The MAGA Men's Haircut: A Style Statement
If MAGA women have embraced the pageant-ready aesthetic of big, blown-out honey blond hair, the men of the movement seem to be chasing a different fantasy entirely: a style somewhere between a Peaky Blinders extra and a fascist follicle fever dream. Individuals like Greg Bovino, the former Border Patrol commander at large, and Andrew Schulz, a comedian who hosted President Donald Trump on his podcast before the election, have sported the MAGA movement's favorite men's haircut: a sharp, disconnected undercut paired with a textured crop, according to hairstylists.
Andrew Schulz and the Haircut Roast
Schulz, who voted for Trump but now appears to be having second thoughts, was recently roasted in a viral Threads post for waffling on both the haircut and the politician. When your Trump is cool barber has to perform an emergency I did not vote for this, fellow comedian J-L Cauvin joked last month of Schulz's former high-and-tight cut.
Greg Bovino's Severe Version
As for Bovino, who was removed from his role in January following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota by ICE agents under his command, his haircut is a more severe version of the MAGA do, in keeping with his general tough guy look. Before Trump let Bovino go, even German media outlets were mocking the Border Patrol leader's aesthetic. Other countries also had these coats, but Bovino's outfits complete the Nazi look: a closely cropped haircut, as if he had taken a photo of assassinated SA leader Ernst Rohm to the barber, the newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote.
The Fashy Cut and Its Origins
Is it fair to say the so-called fashy cut is a tell-sign that someone voted for Trump once, twice or thrice? Maybe not, but it is MAGA-coded, and has been for almost a decade, said Jesse Morton, the co-owner of Cloak & Dagger Barber Co. in Portland, Oregon. The side-fade picked up the fashy haircut nickname online around 2016, after white nationalist Richard Spencer made it part of the unofficial uniform of the alt-right, Morton noted. Men like Spencer adopted it for its cultural significance: Hitler Youth and German soldiers favored it for its utility during World War II, as it was easy to get a helmet on and off with such a tidy, close crop.
From Hipsters to MAGA
But before the Proud Boys and Spencer hijacked the cut, everyone was seemingly getting it: Brooklyn hipsters, David Beckham, Macklemore. The cut on its own, high skin fade with a long slick-back on top, is just Peaky Blinders, Morton said, referencing the cut Cillian Murphy had throughout the BBC drama set after World War I. The show was highly influential on men's fashion and styling, but Boardwalk Empire, the HBO 1920s mobster drama, also had a character who sported the haircut and deserves some credit. The haircut's peak was around 2018 to 2020, but MAGA guys are still getting it. Though in Portland, we mostly see it on hospitality and creative guys who want a vintage thing, he said. We do not get a lot of red hats walking through the door here.
Handlebar Mustache and Other Contenders
Today, it is the cut plus a handlebar mustache that tips it into more heightened Trump voter territory, Morton said. There are other contenders for MAGA man hair, though. There is the Don Jr. gel-helmet slick-back, the Josh Hawley side-part bro-flow, and Trump's whole architectural situation, which honestly deserves its own genre, Morton said.
City vs. Suburban MAGA Cuts
Calvin Cao, the founder of Kindred Barber in Washington, D.C., said if it is a MAGA haircut, it is more of a city-based podcast bro MAGA cut. Typically, most MAGA voters are not concentrated in city proper or immediate suburbs so they do not have access to well-trained barbers that know how to texturize hair, he said. The barbers we spoke to were not surprised Schulz ditched the cut. Overall, its popularity is fading as men are opting for a more lived-in, textured look. The cut is evolving, said Jonny Haviv, the founder of Hairchitect Barbershop & Lounge in San Francisco, California. We are seeing softer fades, more natural movement, and less extreme contrast. The trend is becoming more relaxed and less over-engineered.
The Liberal Haircut
It is not just the right with a signature look; there also seems to be a go-to style for liberal men. The liberal cut right now is the lived-in, longer, soft-textured look, Morton said. Natural movement, no harsh fade, kind of I used product but I want you to think I did not. Since California Governor Gavin Newsom is a presumed front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, what do the barbers think of the politician's signature gelled-back coif? Newsom wears that silver fox look super well, said Darius Davie, the owner of Groom Guy in Washington, D.C. It is perfect for his facial portfolio but does not read old fashion. Morton, meanwhile, thinks Newsom's hair is its own thing. It is so structurally perfect, it loops back around to suspicious, he joked. It is wind-tunnel tested. Like he keeps a comb in the glove box and a stylist on retainer. Politically it reads, I will tell you exactly what you want to hear, and my hair will agree.
