Mall bangs. Rat-tails. Flock of Seagulls. Our society has had a lot of “what were they thinking??” moments in hair trends, but fortunately, most of them are fleeting. Some, though, have more hold than your baby sitter’s perm and a can of Aquanet. One such trend is “The Willow Bun” – now a way of life inside the walls of the office. On any given day, the women (and one brave man) of Willow can be found sporting this chic hairstyle with poise and confidence. Although this hairstyle is popular throughout the office, the bun means many different things to many different individuals. But what is the bun? Is it a fashion statement? Time saver? A way of life? I began to investigate what the fascination with “the bun” was all about.

 

First, I spoke with my two office mates, Sue Richardson and Kendal Singh, each of whom seemed to have their own unique perspective on the bun. Sue scored a few brownie points with her answer. “If my hair cannot be perfect, then forget about it. I just throw it in a bun. But sometimes, I just don’t have time to concentrate on my personal appearance because I am making sure my clients receive our best work and receive it in a timely manner.” Meanwhile, Kendal’s bun days have a little more to do with motivation (or a lack there of). She says, “I’ve found that I can’t hide dry shampoo if my hair is down. Sometimes it’s much easier to do that than it is to take a shower in the morning.” (Yeah…. I went there, Kendal.)

 

Next, I had to talk to Luke “Man Bun” Woody. His story was more about yielding to the requirements of his girlfriend. “I told her I was going to participate in No Shave November. The only way she would let me do it is if I grew out my hair into a man bun. So I did. But I told her I would only do it as long as I didn’t look like all the other bros.” Did he accomplish his goal? I’ll leave that up to our readers to decide.

 

Finally, I sat down with one of our project managers, Maggie Hendrickson. Maggie is known throughout the office for her outstanding fashion sense, so I believed she would be the best source of knowledge on the subject. I began by asking her what the bun does for her. Does it get her through the day? Help cross tasks off her to-do-list? The answer: absolutely. She says, “I feel like I can fly throughout the office and get things done without having to worry about my hair getting in my face. To be honest, it makes me more aerodynamic.” I felt there was a little bit more to the story, so I kept prompting. I’m glad I did. Maggie smiled and said, “When the heels come off and the hair goes up, things are about to go down.”

 

So friends, family members, clients, and colleagues, you have been warned. “The Willow Bun” is real and it’s really important. If you visit the office and you witness this hairdo in all its glory, pay close attention, because it means whoever is rocking it, is in the zone and big things are happening.