The broccoli cut: the trending hairstyle amongst young people in Spain

Perms are back in fashion. Yes, you read that right. This time it's not the old ladies who are filling their heads with curlers to achieve fluffy, well-defined curls. It's their grandchildren or, more precisely, their grandsons. In this case, gender is important because it's them, the teenage boys, the 'bros' of Generation Z who have brought back the mythical perm to turn it into the trendy hairstyle.

You only have to walk around a gym, a shopping centre or outside a high school to see this new hair trend. Social media calls it 'the broccoli cut', because of its strong resemblance to the shape of this vegetable. It is also known as 'zoomer perm', 'alpaca haircut' or 'bird's nest' - various names for a similar cut that consists of keeping the nape and sides more or less trimmed, while a cascade of unruly curls sits on top, evoking the little broccoli stalks.

Such has been - and is - the demand for this hairstyle in barbershops and beauty salons in recent months that many hairdressers have had to put the curlers back in their trolleys to meet the desires of an increasingly young and demanding clientele. It happens not just in Spain - it's a global trend. Tiktokers with millions of followers like Plex, footballers like Harvey Elliott, K-Pop stars like Mark from NTC or successful actors like Paul Mescal, Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah Fisher in The Summer I Fell in Love) or Timothée Chalamet are sporting a trend that even Superman himself has joined. In his latest film, actor David Corenswet can be seen as Clark Kent with tousled curls instead of the frizzy, side-parted hairstyle he wore in previous films.

Just as one of the trendiest haircuts for girls is the butterfly cut - a layered hairstyle that slims the features of the face and adds volume to the hair - boys have brought back the perm. For those with naturally curly hair, it's a popular cut because it allows them to show off their hair without having to wear a mane, which is one of the reasons why, according to stylists, many teenagers have taken up the broccoli hairstyle trend. Of course, straight-haired boys have no choice but to perm their hair, which is why the demand for this technique, so fashionable in the 1980s, has been booming in recent months.

Many hairdressers agree that this cut is "objectively flattering". "If you feel insecure about your face, you can cover up half of it," jokes Swiss tiktoker Kris Grippo - another influencer who has embraced the 'bird's nest' trend. The volume at the top and the fall towards the forehead can compliment the face, conceal a large forehead or bring balance to elongated or rounded faces.

Another main reason for this hair boom lies in the change in mentality brought about by Generation Z. Unlike the aesthetic rebelliousness of the 90s, today's children embrace trends with collective enthusiasm. The FOMO phenomenon (fear of being left out) and the constant search for social media approval - clicks, followers, validation - has generated a kind of uniform aesthetic and the broccoli cut fits perfectly in it. "Nobody wants to be left out of the trends. Teenagers are looking to fit in with their peers and sharing a certain image is one way of doing this," says Ana Jiménez Zarco - expert in consumer trends and lecturer of Economics at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

The broccoli cut or zoomer perm is not just a hairstyle - it is a cultural phenomenon. "It speaks of the role of social media in shaping identity, of the aestheticisation of masculinity and of a generation that, as contradictory as it may sound, seeks to differentiate itself by resembling each other. It is also a testimony to the permanent recycling of fashions. What was trendy in the 80s, what was mocked in the 2000s, is today a status symbol among 15-25-year-olds," Jiménez Zarco said.