After the Duchess of Cambridge’s maternity leave, she returned to royal and charitable work in September with some ill-advised bangs. Many of you pointed out that she was likely suffering from postpartum hair loss, but I still don’t think the way to deal with hair loss is by cutting chunky, falling-in-your-eyes bangs trauma. It was said that Kate even had regrets about the bangs, mostly because people wouldn’t shut up about them (and how much we hated them). Then, two weeks ago, Kate showed up to an event with a new “royal lob.” The effect of the lob with the bangs resulted in many people pointing out that she was basically turning into her mother, Carole Middleton. Some sources claimed that the Queen had simply had enough of Kate’s hair drama taking center stage, and that the Queen ordered Kate to get a more traditional and less “bouncy” and “flyaway” hairstyle. Now the Daily Mail says Kate is unsure about her new haircut, etc:
She’s famous for her flowing, wavy locks and following her recent chop the Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly missing her tresses. Kate has told her friends that she isn’t two keen on her most recent do by stylist to the stars, Richard Ward, referring to it as her ‘mum fringe’.
The Duchess unveiled her latest style two weeks ago after revisiting the hairdresser responsible for her enviable wedding hair. Though perhaps his efforts the second time round weren’t quite as well received.
The Sun revealed that Kate had told friends: ‘I was a bit unsure about it. I call it my mum fringe.’
Following her hair cut many have pointed out the Duchess’ resemblance to her mother Carole Middleton. It has been suggested that perhaps the Queen may have had an influence over her style overhaul. It was reported that her Majesty’s views on hairstyles may be why Kate has been adopting a more ‘sensible’ look.
It was suggested that Kate was quietly advised to swap the glamour girl hairdo she sported at Wimbledon in July for a length deemed more appropriate for a high profile member of the royal family. But supposedly as she did not want to admit defeat quickly, she has been making the transition in stages.
I’ve had long hair for most of my life, and like Kate, I feel like having long hair is part of my identity. If she wants long hair and she feels strongly about it, then she should have long hair. The problem – for me! – isn’t that she keeps her hair long, it’s that she has no idea how to style her hair in any way for professional/work engagements. It’s been more than five years since Kate began doing engagements for the firm, and it’s been five long years of her hands constantly fussing with her locks in public, with her loose hair blowing all over the place, with the wiglets and sausage curls and extensions. If she became friendly with ponytails, chignons, buns, and all of the fun things you can do to style long hair off your face, then she should be able to keep her much-beloved long hair. But I suspect this story is more about Kate sending a signal to Buckingham Palace that regardless of what the Queen thinks about her hair, Kate will forever be the Duchess of Wiglets, Flyaway Locks and Hair Drama.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She looks neat and more professional now. Like a women not a girl. I like it.
Agree. And as she is (if) willing to expand her network of professionals, they’ll keep updating her hair and encourage her.
I agree. She looks much more professional, a lot more sophisticated. Looking more like a member of the British Royal Family, not their office girl. What she is missing is the “security ” her out of control hair provides to hide behind. She really needs to grow up, and refuses.
Good Lord, the drama. Keep the length, soften the bangs or let them grow out. Move on with life.
Yes. It easy never the length as much as the styling.
Also, people have qualms with her hair, but I have qualms with these supposed friends we always hear about, but have NEVER seen.
Totally agree, HH. #FreetheFriends
Either the friends are invisible or are also known as close relatives / ‘sources’.
#FreetheFriends. Hahahaha! Perfect.
Also, I doubt close relatives other than pippa, James, or Carole. I’ve never even seen her with cousins
I am not sure why she would be worried about looking like Carole since she emulates her in almost every other aspect of her appearance. They wear each other clothes, for heaven’s sakes. I just doubt this is true.
I think her very long hair is tied up in her identity, and is a source of security for her.
Whatever. I am so tired of this woman’s hair! It seems to rule the world sometimes. At least the gossip world.
The media obsession with Kate’s hair is, to put it frankly, just plain weird – and utterly trivial. Shades of Jennifer Aniston here.
I have never understood this intense interest in one woman’s hair.
