Man Bun VS Topknot
The fashion world has embraced the man bun and the topknot for a while now and this past year it was accepted by the masses. Male models and hipsters claimed this look from the overly popular undercut that was popular in the early 2010’s. Every couple of years, men’s hairstyles generally see a huge trend in a one popular look. Now that we are halfway though the 2010’s, being able to tie your hair is now accepted.
What would you consider the difference between a man bun and a topknot?
The main difference is that a topknot only consists of having long hair on the top of your head. Where you truly look like a samurai. Man buns on the other hand are what I consider when a guy actually has long hair all over. It serves a purpose, which is to hold back hair. Think Johnny Depp, not edgy samurai.
The topknot needs to go. It basically is the new mullet of the millennium. This hairstyle was created because guys with undercuts wanted to do the man bun but didn’t have long hair on the sides of the head. Thus it was born. Placed at the top of your head. A topknot is essentially a high ponytail. While the man bun is placed at the back of the head to actually keep your hair back. The origin of the topknot is related to Japanese samurai culture. Since men in the noble class were samurais it became a symbol of status. Now guys walk around thinking it’s a form of being more hip or cooler than other guys.
I have been guilty of even doing the topknot about 2 years ago and constantly debating if I really should just grow all my hair out or just the top. I remember at first most people thought it was weird or thought I was actually from Asia… Then I decided to cut this past December because it was something I was over. It was too trendy to be taken seriously by the professional world. I am a graduating senior in university. It had to be gone. I’ve gotten more compliments about my hair now than when I actually had the topknot.
And just like my topknot, the masses will follow and see how ridiculous they are. I remember in high school how guys who had mohawk or fauxhawks would grow rattails. Some would even take it a step further and dye the rattails. Hopefully the topknot dies by the end of the year and I wonder what crazy hairstyle trend will take over many tops of many men’s heads.
I love my topknot, and not because I want a man bun, if my hair was long enough id still wear a topkot. manbuns are really stupid looking.
Japanese samurais have been around since the 10th century (that’s the 900’s) and have been depicted in paintings sporting the traditional top knot. It goes back a lot further than the 50’s my friend
Top Knots have been around in latino and pacific islander culture since at least the 50’s. Hair styles that have used under cuts and fades, like top knots, were almost exclusively used in latino culture (the other being biker culture) in the US excluding the military. One might even say the influx of latino’s into the military during the 40’s and 50’s might have spawned this trend on their younger impressonal generation that looked up to their older bro’s who made it out of poverty/whatever country they came from, and imitated the “high and tight”.
Being latino myself, I’ve been getting undercuts, fades, and top knots since the early 90’s (when I got to my teens) and back then, it was one of those things that white people would never wear because it was only “street latinos” and “thugs” who wore top knots and under cuts.
Now that what has always been popular in our culture has suddenly been noticed by white people, and passed off as “new” “hip” “original” fashion… and then there being an article about how now this new trend is over played and only acceptable if the person has long hair underneath… because otherwise it’s more like a mullet… is pretty much a huge slap in the face to the culture I grew up in.
In short, feels like to me the style I grew up with was hated on because it was latino and uncivilized, then it became the cool “original” thing to do by the same people that hated on me, and now someone says its soooo pasay and is even embarrassed that he had this lame hairstyle for 2 years… thats pretty insulting.