‘Emily in Paris’ Has Everyone Talking About Trauma Bangs

In case you missed it, Emily Cooper, a character from Emily in Paris, had a major hair moment in the first episode of season 3. The girl simply takes scissors and cuts her own hair, sparking a debate about trauma bangs and whether they’re a real thing or not. So, what’s a trauma haircut, and does it exist, or is it just part of the series plot?

Trauma Bangs Are a Real Thing

Licensed psychotherapist in Newport Beach, CA, Talia Bombola, LMFT, says it’s more than typical to want a change in appearance after a traumatic event. That can be anything, from a breakup to moving houses, another type of loss, or an extensively stressful event.

So, wanting to cut your hair and giving yourself trauma bangs is more than standard. To many people, that’s the way to mark a change in their lives and make a new statement about who they have become. In fact, changing your haircut can be perceived as an attempt to gain control over your life, however strange it might seem.

Why Do We Seek a Change in Appearance

There are a few reasons why people seek a change in appearance upon experiencing a traumatic event. As psychologists put it, it gives an individual security and comfort knowing they still have control over something in life. However, trauma bangs and other changes in the appearance of someone after a traumatic event might also signal a desire to escape reality or signal to others that you need support to cope with the stressful event.

As Bombola puts it, bangs don’t fall into the classification of changing appearance to cope with stress. She believes that using the term “trauma bangs” might even offend people who have undergone a truly traumatic event.

What Is Defined as a Traumatic Event

Bombola says that trauma responses range a lot from person to person but also from one traumatic event to another. So, one might feel sad or scared, or they might exhibit a physical reaction to the event. Those include sleep problems, increased heart rates, and more.

In addition, there’s also a palpable difference between trauma and stress. We’ve covered trauma already. Now, let’s define what stress is. Typically, many people experience stress on a daily basis. Common stressors include problems at work or with one’s family, financial difficulties, etc. However, not everyone who experiences stress undergoes trauma.

So, while trauma bangs might be considered one way to cope with a traumatic event, it’s far from the only way to signal that one is undergoing a difficult situation in one’s life.