I was only interested when it grew like the Grinche’s heart. Outside of that here’s my main though.
The press will speak of a woman’s hair for 1 major reason. To trivialise her. Much like they did with Diana and Clinton off the top. To not discuss what was achieved in their works, but to make it about appearance. Like that’s all they are.
You can either fight against this by ignoring it or embracing it like you agree. You are to be valued more on appearance than substance.
Princess Anne and Hilary IMO are excellent examples of finding a style that worked for them and letting the press go on as they did because ladies had balls to bust! They were too busy to feed into this tactic.
I agree, Florc, but Kate gives us nothing more. Hillary Clinton may be leader of the free world. Princess Anne is a dedicated humanitarian. Kate got married and spent the next few years avoiding work. Even amongst Kate’s “friends,” it’s all hair talk.
I bet every CB commentor wishes Kate would give us anything else to talk about. The hair stuff is so boring.
Senaber
Not so. There are some that envy her to a point. That if they could avoid work, live in palaces for no cost, and live a private life on public pound they would. They see nothing wrong with it.
This bothers me. That this is valued and excused is imo on par with those who are famous for nothing.
It’s simply an image held onto. The Princess bliss.
If it helps this story like many “Kate” posts are not about her hair or clothes. There’s always a story between the lines 😉
Ah FLORC, maybe because I only read comments from sensible souls like yourself, I am out of the loop. I can’t imagine anyone wanting such a trivial existence when they have at their disposal one of the most influential positions in the world.
I do read between the lines, but what these repeated stories are telling me is that there is nothing else there… or at least, nothing else they want in the press.
Senaber
Thanks! 😀
I view this as a case of be careful what you wish for. Like they can hold onto their lives with financial independence like a private income. It’s picking and choosing.
And between the lines there is something here I think you’ve caught onto.
Cambridge friendly journalist posting absurd justifications on why they want to distance themselves from the BRF physically. Like the truth isn’t enough so more must be explained. It’s silly.
And every time wee get a story about her appearance it’s a reminder she’s not working or speaking about work.
Where is the Helicopter Hair photo? This post is not complete without it, FRINGE remarks or no FRINGE remarks.
I adore it. I prepare for lift off whenever it’s published.
Me too. Mostly because I think her hair looks the same as it did before. Longish and brown. And am therefore mystified by all the comments discussing a change in style, which appears to be the same style as the one before to me. Longish and brown. At least with Helicopter Hair photo, I get a cheap laugh out of it!
It looks the same. She looks the same.
I have been told by others (on other forums) that this has changed her incredibly, that she looks generic now, that it is just typical wife hair.
No. It’s just a damn trim.
Thank you!! It’s the same only 4 inches shorter. And the bangs. She had the bloody bangs before she cut her hair.
Hooray! It’s not just me!
This is the hairstyle world I inhabit. You get your hair cut. Then you are too lazy to go and get it cut again for months and months. When eventually you *can* be bothered, it’s grown loads. So you get four or five inches cut off to get you back to where you were before. Which, in my case, is quite short, so it doesn’t take long to dry when you wash it.
Oh! In the world of Sixer, Katie Bucket’s new hairstyle is actually her being Normal Kate. Who’dathunkit?
I do close to the same Sixer but I will usually go for a few years with no more than a trim and then lop it all off to above shoulder and donate it.
If she wanted to look a bit more chic she probably should have cut off a few more inches to blend the bangs. Her main issue is styling. She must just prefer the fuller look and it’s not great at this length.
And might I add the PP hair loss leading to “bangs” trauma is BS. She had bangs a few times before. She likes her bangs. Yet each time there’s a story about how she can’t stop asking people if it looks ok.
I’m close to the same age and chopped off about 12 inches a month ago. I didn’t even ask my husband if he thought it looked okay. After about 20 don’t we all just sort of own the haircut and realize even if we don’t like it it will grow soon enough? I’ve had a few I wasn’t wild about outside of the salon but I just take a week to figure out a way to style it that I feel comfortable with. And I don’t have stylists on hand!
When I get my hair cut I tell the stylist it needs to be “mom-ish” without looking like it. I have empathy for her plight.
