Zooey Deschanel‘s signature fringe became a topic of fierce online conversation following 2013’s Met Gala, with many fans saying they didn’t recognise the New Girl actor without it.
At the red carpet event, Deschanel pinned her trademark hairstyle back, causing many fans to double take at photographs of her.
Now, the 500 Days of Summer star has reminisced on the moment in a new interview, saying she finds it “truly shocking” that pinning back her fringe altered her appearance so much.“
It’s truly shocking to me, but I mean, it’s funny,” she told Buzzfeed. “Well, and I, a lot of times, just have my hair out of my face in my life, so that’s what’s funny. My family recognizes me without bangs.”
Last year, in reference to the online furore about it, Deschanel shared a photo on her Instagram, with her fringe pinned back to reveal her forehead, and a caption stating: “For all the doubters...”
Deschanel has had a fringe since she was two years old, and has stuck with the hairstyle through thick and thin.
Speaking to Glamour in 2013, she said she fell in love with the style following her first haircut, when “the stylist lopped off the front of my waves into girly, face-framing fringe.”
She added: “You could say that I’m hooked on bangs. Would I ever give them up? I have, and I might again—for a role, perhaps—but I really don’t feel like myself without them.”
“When I first got into acting, I was a bit of a chameleon and just wasn’t recognizable. So I used my look to help create an identity. Now people know me as the girl with bangs,” Deschanel explained.
“I’ve tried growing out my bangs a few times, but it’s never stuck. They’ve been styled into all sorts of shapes and lengths. Now I’m very specific about how they look and feel.”
When offering advice to others keen to imitate her bangs, she previously told People magazine: “Make sure you commit to them.”
And as for her signature look, Deschanel said she likes her fringe to be “easy to manage”.
