The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards delivered plenty of viral beauty moments, but one retro hairstyle stole the spotlight: crimped hair. On the red carpet, celebrities revived the zigzag texture that once defined the late ’90s and early 2000s, proving that the old staple is back in high-fashion form.
Held at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on Sunday, Sept. 7, the VMAs red carpet was a mix of sleek ponytails, rhinestone nails, and Old Hollywood waves, but it was crimping that felt like the most surprising (and nostalgic) comeback.
The look, marked by its distinctive ridged texture, has been bubbling on TikTok for months under names like “crimp curls” and “mermaid waves.” Unlike the stiff, uniform version of decades past, today’s crimping feels lighter and more versatile. It can be worn sharp and retro, brushed into softer waves, or styled somewhere in between, making it a throwback that easily adapts to edgy, glamorous, or casual moods.
The style’s roots run deep. First popular in the ’80s, crimping had a second life in the Y2K era, worn by everyone from Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to the stars of Lizzie McGuire. Now, in the middle of a wider Y2K revival, the VMAs showed just how versatile the look can be. Megan Skiendiel from Katseye leaned into bold volume with cascading crimps, Latto debuted waist-length mermaid texture, Haley Kalil wore a sleek rock-and-roll version, and Ashlee Simpson Ross gave a full-circle nod to her 2000s roots.
Ahead, see how stars wore the nostalgic style on music’s most playful red carpet, plus the products that make it easy to try yourself.
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