So sad she has the best of the best at her disposal and she is just BLAH. There are other female royals is Europe that pull off longer hair (and yes even pant suits) and look fabulous doing so. I was really hoping for her to wow. Such a shame.
May I just ask what the heck is wrong with mom hair? She is a MOM. It is a huge part of her persona, yet it can’t be part of her hair?
Besides, as we have discussed before, mom hair is every hair. Long. Short. Bangs. No bangs. Curly. Straight. Moms have all kinds of hair.
Oh my god, I was just thinking the same thing! People go apeshit about pregnancy and babies, then when you do those things, there’s something bad about the hair??? And the jeans??? Embrace motherhood fergodsakes!
I’ll calm down now.
I know. It’s so weird.
Motherhood is the end and be all – well, except for the clothes. And the hair. Then we judge. Be a mom but remain a conformist Ole Miss cheerleader look a like for as long you can!
Own it, damn it. Motherhood is a great and varied look.
Bluhare
But mom jeans are a crime against fashion. The term carries over from an era of awful styling. Not that moms wear them. I’m certain you know this. I saw an older man wearing mom jeans and had to look twice.
But sometimes mom jeans support a belly that hasn’t quite sprung back into pre baby bellyhood, FLORC. Why should that be ridiculed?
bluhare
That’s not mom jeans. As I know them. The button should fall just below the belly button and tummys that never sprung back are not the issue. It’s the shapeless cut i’m talking about. You could have a great butt, but it makes it look wide and flat and saggy. Bad lines. Nothing to do with tummy control.
Dear god. To hell with that hair. Please someone do something about her face paint.
Why does she make everything about her appearance, guess that’s cause she has nothing else to talk about. I despair for the Uk and commonwealth if this airhead is going to be representing us on the world stage – it will all be about her terrible hair, make up and badly tailored designer clothes that we r all paying for.
Edit: am sure the Disney Princesses are ashamed that she’s bringing Princessing into disrepute.
I hope she grows it back out again. I don’t like the bangs and it’s just too short. She looked much better with her longer hair.
Admittedly, the longer hair looked good with certain styles. I’ve stated this before, but Kate’s hair in Adelaide AUS was the best I’ve ever seen.
Alas, she (like most of us) has good hair days but not good hair life.
The longer hair looked terrible ie a very odd contrast, with a thick (hard to cut) texture fringe/gringe/bangs.
Kate aka skinny cook, it’s Momager fringe.
It’s literally a difference of three inches. Her hair is still long. Why are we acting as if this is a big change?
@ BendyWindy
I agree. It’s still long and it’s not a completely big change. But then it’s Kate and that’s one of her obsessions and there’s not much else to her.
A really big change would be if Kate were to work with her natural curls instead of getting her hair blown out all the time. Imagine the hours in the chair getting it straightened. What mom has time for all that?
A mom with nanny, housekeeper, helicopter mother, and over two dozen office staff.
Nota
So Kate has plenty more time with 2 day nannies, 2 night nannies, a full staff and extra staff that isn’t claimed by them.
@ Deedee
So very true. Good idea. She should do that. She needs to stop spending more time in the salon than she does working. I’m thinking that for every 45-minute charity event, she probably spends at least three to four hours having her hair done for her plus the travel time to/from the salon. Adding in the expense of it as well as that of her ‘work’ clothes she’ll wear only one to three times, it seems to cost more in time and money to have her attend work than for her just to not work at all.
It’s hard to develop that consistent picture when you don’t know anything, for one. And for two, the only consistent picture I come up with is boring.
And workshy.
This was meant as a reply to bluhare above.
My friends and I call it “the mommy chop.” It’s like a primal urge to cut your hair. My stylist said she thought it was a way of your body saying you need to simplify your life.
Abyway, with both my pregnancies, I made my stylist swear not to do it, no matter how I might beg.
But look how inspirational she is!!! Gets a haircut and Princess Sofia of Sweden copies her!! She is a trend-setting fashionista setting an example for other princesses!!
@ Touch Cookie LOL!
