BBLUNT aims to crowdsource an inclusive name for boy cut hairstyle

This Women’s day, BBLUNT has taken a cultural stand against a universal haircut and challenged the stereotypical name with #BoycottBoyCut. To take matters into their own hands, the brand has invited men and women to come together to rename the haircut to a title that is modern, trendy, chic but more importantly inclusive and gender neutral in nature. Since its inception, BBLUNT has led with one core belief - the only person you need to look like is you! Or as Adhuna Bhabani, Founder & Creative Director, BBLUNT mentions, “We love cutting but never copy, paste.” Each style, be it on salon floors or at shoots, is meticulously crafted to fit the wearer’s face structure and accentuate highpoints and their features. Hence, as pioneers in the hair space, the brand recognized the need to rename an extremely popular but judgmental hairstyle was now.

First let’s go back to basics, what is a boy cut? Commonly defined as a short haircut for both men and women, it has been popularly (even validated by Google searches) associated to a style preference that is solely characterized for women. So why does the word boy cut explicitly describe women with short hair, whereas men themselves do not use it as their go-to expression? Through #BoycottBoyCut, BBLUNT examines this discriminatory naming and opposes the generalized notions, perceived personality, behavioral traits and stereotypes that accompany women who choose to sport their hair short. 

BBLUNT’s eclectic founder Adhuna Bhabani shared her experience with this haircut in a short video posted on Instagram. “Almost 30 years ago, when I first came to India with my short hair, it was the first time I heard someone call it - a ‘boycut’. I learned that being a woman with a short haircut meant that people here would perceive you as unattractive, masculine, or even quirky, whereas as a professional, I can tell you that every short hairstyle is unique, and so is the woman wearing it.”

“You need to appreciate the individuality of all these amazing hairstyles and not club them all together under one umbrella term. Let’s boycott the boycut!”

Dwelling into the insight of the campaign, Tom Dawes, Global Creative & Digital Director, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, stated, "BBLUNT has constantly endorsed and celebrated strong, independent women and with #BoycottBoyCut we are all set to evolve another age old prejudice. By outlining the reality and tussles faced by women with short hair and further motivating people to suggest an alternate name for the internet to imbibe – we’re eager to change the narrative around boy cuts! Adhuna, Avan, Osh alongside our stylist army have joined hands to inspire the audience to reform conversations around this regressive haircut style.”

In the run up to Women’s Day, the brand revealed UNI CUT, a new name that is universal, unique and unisex chosen by the people of India! With this name, the brand hopes to transform people’s views, shift perceptions and change attitudes. A name that everyone can use as an identity for short hair, man or woman!

Harshil Karia, Founder, Schbang added, “BBLUNT is always known for pushing the limits when it comes to creative thinking and edge while being relevant to society. It reflects what the brand stands for. I love how they encouraged the insight with zeal and supported us in bringing the thought to life. We are glad we could do something that relates to women across the country!”

Consumers have got onto the bandwagon by uploading their own pictures sporting short crops and showcasing their own flattering UNI CUT. The crusade has been well recepted so far and BBLUNT is ambitious to continue evolving the cultural landscape, especially elements that are bias and deprecating.

Check out more about the campaign on @bbluntindia