and some insane hair choices, Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin keeps grabbing headlines. A case in point: earlier in the year Lin was making waves sporting a heavily-gel'd mohawk. (We think, perhaps as a way of intimidating his opponents the way lizards do.)
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 27: A close up shot of Jeremy Lin #7 of the Charlotte Hornets duirng the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Time Warner Cable Arena on November 27, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)NBAE/Getty Images
But we guess all that maintenance got exhausting because a couple nights ago, he decided to let his hair down—literally. Or Up. Or somewhere in between. And boy, we really wish he didn't, because now we have no idea what to call this bizarre form of haircut. It has all the symptoms of a topknot, an undercut, a man bun, and even a pony tail all mashed together into one, um, thing. There's shaved sides, a swath of long hair on top, and about an inch of knot towards the back. It's just the latest example of a trend that's centered on overly-swervy top knot situations that some men have been sporting these days. When will it stop?
Of course, we at GQ are not anti-knot. In fact, we're actually whole-hearted endorsers of man buns—so long as a dudes's hair is a relatively even length everywhere, which keeps the look from approaching Fat Jew territory. The point is, there's no point in trying to be cute or ironic with your locks. Though you may think people are in on the joke, chances are they're actually just laughing at you.
Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterXRelated Stories for GQHairNBANBA