The first time I saw “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” I didn’t think I’d have to stop the episode every five minutes to zoom in on… a haircut. But there I was, holding my phone inches from the screen, trying to figure out why Belly’s hair made her look so fresh, light, and grown-up. Her haircut doesn’t scream for attention. It just says, “This is what an easy summer looks like.”
You might know how this feels. You leave the salon with the goal of looking “beachy and natural,” but you end up with something that has been blow-dried into submission and falls apart as soon as you wash it. Belly’s hair is the opposite of that. It looks lived-in, a little messy, and like you can touch it. It seemed like it did this on its own.
Spoiler: It didn’t.
The real secret behind Belly’s “Summer I Turned Pretty” hairdo
If you freeze-frame Belly at the Cousins beach house, the first thing you see is how long she is. It hits her mid-chest and glides over her collarbones and shoulders. Short enough that it doesn’t pull her face down, but long enough for loose waves and ponytails. This is where you start: a soft, mid-to-long cut that isn’t too extreme or too short.
And then there’s the motion. Belly’s hair falls in long, soft layers that start around the cheekbone and blend down. There are also pieces that barely touch the face. There are no harsh steps and no “Rachel from Friends” flashbacks. The volume is low, mostly in the middle, which keeps the teenage, no-effort feel. It’s not hair for a nightclub; it’s hair for hanging out on the porch.
Goodbye to the angled bob : the “anti-ageing” cut that restores volume to thinning hair after 55
Picture this: you go to the hairdresser and say, “I want Belly from ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty.'” If your stylist isn’t very online, they’ll probably just smile politely and look it up on Google. It’s better to turn her look into real hairdresser talk. Imagine “long, soft layers starting below the chin, with very light pieces around the face and a natural, beachy movement all over.” No big layers or too much style.
Belly’s hair probably looks better on set because of styling and small changes, but the base cut stays the same from scene to scene. You can see it when her hair is straight after a pool scene and when it’s wavy at a party. That means that the shape is doing most of the work. The cut is made so that it looks good when it’s air-dried, blown out, or tied up in a messy bun.
There is more to this hairstyle than just nostalgia or TV magic. The cut gently opens up her face without making it look “done.” Those long layers take weight off the ends of the hair, so it doesn’t make that solid triangle shape that you sometimes get with one-length cuts. The length also makes it romantic and youthful at the same time.
Belly’s haircut is brilliant for her face shape. The layers at cheekbone level bring out her eyes, the mid-length layers make her jawline look slimmer, and the overall length makes her silhouette look a little longer. That’s why people with very different looks can all say, “I want Belly hair,” and it works.
What to tell your hairdresser to do and what not to do
When you sit down, don’t just show one perfectly lit screenshot from the show. Look at a few different angles: by the pool, at night, with your hair up, and with your hair down. Then change what you see into words. You want to say something like, “Keep the overall length around here” (point to mid-chest), “then add very soft, long layers to make it move, not add volume.” I’d like light face-framing around the front, starting just below the cheekbones.
Use words like “soft,” “long layers,” and “nothing choppy” over and over again. Tell your stylist to use slide-cutting or point-cutting on the ends so they look light and feathery instead of blunt and strict like a school uniform. If your hair is thick, tell the stylist that you want some of the weight taken out of the middle so it can move. If it’s okay, make sure to say that you don’t want the layers to be too short or too many.
A lot of us mess up here: we ask for “beachy layers” and end up with a heavily layered, shaggy cut that only looks good with a curling iron and 30 minutes of styling. Belly’s hair isn’t like that. It’s more like a long, modern “butterfly” haircut, but it’s toned down and good for teens. One main length, plus hidden internal layers to break up the mass.
Be honest when you talk about your daily life. Say that you usually blow-dry your hair once a week and let it air-dry while you scroll through your phone the rest of the time. Let’s be honest: no one really does this every day. This way, your stylist can figure out how much work the cut will need in real life. Belly’s hair looks low-maintenance because the way it is styled is easy, not because someone spends 45 minutes doing it every morning.
Maya D., a hairstylist in London, says, “I always ask clients, ‘Do you want the TV version of this hair or the real-life version?'” “Belly’s cut works because it’s basically real hair with a little bit of TV polish.” We keep the base simple and focus on making the face look good instead of trying to get perfect curls.
- Long, soft layers, pieces that frame the face, natural movement, and light, textured ends are all good words to use.
- Avoid saying things like “lots of layers,” “heavy thinning,” “big round layers,” “shag,” or “wolf cut.”
- For that breezy, broken-up finish, ask for point-cutting or slide-cutting on the ends.
- Bring at least three pictures of your hair: one straight, one wavy, and one with it tied back.
- Let your stylist know how you really style your hair so they can change the number and length of the layers to fit you.
Changing Belly’s haircut to fit your hair type and your own summer
Belly’s cut is easy to copy because it’s more of a framework than a strict set of rules. Hair that is straight? Request the same overall shape, but with very small layers so the ends don’t look too stringy. Waves that happen naturally? You’re the closest to the original: long layers will help your texture fall into those soft S-shapes. Curls? You can still use Belly as a guide, but move the layers up and cut on dry hair so that your curls stay bouncy and frame your face.
If your hair is very thick, your stylist might add hidden layers inside to get rid of bulk without making the surface look too “stepped.” If your hair is very fine, they will probably keep the edges a little fuller and shape it around your face just a little so you don’t lose density. Same look, but a slightly different recipe.
We all know that feeling when you leave the salon and want to fast-forward six weeks so the cut softens and feels like you again.
| Important point | Detail: What the reader gets out of it |
|---|---|
| Bring pictures of things | Take several screenshots of Belly’s hair in different scenes.Helps the stylist know what to expect in terms of shape, length, and texture |
| Say the right things | Request long, soft layers and light framing around the face.Lowers the chance of getting hair that is choppy and too layered |
| Get used to your routine | Be honest about how often you style your hair. This will help you get a haircut that works in real life, not just on the first day. |