I find it hard to believe that the Queen gives a rats bum about Kate’s hair. I feel like she’s got enough on her plate at her age without worrying about her grandson’s wife’s hair. I can see her caring about living the royal lifestyle without keeping up her end of the bargain. But hair? Nope. I’m not buying it.
@ MAP
I’m not buying it either.
Like I said yesterday, she needs a new stylist. Whoever cut her hair made the mistake of cutting her bangs too far back and made them too thick. Now she has to grow them out. I feel for her as I’ve had this happen to me. I prefer her hair long and layered. It’s beautiful and thick. She could pull it back into a ponytail easily and it would look really pretty.
As a woman with naturally very thick hair I will say that once it goes a few inches past my shoulders it’s very heavy for ponytails. I get headaches after a couple hours. When it’s really long I usually can’t go more than an hour. And more complex updos require hours of pinning with heavy duty clips and again it’s so heavy and requires so much product that I quickly have a headache.
I can relate to the headaches and ponytails as I get them too. She could wear a low ponytail though. There are other ways to do long heavy hair without putting it up high. I think long hair suits her more and either no fringe or longer.
Why do you assume her hair is naturally thick? It’s only been thick the past few years and before the thickness of Carole and Pippa’s.
I’ve just noticed a theme you relate to Kate very much in your comments.
http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/wjrt/cms_exf_2007/news/national_world/AP101116113602.jpg
http://www.allure.com/images/hair-ideas/2011/11/long-hairstyles-kate-middleton.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2OUm2Y07RTU/UlZO-OTy3VI/AAAAAAAAA8o/tRf1Ab0n_eY/s1600/Z%2BKATE%2BTRASHY.jpg
Oh photo shop alert example. They nearly airbrushed her mole above her lip into oblivion! In more recent shots you can see it’s raised above the skin. To make it look flat took a heavy hand.
I really don’t know if it’s naturally thick or not. But I would guess even if there’s fake hair that adds the weight too right?
My phone doesn’t necessarily show the comment order correctly so I’m guessing you don’t mean I relate to Kate? Can’t say I know anything about not working or dieting. Just that my thick hair gives me headaches when up.
Paleo
When on personal time Kate is more than not seen with her hair in a high ponytail. It’s maybe her prefered styling now.
And yes, fake hair adds loads of weight. I think she has clips more than the weaves. We have seen the stitching in Jubilee photos.
Dieting will give headaches also. But to be clear no one is saying Kate gets headaches.
Those are some sad pictures- she looks so healthy and cute as the “girlfriend.” She looks like she once had sparkle and personality.
Interesting since she seems to prefer it loose at events. I just figured it was for thick hair (natural or not) reasons as headaches from that are common. It certainly can look more polished in an updo which is why I think if she has or is choosing thick then shorter might be nicer.
The photos are really rather different. I’ve known women to lose weight in their faces after birth but it does look very drastic everywhere which I recall from the wedding. Shame she doesn’t really find a cause she’s passionate about as that would probably take her out of herself more and boost her confidence. If image wasn’t a preoccupation before then it surely must be now since it’s the majority of what is written about her.
Paleo
If she offered mor image would not be what is discussed.
And she’s shown herself to be passionate for anything where a celebrity is concerned. She makes time last minute. She shows up early, stays late, and if it’s cancelled like the last yacht/sailing event she does not cancel so everyone must stay outside of spectators.
Without fail if there’s celebs present she is there. Without celebs she could cancel, show up laten and leave early. It’s sad.
It’s just hair. And the daughter looks like the mother, big surprise. I agree with FLORC, the press goes on about a woman’s appearance in order to trivialize her.
Now the Queen needs to say something about that eyeliner
YES! Or just get her a stylist that can bring her into the modern century.
If anyone would like to check out Hello online, you will see a photo where it appears Paul Burrell (ex butler of Diana) is a part of Downton Abbey.
Prince William has made it official he and Catherine deem Downton Abbey as a favourite.
Don’t be fooled, it’s not Burrell (I think or rather, I hope).
I was thinking, wow- Burrell left his flower shop for Downton Abbey?!!!!! No, please tell me it can’t be true. He’s only a Burrell look- a -like.