I Just Got Penelope Cruz Bangs, and I’ve Never Received so Many Compliments on a Winter Haircut

Of all the hairstyles that I’ve considered (and actually committed to)—a French bob, highlights, etc.—the one I never thought I’d actually go through with is bangs. But something changed inside of me when I began preparing for an autumnal jaunt to Paris, France, where the haircuts are chic and always a step ahead of the American trend cycle. Call it selective attention, but I soon began noticing this chic, wispy shear everywhere I turned; from ‘60s-inspired Bardot fringe to dreamy curtain bangs. Sure, bangs were irrefutably one of the hottest fall hair trends of 2025, but there was something about my muse’s specific style that sang to me like a siren.

As a Y2K baby, I grew up idolizing the chic women whose distinct ’90s hairstyles became synonymous with their very beings. (Think: Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” haircut, the “Halle Berry” pixie.) However, after being told that I resembled a young Penélope Cruz in my early teen years (no, I don’t believe it; yes, I still hold onto that compliment dearly), I began looking to the Spanish actress for aesthetic inspiration as I honed my personal style. After impulsively booking a haircut with celebrity hairstylist Xavier Velasquez, the mastermind behind Scarlett Johansson’s and AnnaSophia Robb’s manes, I gathered my inspiration photos into a mood board. Nearly every shot was of Cruz with her piecey, tousled, and effortlessly chic bangs from the 2001 film Vanilla Sky—and the stylist wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see my Cruz-shrine of a hairspo board.